Terrine
Assiette de Charcuteries – Pork Rillettes, Terrine de Campagne, Duck and Pistachio Terrine, Truffled Chicken Liver, Keilbasa, House Pickles, Olives, Bread
Caramelized Onion Pizza – House Cured Anchovies, Olives
Biscuits – Apple Butter
Fish and Chips – Tartar Sauce
Spicy Fried Chicken and Grits – Scallions, Maple
House Smoked Brisket Hash – Sunny Egg, Horseradish, Burnt Lilies Sauce
Herb Spatzle – Crème Fraiche, Pecorino, Farm Yolk
Foie Gras Terrine – Port Poached Fig, Baguette
Pain Perdu – Vanilla Battered French Toast, Sea Salt Caramel Frosting, Maple
Double Espresso on Ice
Baumkuchen – Warm Citrus Marmalade, Citrus Leaf Frozen Yogurt
Apple and Pear Galette – Apple Jus, Honey-Rosemary Ice Cream
Birthday Cake – Chocolate, Sea Salt Caramel, Toffee
Recently opened by Stephane Bombet of Faith & Flower, and toqued by Kris Morningstar, it was at the suggestion of a food-writer acquaintance that brunch at Terrine was penciled into the Los Angeles agenda and easily allocating four friends to join in the experience it can only be said that a leisurely three-hour meal on the open air patio was every bit as good as the rumors – a dozen plates of almost universally impressive cuisine served in a series of five courses with only a server who wasn’t as clever as she thought she was and sub-par bread service holding the meal back from ‘destination dining’ status.
Every bit a beautiful space, one part French Brasserie and the other half San Francisco al fresco, it was just after 11:30 that our quintet converged on an outdoor table at the cusp of a more formal dining room and soon greeted by a young woman full of ‘everything is good’ superlatives, but little actual knowledge of the kitchen’s culinary techniques, it was after much debate that an order was crafted – the house-made charcuterie arriving on a board more than generous enough for sharing with both terrines truly exemplary and the rest quite competent, though outsourced bread featured too chewy a crumb to be enjoyed for more than just a palate cleansing bite.
Opting next for a six-slice pizza topped in anchovies, olives, and cheese suffice it to say that the substantially charred crust presented a significant upgrade on the aforementioned baguette and also opting for two orders of biscuits paired to housemade apple butter the same held true for these – each flaky bite loaded with notes of buttermilk while the butter and jam were so good that they were each held over only to be added to a bit of baguette later, an instant upgrade to say the least.
At this point suffering an unexplained delay, but with no lull in the conversation, it was perhaps thirty minutes before a duo of chicken and grits alongside soft-breaded, flaky fish with golden fries arrived and with the former offering a beautiful balance of sweet and savory, crisp and creamy the only problem was the uncharacteristically small portion – particularly as many of us…or at least myself…would have preferred not to share.
To this point fairly impressed it was with a wink and a smile about foie gras’ recent legalization that the table was offered an off-menu special of creamy terrine, and with a cost of $20 the sizable slab alongside poached prunes proved more than worth the expense, particularly as compared to the paltry portion at Pistola the night before – and all the moreso when served alongside plates of breakfasty spatzle draped in egg and crème fraiche, as well as custardy French Toast topped in salty caramel in a pool of pure maple syrup.
Only at this point informed that desserts, too, were an option it was during another pronounced delay that Mr. Bombet stopped by to say hello, and familiar with two of my dining partners, but friendly with all, the restaurateur proved a perfect host – open to concerns about the bread and a wealth of information about the Los Angeles dining scene – until a trio of sweet endings arrived, each completely unlike the others and all displaying a deft hand in the pastry department with the rustic galette and candle-carrying ice cream cake most impressive to myself while others ooh’d and aah’d about the more elegant and light Baumkuchen with bright, citrus ice cream.
