Big weekend for the Birds, a couple nights out and some new fodder for the blog. Our culinary journey began Friday night w/ a trip to Tourterelle on Rt. 7 in Fair Haven. I have probably driven by this place 1000 times and never given it a second thought. My wife said she had eaten there in its previous iteration and it was ok. So here we were meeting friends at the not so little "French country restaurant". It is actually a pretty big space inside w/ several dining rooms laid out like a large house. They were all clean and nicely set up. The bar in the entry hall is fair size and comfortable with great overstuffed leather bar stools. We arrived first and ordered a drink. My special lady had a girly pomegranate something or other that was pretty good and I had a Hendrick's martini which was solid. The rest of our party showed up and it was on to the dining room. Our server was friendly, knowledgeable, and polite. We started with a bottle of red (ok), and a bottle of white (also ok), and a few starters. The bread was warm and the herbed butter was great. As for entrees... charcuterie was good but not exceptional. I did think the pate was pretty good. The calamari was a big hit. They were not rubbery and the cornmeal crust was light and delicious... not overpowering the squid w/ too much grease as is ofter the case. For my money, the belle of the ball was the escargot. They came served in a popover filled w/ garlic butter and butter nut squash. F-ing A they were good!!!
The entrees also did not disappoint. I sampled the steak frites, the steak was well cooked and had a nice soy glaze. The frites were also crispy and delicious. My special lady had the turkey that was pounded flat and breaded. It was very good and the accompanying hen of the wood mushrooms were also very good. I had the coq au vin and it was also solid. The chicken was well cooked and succulent. It also came with a fantastic sausage, and off the hook spaetzle. It was all great. Dessert was also good but had a hard time keeping up. The pumpkin cheesecake was very good, the beignets were decadent, and I don't even remember what was in the crepe but it was good!
It was a really fun evening w/ a great group of people and a great meal. The space was nice and the prices reasonable. 1 3/4 thumbs enthusiastically up.
Tomorrow... We journey to the north lands... Montgomery Center VT!!!!
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