Coquille St. Jacques
Sopa de Ajo
Vichyssoise
Escalope de Vaue "Oscar"
Salmon Vent
Le Petit Filet Mignon
Chocolate Pecan Tart
A celebration of French food calls for one to participate fully, as the above listing attests. The Coquille St. Jacques featured tender scallops baked in a bed of mashed potatoes with white wine and cream. Our Protagonist doesn't make a habit of eating potatoes, but this felt just right to him, somehow; it seemed to have touched the "comfort food" nerve. The mistake was following this up with the very intense Sopa de Ajo; one should NOT have an appetizer if one is to have this. This might also be a consideration with La Soupe a L'oignon Gratinee, which is another offering; you won't be able to eat your dinner afterward! Just like the French Onion soup, the Garlic Soup was prepared with a generous melting of Gruyere on top, which when melted back into the mixture thickened with breadcrumbs, the consistency became not unlike fondue. Our Protagonist was beginning to question the sanity, the wisdom, notwithstanding, of the Veal that was coming. The vichyssoise that the dining partners partook of was lovely to taste, and probably would have been a safer following to the appetizer that wasn't shared.
Veal is always a challenge in terms of the texture, and this one came out a little on the tough side. The intense lemon of the saute wiped out the flavor of either the crab meat or the Bearnaise sauce. The accompaniments became the star in this case, including a little vegetable ratatouille that even out-sweet-potatoed the sweet potato whip! It had been caramelized to perfection, and resembled one of the best tasting baked yams, ever. The salmon vent was good, but, again, my dining partner raved over the various accompaniments, rather than the dishes itself, and then proceeded to steal them from her husband's plate. His Petit Filet seemed to hit the spot with no complaints, bedecked in its brandy sauce that seemed to be the house specialty. Our Protagonist's salad had a maple vinaigrette, which was subtle but good. In spite of nearly splitting in two from eating too much, he simply had to sample the chocolate pecan tart, for which he was richly rewarded for his previous troubles. Although, he found himself eying the pineapple upside-down tort for a return visit...
Miguel's
6631 Midnight Pass Road
Sarasota, FL 34242
941-349-4024
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