We had been waiting with three other couples for tables at Fugaise. We were standing at the vestibule, waiting for the hostess to get our tables ready, and since you can’t see the dining room until you go in, I wondered if they had over-reserved. Especially, because the hostess took our name and then disappeared for more than five minutes. Fortunately the wait was not too long and I was also able to hear how some people live. In between talking with Linda, I overheard this man say to his wife(?) that he wanted to install a 6-burner stove and that updating the kitchen would be two-hundred grand. More talking to Linda, then something about how that was on top of ten thousand he had spent last month…

So after a while, the hostess came in and brought us to a small table in the main dining room (last time we were here, we had sat in a smaller room beyond the main dining room). The small dining room was completely full, and a few waiters moved this way and that serving people. Our server brought menus, lit the small votive candle on the table and told us all about the special five-course Valentine menu.

The small two page menu contained four appetizers and four entrees. We selected the Scallops in Salsify, Butter Lettuce, Sauce Choron, the Root Vegetable Tart with Sweet Onion Puree, Gruyere Fondue, Poached Egg, and for the entrees I got the Monkfish with Parsnip, Portobello Mushroom, Bacon, Red Wine (minus the bacon), and Linda got the Salmon with Roasted Mushroom Polenta, Zucchini, Tarragon Cream. To drink Linda had the Paul Zinck, Pinot Blanc (Alsace 2006), and I had Bouchard Pere & Fils, Bourgogne Rouge (Burgundy 2005). For dessert we had the Warm Chocolate Cake with Vanilla ice cream, Cinnamon Crème Anglaise, Prune, Macadamia Nuts.

So about the food. Soon after we sat down they brought a amuse-bouche; a potato-croquette with some sauce, I now forget. Since we told the server that we were sharing the scallops and the tart, he brought the scallops in two plates, one scallop for each of us (nice touch). The scallops were great. Very tender and well balanced. The root vegetable tart was also very good. The tart itself had caramelized onions, the root vegetables were just right, and the poached egg made for a nice contrast to the vegetables, particularly with the soft yolk. Of the fish, mine was better than Linda’s. All together, as we expected, the food was very good.

In the middle of dinner we order a second glass of wine, and the server told us it was on him (the restaurant), for our patience waiting to get a table. Another nice touch.

To end the meal, we decided to ask for dessert and skip the coffee (last time here we wanted espresso and either they didn’t have any or it was pretty bad, so I did not want to repeat that experience). The dessert, as last time, was just ok. I don’t know why I keep asking for warm chocolate cake. Most restaurants have pretty much the same thing, and it becomes too similar from place to place.