I find it hard to believe that with the change over in staff and limited staff, AR Valentien (fine dining) still cranks out remarkable food. We stop in today for brunch but unfortunately it’s lunch. And we’re all in the mood for breakfast items. Heads up. No brunch and Breakfast ends at 11:30am.
The Grill, (their other casual restaurant), has a menu going with some brunch items, like quiche. I’ve heard about their lemon ricotta pancakes and that’s why I am going there today.
In my 30-40 years of experience going to AR Valentien, I must say that if nothing else, AR Valentien is and has always been accommodating. A manager agrees to talk to the chef and get us a serving of those pancakes as our dessert!
So we start with a Duck & Pistachio Pâté. It’s a beautiful plate with 2 kinds of mustards, pickled white onions, fig jam and beautifully toasted and buttered bread. I am borrowing the restaurants picture to sort of show you but I can assure you, the plate with all the condiments was beautiful!
Phyllis comments: “it’s a Country Pâté …. Very rustic”. Well personally, I was intrigued by the pistachios but I don’t think of Pâté as being hard, so this was a different experience for me. Garrett adds: “I like the consistency of it. The toast that comes with it is really good too”.
Squash and Apple Soup with an apple ginger compote is next. Garrett says: “Smells good and each of our 3 plates look different”. Phyllis says: “I like the accompaniments in the soup”.
Yes. It has a surprising and delicious crunch to it, along with pieces of apple. Almost like a crumble topping in a very savory way. At first I thought it was cinnamon …. very strong cinnamon. Garrett comments: “the more cinnamon the better”. But ginger can have that same effect in taste, in a way. That’s why people put cinnamon and ginger in apple pies. And it turns out …. it’s the apple ginger compote on the menu I taste. So good.
Garrett says: “if I could come back here and order only one dish, the soup is what I would order”. “It’s just got such a complexity to it”, I add.
Anyway … what’s next at AR Valentien?
How about a Pear & Blue Cheese Salad? You don’t find the blue cheese until we get to the very bottom. But I have to tell you, we have a lot to say about this salad!
First of all, in my book there is nothing better than pears and blue cheese. That being said, Garrett says: “Edition of oats is a very interesting texture and a different flavor than you would normally find in a salad”. Phyllis adds: “I like the texture and the ratio of lettuce to all the other things in the salad”.
We finally get to dessert! Get to try those (as Garrett puts it) “light, fluffy, delicious pancakes”. And I agree. It’s a great texture and a great flavor. And if you like Raspberries? You get those along with a raspberry sauce!
We ate light, with none of the main dishes added from the lunch menu because we were really in the mood for a brunch. But if I’m being honest, which I always am …. you really can’t complain about a mindful eating experience, almost a tasting ….. of some really amazing flavors, beautifully plated!
I really don’t think it’s possible to have a bad meal here. And of course, we will be back to review dinner!
With garlic, gusto and gratitude,
Chef Marian🥂
📧 ChefMarianKitchenConfident@gmail.com
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