Today’s task was to “order something off-menu.”
Here were my choices:
1. Sauteed foie gras with yuzu-wasabi-soy vinaigrettete.
2. Baby octopi with lavender-smoked berlotti topped with caviar.
3. Siberian scallops on a bed of crispy mango-dipped noodles.
4. Peasant-style roast poussin with jus d’escargot and tomato concassee.
Since all sounds like something French will do (although #2 sounded more Italian) I set my eyes on a French restaurant in Hillsboro called “Patisserie.” (don’t know why this name as they do not serve dessert much (yes, I watch the Great British Baking Show!) but mostly regular French food. (super misleading. maybe I’ll Yelp review so that others who actually come for patisseries won’t be disappointed). So, seeing how I can’t pronounce half of these words I wrote them on cards to give the waiter at the order time and pretended to be deaf (ding ding ding: that could be another task). I wrote choices 1 and 4 as they are the ones sounding more French than others. To my surprise the waiter took it! However, he came back 15 minutes later with water and a piece of paper saying, “We don’t have foie gras or poussin otherwise we would totally do it!” I don’t blame them. Of course, they don’t have a pate made from goose liver (marinated in Cognac) and truffles. And of course, poussin is time-consuming as the chicken has to be marinated for days (yes, I watch cooking shows on Netflix). So, that was a dud but I was hungry on my lunch break so I ordered Stuffed Peppers (fancy name: Tomates Farcies) because we Russians cook them as well and I know only this item on the menu. I had to point my finger at that as I was still pretending to be deaf. (Thank god I did not forget and almost slipped). They were good but not as good as my mother used to make because Russians add tomato sauce to it (an acid that cuts through fat (yes, I watched “Sault Fat Acid Heat”)). So, that ended my experiment. The upside: I went home with a full stomach regardless ($18 later). I guess they also have “French” prices.
