Adventure 1: L'Etoile

L'Etoile (website)
25 N. Pickney St.
3 Adjectives: Romantic, elegant, formal.
Price: app (9-14) entree (29-42)
Authenticity:
Atmosphere:
Overall:
Other Opinions: madisonatoz, madisondining, dane101, badgerherald, there are countless others if you search...
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Hi there folks! I thought I'd start off the adventures with one of the classiest and most famous restaurants in town: L'Etoile. I even dressed up for the occasion! Good thing I had an anniversary dinner right after this blog started, huh? And if you're freaked out about the prices folks, don't worry, it'll all be downhill from here.

L'Etoile is noted for its use of many fresh and organic ingredients from all over the state. In fact, in the summer months you'll see the staff at L'Etoile strolling through the Farmer's Market purchasing new and tasty ingredients to work their magic on. Hence, their menu varies wildly and you never know what sort of first-class meal you'll have. When I went there, the first thing I noticed is I received a custom menu and the back of the menu covers all of the locations across the State they get their ingredients from. This means no matter what the season or occasion, you'll definitely be in for a treat.

L'Etoile is a very formal restaurant, absolutely requiring shirt, coat, and tie. Reservations are also a must because they are very busy and the restaurant is only open for dinner. It is located upstairs of Cafe Soleil on the square (turn left on the square if you are coming from State Street) and has about twenty tables for two. The service was perfect for a formal restaurant with plenty of friendly wait staff taking your coat, talking you through the menu, coming to fill your glass, and folding your tablecloth when you leave for the bathroom.

In general, dinner at L'Etoile consists of three courses and four small palate-cleaning dishes inserted in-between. The dishes on the menu have fancy ingredients and even a frequent diner like me did not recognize all of the items. In addition, don't be deceived by the restaurant name: although it is French, many of the dishes have an Italian-slant to them. However, like any good French restaurant, the sauces are creme de la creme. The menu at the restaurant did not match the menu found on the L'Etoile website, but there is always one vegetarian entree on the menu.

Some of the food highlights of the night were the jumbo sea scallops with meyer lemon cream sauce and the ribeye with red wine jus. The scallops were cooked to perfection - a difficult task especially since they are easily overcooked - and had crunchy tops. These were paired with a chewy fresh egg linguini and a savory lemon alfredo-like sauce. The ribeye was similarly cooked perfectly and the tender meat paired well with the wine sauce. Surprisingly, I found the tiny palate-clearing dishes to be even more special. The port wine sorbet and a 1x1x1 cm cube of chili fudge were excellent and unique. The sorbet came at a perfect time: right after the appetizer to clear our palates before the main meal. It was light and had the perfect balance of sugar and port. At the end, piece of fudge simply glided across my tongue in a kaleidescope of flavors starting with sweet at the front and ending with a spicy kick. A perfect close to a wonderful meal.

What I think is L'Etoile's greatest asset is how precise and natural everything tasted. Although there was nothing I tried was completely wild, leaving me silently begging for more, every single item I ordered tasted fresh, clean, and the way it should. This is in of itself great praise to their chef who clearly has the skill to be able to work with an ever-changing list of ingredients. I would recommend L'Etoile for important celebrations (such as anniversaries, weddings, and graduation).