7/17/2014

This year I chose Trois Mec for my birthday dinner. Of course it was not an easy task. First you have to register on their website. Then, about ten days prior to the date you plan to dine, you have to purchase tickets for your desired day and time slot. I was nervous the morning of, but luckily I purchased my tickets and was excited to try this place. Trios Mec means “three guys” and is a joint effort between Chef Ludo Lefebvre, Jon Shook, and Vinny Dotolo. Every diner as they entered the restaurant was greeted by the whole kitchen staff saying, “Bonsoir”. It reminded me of the greeting at Shin-Sen-Gumi.

They didn’t bother changing the sign for this restaurant and use the old pizza place’s sign. That might create confusion for some diners.

On their website, they state that you can park anywhere in the lot, but your only option is valet at $7.

Buckwheat Popcorn
This has become their signature snack and rightfully so. Very crunchy and crisp and an addicting snack.

Herb Tart
A nice refreshing salad.

Tater Tot
We really enjoyed this cheesy snack.

Garlic Bread
This snack has gotten a lot of love in the reviews I had read, but I preferred the previous snack to this one.

Dijon Crème Brûlée
This was my favorite snack. A very unique take on Crème Brûlée by using Dijon mustard. A great combination of sweet and heat from the mustard.

Fluke, Peas, Umeboshi, Lime
My favorite course of the night. The very fresh fluke was seating on a delicious pool of lime, dashi and poppy seeds. The peas added some texture and the very ripe blackberries a touch of sweetness. Cilantro added a nice aromatic, herby note. As you can see in the picture, the Umeboshi (Japanese salt plums) were missing from this dish. Maybe they were out or they forgot about it.

Tomato Pulp, Charred Eggplant, Jamón Ibérico de Bellota, Smoked Tomato
The sweet tomatoes and the charred eggplant was a nice base for the very delicious jamón ibérico de bellota.

Radish, Burnt Bread, Fromage Blanc, Furikake
This dish surprised us the most. Some of the radishes were pan roasted and others were sliced very thin. The lushness of the Fromage Blanc was a great partner for the slightly bitter radish. The burnt bread added a little smokiness and my favorite, lemon Tuiles, a nice sweet and sour deliciousness to the dish. A very memorable dish.

Veal Belly, Crispy Artichoke, Parmesan
I am not a big fan of fatty meats, but for the most part enjoyed this dish. The veal belly was flavorful and was cooked right. I thought the crunchy artichokes gave a nice texture to this dish, but combined with the olives and the parmesan, it was a little too salty and one dimensional for my taste. I think they needed something sweet to balance all the saltiness in the dish.

Strawberry Cake, Meringue, Chantilly
This was a big dessert!! I enjoyed the strawberry cake and the very tasty Chantilly. The strawberries were at their peak and were very delicious. I thought the meringue was too sweet for my taste and I could not finish my dessert due to that problem.

Mignardises
canelé was good, but we have had better ones. they were not as crunchy on the outside as I like them. The melon candy was refreshing.

It was a nice experience and I am glad we tried it, but I would not rush back. As we were being seated, I mentioned how excited I was to dine there on my birthday. The server said, Oh today is your birthday!! And that was it. The least he could have done, was to say happy birthday. Unfortunately good service is a dying art!!