Some good ol' classic French

It's the season to try out restaurants I haven't been to, and tonight I went to Green Mouse. It's an odd name for a restaurant, and I'm not quite sure of the origins. Well...the decor is a bit green and the chef has a squeaky voice...

We sat down and chatted while the waiter brought us the menu. I used the singular form because, for the three of us, we were initially given just one menu. This soon became two, but I was still puzzled by their refusal to give each one of us a menu, when there's clearly a whole stack of them by the door!

We were presented with a pork and mushroom terrine as the amuse bouche.

I decided to pass on the seafood specials as well as the foie gras that the chef is famous for, and instead start with venison tartare. I've always liked venison, but was a little hesitant because I wondered how this gamey meat would taste in its raw form. The venison came in cubes like the salmon and tuna tartare commonly seen, instead of beaten like steak tartare. Thankfully the taste wasn't too heavy after the chef mixed in some spices.

I saw duck confit on the menu and immediately went for it. The leg that came before me surprised me a bit. There was a lot of fat here, and while the skin was still crispy and yummy, it wasn't as "dry" and crunchy as I had pictured in my mind. But hey, that meant the meat was moist so it's a good thing. I also liked the numerous condiments on the side - especially the caramelized shallots and truffled scallop potatoes.

I again went for something classic when it came to dessert - tarte tatin. As this wasn't a big restaurant with a dessert cart, they produced an individual portion instead of giving me a slice of a larger tarte. The apple came in chunky cubes instead of really thin slices, so overall the tarte was wet and became a bit soggy. I would have much preferred the thin and crispy type, but I understand the difficulty of doing that at a place like this.

I brought a bottle of 2001 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Rochioli Riverblock. This was a little disappointing. Nose was metallic with iron rust, mint, a bit of caramel and some red fruits. Finish was pretty short.

I think overall my meal was a pretty satisfying experience. The impact of having Green Mouse right across the street from Chez Patrick was pretty evident, as the former remained open with customers while the latter was dark and closed by the time we left at 10pm. I'll be sure to return and try out the foie gras offerings another day...