Happy pre-birthday to me and my birthday buddy
My birthday buddy happened to be in town for the week, and that Saturday would be our birthday. However, we had to do a “casual” dinner on his first night in, especially since they were starting a new job. We have known each other forever and used to celebrate our birthday together on many occasions, however it had been quite a long time since we had the opportunity to do so. So off we went to Le Coucou. (Super casual, huh?)
It wasn’t the largest space, but it was comfortable and they had an option kitchen as well, which of course I did not get a photo of. But everything felt comfortable and not too stuffy at all. But first, of course, drinks.
I started with a pear cider, which was very light and crisp, but very refreshing, a nice start to the meal. And of course with our meal we had wine. Instead of choosing our own 3 course meal, we decided to share a bunch of different plates amongst the 4 of us. First however, came the amuse bouche.
I honestly wish I could remember what it was, but obviously was delicious. I suppose next time I should take some notes so I can be more thorough here. Anyways, from the appetizers, we chose the sweetbreads (Ris de veau à l’estragon) and the yellowfin (Thon à la portugaise).
Trying to describe sweetbreads to those who don’t know what it is is always quite a feat as it never makes it sound appetizing. They are neither sweet nor breads. From what I’ve been told, it is the thymus gland. Already lost you, huh? They are very delicate though yet creamy. It was matched well in this cream sauce paired with maitake mushrooms (I love mushrooms).
To balance out the heavier cream dish, we went with a lighter yellowfin tuna crudo style dish. It almost melted in your mouth, such a great texture. The most interesting addition I thought was the addition of golden raisins. It added a little sweetness to the dish that complemented the sweet fish well.
Onto main courses which included the lobster (Homard « Bourse et la Vie »), the beef (Filet de boeuf, jus à la moelle, queue dans la boulangère) and the duck for 2 (Canette à l’orange).
You can never go wrong with a perfectly cooked lobster. Growing up in Massachusetts, summertime was always full of lobster, whether at home or in a lobster roll by the ocean. My sister and I still have little competitions to see who can break down and finish their whole lobsters first. It was served in an au poivre sauce, but not peppery like you would imagine. Also with a side of pommes dauphine, basically little mashed potato balls fried up.
The steak was cooked in a bone marrow jus and came with these oxtail potatoes. Basically looked like scalloped potatoes with a oxtail stew almost in the middle. Delicious.
Lastly but certainly not least, was the duck for 2. They basically served an entire duck in 2 different plates with different preparations.
It was a take on duck a l’orange and they even served the duck heart on the slices of orange. At this point, I was so full but it was so tasty, I couldn’t stop eating. While this was the breast and the heart, the other plate had the legs and wings.
These were served with endives to counterbalance the sweetness of the orange.
Despite 4 of us, it was still a struggle to finish everything, but we managed to do so. At this point however, we definitely had no space for dessert. But, as a little after dinner sweet, each table received these little jellies, a citrus flavor but I can’t remember specifically what it was.
It was a nice finish to a heavier meal. The highlights of the meal were definitely all the variety of sauces on each of the dishes, likely the highlight to any French restaurant.
Although it usually comes with a heftier pricetag, it’s always fun to go out to a Michelin starred restaurant. Less of a meal and more of an adventure, especially if you have great company surrounding you.
