Le Foret...WOW!

[jodyrah]

We savored our first meal at Le Foret this weekend.

The good: The food. Impeccable flavor profiles, artfully executed with skill and precision.

The (not so) bad: Wine pairing not yet availble with tasting menu. Service slowed as the dining room filled.

This was far and away the best and most memorable meal we've had in NOLA in a long time...possibly ever.

We opted for the 5 course ($60) tasting menu. We were served three amuses before the first course.

1. Gougeres. Light, airy with a nice hint of parmesean.
2. Cauliflower panacotta cloaking a perfect lump of crab, topped w/ caviar. Silky smooth, creamy. A delicate play of textures and flavors.
3. A trio. Lobster tartar encased in a cucumber pillbox.
Rabbit rillette sandwiched between paper thin rabbit shaped wafers.
Veloute of onion and pear w/ a skewered bite of lobster.

Amazing. We would seemingly utter this with each course.

Housemade mini brioche and butter were offered throughout the
meal.

First course: Butternut squash puree. Velvety smooth without being overly thick or rich. Nicely showcased the flavor of the squash.

Second course: Butter poached lobster and gnocchi. The lobster was sweet and tender. The gnocchi stole the show. Incredibly light, fluffy pillows.

Third course: Roquefort salad. Crisp micro greens refreshingly dressed with lemon and oil beside creamy Roquefort mousse atop a beet sliced so thin it melted onto the plate.


Fourth course: Foie gras and duck terrine. Tender morsels of duck bound with creamy foie gras mousse. Decadently rich. Garnished with carrot slivers and individual brussel sprout leaves that held such an impossibly small amount of vinagrette that I can only imagine it being applied with an eyedropper. A small bite yet so much flavor.TA nice bit of tartness to cut the rich terrine.

Amuse 4. Chilled blood orange jelly. A terrific palate cleanser.

Fifth course: Vanilla souffle w/ a demi tasse of Valrhona chocolate sauce.
Once again perfect flavor and execution.

Next we were brought complimentary champagne accompanied by a plate of small cookies including French macaroons.

Guests are given a lemon Madelline in ribbon tied cellophane when leaving.

They also do the little things that are so often overlooked, cold food, cold plates, same for warm. Soft butter as well.

Le Foret has raised the bar. We have reservations again this weekend. Here's hoping our second dining experience will be as spectacular.

A side note: There are only 60 certified master chefs in the US. Le Foret boasts the only one in La.

[bdavid]

Wow. Where is this place?
Aside from failing to pair wines with the courses, how was the list?

[Yvette]

100 block of Camp Street. They have valet parking.

We have been twice already, really enjoyed it. They do better for groups of tables instead of a huge group in their upstairs private rooms. I think its just a matter of time though.

We are thinking about going again Saturday night.

[paz5559]

http://bestofneworleans.com/gyrobase/Co ... =oid:67777

[Isabella Maja]

I haven't been, but I've had a good feeling about this place for months! Glad to see it is coming to fruition. Keep the reports coming!

[jodyrah]

129 Camp...valet parking. I never looked at the wine list. My husband spied Prosecco by the glass, asked the waiter to bring a round while we were perusing the menu. He quickly ammended that to "bring a bottle". Although it's not on the wine list by the bottle we were accomodated. We had two. We were charged the per glass price ($32 per bottle).