Atmosphere:

The Theater District is rife with restaurants that aren’t very good and capitalize simply on being a “pre-theater destination.”  For years, I had assumed that Pigalle was one of these restaurants. I hate admitting when I’m wrong, but I’ll admit it – boy, was I wrong.

Upon entering, it’s a little surprising how small and quiet the space is.  The street outside was full of honking cabs and loud groups of people, so the silent intimacy of the space was a welcome change of pace. The space is dark with dimly lit old-fashioned chandeliers.

With soft jazz in the background, the ambience was further set with unassuming French art on the walls, arched ceilings and comfortable booths. Early on a Thursday, the restaurant was still bustling, yet impressively quiet, given the size of the space and the short distance between the kitchen and the dining room. With small spaces, many restaurants try to cram in as many tables as possible, but I never felt crowded or claustrophobic at any point.

Our first amuse bouche was a tuna escabeche with an ouzo marmalade, greens and an artichoke. This perfect first course was full of delicate flavors that balanced with a hearty yet slender piece of tuna. The earthy extra virgin olive oil drizzled under the tuna worked perfectly with the citrus kick from the marmalade.

For my appetizer, I opted for the foie gras appetizer special ($22). I can’t have a French dinner without foie gras! The seared foie gras was served on a caramelized apple with a tartare of green apples, a dried cherry compote, and a green apple sorbet. This was, quite frankly, the best foie gras I’ve ever had.

While each component was delicious separately, combining them in each bite took the dish from a few good components to a dynamic appetizer. The foie gras was wonderfully seared, and the rich fattiness with the salty tartness of the apple tartare topped with some compote and a bite of the caramelized apple was just absolute heaven. The refreshing sorbet provided a clean flavor that cut the richness and mineral iron flavor of the foie gras and brought balance to the dish that may have otherwise been too rich. I had it with the recommended wine pairing of a 2003 Sauternes, which worked wonderfully.

As an appetizer, it really worked. More often than not, I find that appetizers are too filling. But this appetizer did as the name suggests – it made me hungrier for the next course.

My companion ordered the escargots bourguignon ($18). Having never had escargots before, I think he was a little wary of them. I love them, but they’re easy to overcook and turn into little balls of rubbery chewiness, so I generally avoid them at restaurants I’ve never been to before. He loved them! These escargots were cooked just right, so they were tender and sweet. Served with a ramp risotto cake, tempura broccoli and a whole fried egg, this could’ve been an entrée on its own. The crispy and nutty cake and the tempura broccoli provided a much needed texture to the escargots. The egg had a soft-boiled texture, though the yolks were a bit harder. While the dish is a bit heavy, it’s a definite must for anyone who enjoys rich flavors.

Our next course was an amuse bouche of lobster soup. With sweet, meaty chunks of lobster, the velvety broth was poured tableside and served over coconut rice and chopped bok choy. I find coconut rice to be a bit globby and mushy, but this rice was perfect, especially with the rich lobster soup. The bits of bok choy added texture, and if I weren’t sitting in a nice restaurant, I might’ve licked the bowl clean.

For entrees, I ordered the crispy half duckling ($35).  Served with a dried cherry glaze, bacony Brussels sprouts, pearl onions and potato puree, this was not exactly a diet-friendly dish. But the sizable portion of duck was cooked perfectly, with a crispy skin, and the sprouts were tender and flavorful. I expected the potato puree to be more buttery, as potato puree can often taste more like mashed butter with some potato, and I was pleasantly surprised to find them rich without a heavy butter flavor. The sweet tartness of the dried cherry glaze brought balance to an otherwise rich dish.

My companion opted for the seared sea scallopswith blood orange reduction, exotic mushrooms, artichoke, and salsify ragout ($39). The enormous sea scallops had a beautiful caramelized crust, and the sweet mushrooms paired very well with the nutty salsify. The dish was surprisingly rich in flavor, given the ingredients that are usually used subtly. Our server had recommended a medium-bodied red wine for the dish-and I thought to myself “Red wine with scallops? Never…”-but the pairing was excellent, especially with the blood orange reduction.

We also ordered a side of the Comte truffle cheese fries ($12). This pure decadence came in a cast iron skillet and a gravy boat full of the cheese sauce. The sauce was awesomely sharp and surprisingly thin, which worked better for clinging to the fries than a thick cheese sauce. Each fry was coated in this nutty sharp cheese with complex truffle notes. Truffle with anything can overpower, but, in this case, it was just right. The dramatic presentation and fine flavors made me forget that I was eating cheese fries.

For dessert, I ordered the house cheesecake with strawberries ($8). The graham cracker crust was excellent, though I found the cake to be more solid than I like my cheesecake. It really comes down to a matter of taste, as I prefer it to be slightly fluffy. But the flavors were all there, and the strawberries were wonderful with the rich cake.

My companion had the apple and sugar pumpkin tart with French vanilla ice cream ($9). This was the highlight of the dessert course – the tart was savory from the pumpkin and sweet from the apple. The flavors were rich and nutty, yet somehow the tart was still light. The candied nuts and the buttery crust added a brilliant texture to an otherwise soft dish. Much like the foie gras from earlier, this was a component-driven dessert. While each component was good on its own, when a little of each component is combined into one bite, it was pure delight.