October 13, 2015 Lunch – Le Troquet Bistro Francais, Dinner – il Vicino

October  13, 2015  Lunch – Le Troquet Bistro Francais, Dinner – il Vicino

Aaron and I worked a bit this morning and then went to lunch at 11:30.  We started to walk from our parking spot at 7th and Central to Anatolia but by the time we passed 5th St. I recalled that a new French restaurant had opened in the location of the old Crrepe Michel at the corner of 3rd and Gold. I recalled seeing an ad in the Alibi for a three course meal for $12.95.

Aaron agreed to go, so we walked to Le Troquet.  When we arrived and were seated at a window table I was pleased to see that the table was set with linen napkins for lunch and a linen tablecloth.  I have just discovered that the restaurant is owned by Jean Pierre, who is the longest serving French chef in Albuquerque and that Le Troquet was the  location of one of his earlier restaurants, according to the Business Journal 

http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/blog/real-estate/2015/04/le-troquet-bistro-francais-makes-downtown-debut.html

I did not know this when I went to lunch today, so I was pleasantly surprised by the excellent quality of the food.  I ordered the $12.95 lunch, with a cup of French  Onion soup, Calf’s Liver with Onions, and Chocolate Mousse.

Everything was impeccably prepared.  The onion soup was as traditional as it could be, a crouton covered with Gruyere baked in the oven.  The Calf’s Liver was cooked to medium rare and sauced with a legitimately wonderful Balsamic and Demi-glacé sauce finished with butter that showed there was someone in the kitchen who knew what they were doing.  The onions were perfectly sweated to beyond tender but without destroying the onion slice’s integrity.  And the Chocolate mousse was perfectly adequate, garnished with a dense congealed chocolate sauce, a dollop of whipped cream and a sliced strawberry. The meal came with the choice of iced tea or hot coffee.  I took iced tea.  This lunch was the best food value in Albuquerque for a full three course meal.  If the mousse was worth $8.00 and the soup was worth $5.00, then the entrée and drink were free.

I am sad to see Claus leave, because I loved his regional Danish menu items, but I am even happier to see Chef Jean Pierre arrive, because he is the longest serving French chef in Albuquerque and a wonderful chef.

Cynthia and Ricardo had extra tickets for the Nick Cave lecture at UNM’s Rodey Theater, so we met them at 5:45 at the Fine Arts Building.

I enjoyed the lecture, although we both were sad to be missing the Democratic Debate from Las Vegas.  Nick Cave is an African American dancer and artist who danced with Alvin Ailey and then went to art school who now teaches at the Chicago Art Institute’s Art School, who makes elaborate sound suits and performs in them.

The images of his performances shown during the lecture reminded me of the costumes and performances made at the Bauhaus in Dessau, Germany in the 20’s or, more appropriately, African ceremonial costumes and dance, which was mentioned during the lecture, as a source for his work.

After the lecture Ricardo suggested going to Il Vicino because, “It is close, good, and cheap.”

Suzette and I split a Cesar Salad and a Lasagna Bolognese and we each drank a glass of Chianti. Cynthia and Ricardo ordered Spinach salads with Gorgonzola and the Daily Pizza special. The food and wine were delicious and we enjoyed discussing Nick Cave’s work with Cynthia and Ricardo, as Ricardo has studied and danced African dance. 

As Suzette said, “It is fun to go out for an evening.”

The electricians spent the day connecting our sink, disposal, dish washer, refrigerator, and stove.  We finally have a functioning kitchen and Suzette met her estimated completion date of October 15.  

After dinner we went home and looked at all our new appliances and then had a cognac and Ferrero Rochers and watched the Democratic Debate on Youtube.  We both decided we were still fully supporting Hillary.  We loved the comparisons made by the Democratic candidates of the difference in positions between the Democrats and the Republicans on so many issues of importance, such as immigration, police violence, reform of the criminal justice system, health care, climate change, and inequality of income, to name a few.

What a fun day and evening of activity, progress on the kitchen, and good food, without having to cook.

Bon Appetit