facebook.com/Fauntleroymke
Expectations were high for Fauntleroy when it took residence in the spot where Coquette had served French food for many years. Fauntleroy does not disappoint, and I haven’t been this excited about flavor combinations for many years. The culinary talent at Fauntleroy is nothing short of très magnifique!
French restaurants have often been associated with a quiet and almost uncomfortable perfection—with white tablecloth elegance and special occasions—but the genius of Fauntleroy includes offering great French food in an approachable and playful casual atmosphere. The décor is as vibrant and fun as the menu, with big colorful murals depicting everything from pop culture, the Eiffel Tower and rock and roll but retains a splash of French fine dining with chandeliers and other accents. The ’70s music was perfect. adding to the whole dining experience.
The well-crafted menu shows off the classically trained chefs’ techniques and embraces French traditions, especially in the foie gras torchon ($16) and the signature duck a l’orange for two ($65). All the food was so thoughtfully put together with imaginative yet well balanced flavors.
There are five hors d’oeuvres ($2), little snacks “outside” the meal to enjoy with a cocktail: escargot cromesqui, chicken liver éclair, gruyere gougere, a radish and a chorizo stuffed olive. These are one bite tastes to stir up your appetite and that they did. You can “have it all”—one bite of each for $9 per person and elegantly presented on a beautiful hand crafted three-tier stand.
facebook.com/Fauntleroymke
The six appetizers ($9-$16) achieved perfection. The melon tartare intrigued me with the addition of feta, olives and shaved fennel and was an ideal combination of sweet and salty. The crab salad with a crunchy chip, avocado and cucumber was light and fresh. The pate du jour was a short rib combination with a wonderful texture and lovely with the tartness from the mostardo and crunchy baguette. The sweet breads with crawfish and maitake onions was another wonderful combination of flavors. They also offer a caviar service at market price and a bread service ($5)
The soup and salad section included the traditional French onion soup ($8) with gruyere and baguette and had a wonderful full flavor from the umami mushroom broth. It’s a wonderful dish for vegetarians. The Lyonnaise salad ($10) with pork belly was everything I expected and hoped for and was lightly tossed with a shallot vinaigrette.
The entrees consisted of the steak frites ($25); scallops with a summer fricasse and pistou ($24); and a mostly boneless half chicken covered with crispy skin ($22). There is a slow-cooked salmon ($24) and the traditional trout Veronique ($24) with grapes, but also a wonderful cauliflower entrée with brown butter, capers and golden raisins ($18).
facebook.com/Fauntleroymke
Don’t pass up the pastry chef’s creations. Both of our desserts, one labeled “chocolate” and the other “strawberry,” were beautifully presented with every component on the dish an homage to the ingredient. The strawberry sorbet, with pickled strawberries and little piped meringues, was one of those desserts you talk about a week later and crave as if the first strawberries of the season.
French cuisine and its paradigm of techniques have long set a high standard against which other cuisines are measured. Fauntleroy takes it to new levels.
