Le Pichet

Le Pichet
1933 1st Ave
Seattle, WA

As mentioned in yesterday’s post, I shuffled this post and decided to put dessert first. Hey, who does not like dessert? Oh, wait, me not necessarily… But back to this post: I have started to have this “trend”: depending on how the project concluded (even the small parts), I might decide to splurge a little bit on that last meal before coming back to Vancouver. The fact that Seattle had so many options made it somewhat difficult, specially considering that Lola disappointed. Instead, I decided to go to a place that was well regarded but of an establishment type that I haven’t had that much chance to try in Vancouver (until recently that is): a bistro. That place ended up being Le Pichet.

On the Vancouver side, I have been to Salade de Fruits and, more recently, La Brasserie. There are other bistros I have been thinking on going but that has stalled in the “thinking” stage. Those include Les Faux Bourgeois and, as per Darina’s suggestion, Bistrot Bistro. One of these days I keep telling myself… That is why, I was more than eager to give this place a try. And, as mentioned yesterday, I had FO with me – which fortunately or unfortunately, sort of found out what I do on the side. Oh, well…

One thing that I really “liked”, for the lack of a better word, when I arrived is its simplicity. Sorry, everybody but I am those who prefer down to earth setting and service. After we walked in, we were asked if we had reservations – which we did not. Rather than turning us around or giving us funny expressions, we were given right away the option of seating at the bar or at a table that was too close to another couple. I would have taken the table as it was closer to the window (hence, a bit more light); however, FO did not want to sit to close to the couple. I yielded but, as a result of this, the pictures are not as good as some other instances and have been heavily post-processed.

Once we were seated, we were presented right with the menu and glass (with water). The bartender (?) took care of us and presented with the amouse bouche above after we made our orders. In this case, a crostini with a topping of ricota and capers. It was OK; nothing really strong, flavour-wise. It was crispy for sure but I would have expected something soft and acidic to help us with our appetites (as if we needed that help!). With that came our bread and the appetizer.

Behold gâteau au foie de volaille or “smooth chicken liver terrine”. I wasn’t planning to order this originally. Instead, I wanted to order their sauté de foie de canard sur salade aux poires et aux betteraves or “sautéed duck livers on a salad of grilled radicchio, pears, roasted beets and caramelized red wine vinaigrette”. However, because FO wasn’t going to order appetizer, I thought I should switch gears and order something that could be shared instead. That is the reason I went for the liver terrine (though why it wasn’t called a pate is a mystery to me). It was a really good thing I got to try this. That terrine was soft, almost soft butter. Spread over a piece of bread, it had that slight metallic (?) taste that you usually have when eating liver. However, if you leave it linger a bit longer… Well, I am not sure if it would be the best way to describe it but it tasted something similar to deviled ham! Now, I know some of you might be twitching around for that canned food reference but it has that strange taste combination of spices and mustard. I like that taste so, from my perspective, it was a winner. And while FO might not agree with my description, he liked it as well.

For his entree, FO went for the onglet grillé et sa crème au parmesan et pommes frites or “Northwest natural beef hanger steak, grilled on sautéed Brussels sprouts, almonds, parmesan cream and crisp potatoes”. After he gave it a bite, he asked me to give it a try as well. This was a juicy and tender steak! It had the tenderness of the tenderloin (not to the same extent, though) but had the taste of some chewier cuts. Did I mention it was juicy? It was brought a bit more rare than what was asked (medium done) but I guess this is a case where the chef/cook overrides what the customer wants and prepare it the way it should be eaten. Not complaining here, as I would have eaten it the way it was presented. As for the fries, they were good; however, it had an oily taste that conflicted with the juiciness of the steak. It would have worked with mussels or other form of (over cooked) steaks; not with the way it was prepared.

I decided to go for something more complex yet simple at the same time: Choucrôute garnie or “Veal sausage, pork-duck sausage, duck leg and potatoes simmered with sauerkraut, white wine and juniper”. The overall dish was a bit of a hit and miss, depending on what was being eaten. The sauerkraut was quite good, though, if you were looking for a strong acidic taste, it wasn’t there. In fact, I could say it was a bit… Sweet. The potato was just meh and, unfortunately, the duck leg went a bit south. It was braised, almost confit and, while soft, it wasn’t that same duck taste as a Peking duck. I am sure some people would like it as is but I am biased on how I like my duck. The veal sausage was slightly above average – think of a leaner version of your breakfast sausage. However, that does not mean it is bad; instead, you could still “feel” the pieces of veal. The pork-duck sausage combined two great types of meat, which was great except it felt slightly below the sum of its parts. Don’t get me wrong, it was good, just that I wished it had some characteristics of eating it on its own, namely, the crunchiness of the pork rind and the crispiness of duck skin. OK, OK, that is asking for too much in a sausage… But, still, it was a great sausage as it mingle really well the combination of those before mentioned meats.

Based on my thoughts of my dish, you might wonder if the overall experience was average. The answer would be no. While there were points of that dish that could be improved, it was more minor details and my liking than anything else that might have distorted that perception. But, the overall experience was better than expected. An elderly couple seated next to me were wondering about why I was taking pictures and even asked me to sample some of their serrano ham (it was great!). Of course, I asked them to sample the terrine and, likewise, they thought it was great. On FO side, he was also chatting with the diner next to him and seemed to enjoy the conversation as well. Added to the fact that the wait staff acted almost as if they weren’t there heightened the experience. If we take the food only, it was the fact that there were no pretenses and a better output is what edges La Brasserie and, hence, I prefer Le Pichet over it…. Way over it…

Tagged under: Duck • European • French • Seattle