Le Singe Vert - October 23, 2010

Le Demi Poulet Roti

There was no monkey business at the Green Monkey in terms of their pre-theater prix fixe - I suppose you can call your prix fixe whatever you want but "theater" here surely does not refer to Broadway, well, unless, if it is off-off-off-and-off Broadway - of $19.95, plus $5 for dessert.  The price tag is here to stress the fact that there was no monkey business when it comes to the amount of food they place in front of you, the lack of which seems to be a common vice shared by many pre-theater menus.  

Le PÂTÉ de CAMPAGNE - Homemade country terrine, croutons, cornichons

At a glance, the appearance was correct - thick-cut and marbled with interesting small brown pickled onions, not the typical white pearl onions.  Yet, again, the appearance betrayed:  The pate tasted like the first foray into the art of pate making by someone, while reasonably competent and quite hands-on but lacks the experience and the nose (for you cannot, or want to for the matter, taste the raw pork and bacon) to properly execute the age-old wisdom.  My tip for the kitchen:  Doze the pate mixture with more cognac (did you go stingy on me?) and add some more thyme and other spices the next time.

Les ESCARGOTS - Baked Burgundy snails, parsley, shallot, garlic butter

Bubbling in their little green baths, the little guys are not missing anything in Burgundy, are they? Be honest and admit it, snail meat is bland whether it is fresh from the sidewalk or the can; therefore, you need the hot baths. The ancients in Burgundy had it all figured out:  A combination of garlic, butter and parsley will instantly shut up any snail-dissenters; and they were not wrong.

Le DEMI POULET ROTI - Roasted free range half chicken, sautéed potatoes, string beans, garlic confit

"Demi," as in demi-god, demi-tasse and demi-monde, indicates that the object of the prefix is lesser or half of the original.  However, used to describe the half roast chicken here, Le Demi Poulet Roti, somehow the negative connotation evaporates. If I may say, it was fully half chicken, as far as half can go (Maialino, pay attention). Tenderly and simply roasted served with its own jus, the chicken exuded the well-meaning of the chef, somehow over-concerned for your sodium intake.  Said plainly, the chicken needed more salt. Otherwise, while it was not an inspiring dish, it was nonetheless far more than edible.  The well-cooked beans added some needed diversion from the full half chicken.

L’ONGLET MARCHAND de VIN - Roasted beef hanger steak, mushroom and pea risotto, parmesan, truffle oil, red wine / shallot sauce
Hanger steak is one of my favorite cut of beef, and it does not take a lot to turn it into a marvelous dinner.  However, the chef again seems to lack the touch of delicacy that elevates the food from someone's kitchen counter to the restaurant table. Perhaps a dash of reduced balsamic would have done the job, or bolder red wine for the reduction.  I do have to give it to the owners for serving, again, a full size steak with bone marrow under such budget constraints. 

CRÊME BRÛLÉE and LEMON TART with raspberry coulis

Neither worth too many words, these are your average creme brulee and lemon tart.  The creme brulee had the exact same problem as many of its peers, overly sweet because of the thick and not-fully-caramelized shell.  You know what it is called, when it is not fully caramelized? It is called candy, and candy has no business in a creme brulee. The lemon tart was probably not homemade; that was probably why it just tasted like every other mediocre lemon tart out there.