This Princeton restaurant features the creations of Chef Chris Stevens. Drawing on classical French technique, he adds a lighter, American touch to classics such as duck galantine, filet au poivre, escargot and foie gras.
By: Pat Tanner
Les Copains |
PRINCETON Back in May, the Witherspoon Street restaurant that had been Harriette’s (and before that, Quilty’s) quietly reopened as Les Copains, complete with a new chef and two new owners, the latter of whom are the good buddies the name connotes. All three are veterans of the New Jersey restaurant scene, and Princetonians will recognize Chef Chris Stevens from his work at Casabona, where he had been chef and co-owner.
Although Mr. Stevens specialized in Italian cuisine there, he is drawing on his experience in classical French technique for the menu at Les Copains. Here the aim is to add a lighter, American touch to classics such as duck galantine, filet au poivre, escargot and foie gras, the latter of which is prepared differently almost every day.
Thus a classic presentation of snails comes sautéed with garlic, fine herbs and cream, but with a fillip of lemongrass ($10). Salmon wrapped in brioche ($24) is layered with mushrooms, spinach and herbed chevre can’t get much more classic than that except that the mushrooms are portobellos and the salmon is bathed with a citrus-beet nage.
The night we dined there the foie gras ($14) was prepared with sautéed pears, superb demi-glace and upland cress, which is similar to watercress but more tender and flavorful. My companion who ordered it deemed it delicious but skimpy. My appetizer consisted of a cylinder layered with wild mushroom risotto, spinach and paté brise topped with tail and clawmeat from a lobster ($13). The seafood was eminently fresh, but the risotto was unevenly cooked, and the pastry layer was both unnecessary and unpleasantly dry. The components were brought together by a memorable truffle-cognac sauce, creamy and flecked with pink peppercorns. It showed off Mr. Steven’s skills admirably.
So did a salad of Boston bibb and wild mushrooms in sweet malt vinaigrette ($8), which was made even better by the warm goat cheese fritters that accompanied it. The dish brought a satisfied smile to another companion, who declared simply, "I love this."
Enjoyment of our entrees was more hit and miss. For one thing, many of the choices (and those for the first courses as well) feature fruits, a trend in upscale dining these days that I, for one, bemoan. I was never especially fond of even the traditional, old-line pairings like pork and apples, and nowadays more and more I find raspberries, blueberries, cherries and apricots despoiling meat, poultry and even fish. Citrus I can understand, and even nuts, although when paired in a main dish with the aforementioned fruit, the whole thing begins to feel like dessert to me.
Thus, I bypassed the duck galantine with apricots, cherries, cardamom and sorrel ($24), the Maine diver scallops with vanilla bean cream sauce, garnished with blackberries ($24), and the green scallion shrimp that was accompanied by lemon risotto and a brunoise of melon ($26).
Instead, I feasted on a savory dish of pan-seared yellow fin tuna strips ($24), napped with a perfectly adult and perfectly delicious sauce of capers, champagne, lemon and thyme. Excellent accompaniments included whipped potatoes flecked with bits of black truffle and sautéed Swiss chard.
One of my companions thoroughly enjoyed the hazelnut-crusted rack of lamb $30 for three double baby chops. She adamantly disagreed with my assessment that they were too fatty, and I did enjoy their flavor, despite their also having been coated in almond flour and placed over a morel cherry sauce. Even I have to admit that the dark, winey fruit sauce was a superb foil for the rich meat. Her chive-horseradish whipped potatoes were every bit as enjoyable as my truffled version, and the tiny asparagus and julienned summer squash accompanying the chops packed more flavor than is often encountered.
The only real disappointment of the evening was grilled baby veal porterhouse ($32). This generous cut may have been tasty, but we’ll never know because it was topped with a thick layer of overly pungent, salty Stilton cheese that completely masked whatever flavor the subtle veal may have had. Even scraping off the cheese, the dish remained virtually inedible.
I give credit to any restaurant that opens for business in Princeton in the summer. Saturday nights, I’m told, are hopping, although business was noticeably slow the weeknight we visited. Nevertheless, I have a feeling that the excellent service we received courtesy of Angelo, our responsive and informative server, would have been available to us at any time. He handled the wine we had brought masterfully, and thoughtfully refilled our glasses as necessary. (The owners are in the process of obtaining a liquor license. For now, at least, Les Copains is a bring-your-own spot.) Angelo seemed genuinely distressed at our reaction to the veal, offered to make good and was free with useful advice about standout dishes.
Among his recommendations was the crème fraiche cheesecake with tropical fruits ($7) an airy, delectable treat topped with slices of ripe mango and sections of mandarin orange. Also exemplary was the caramel flan (or crème caramel, if you prefer). But the Grand Marnier soufflé ($10), which had to be ordered at meal’s beginning, was somewhat undercooked. Crème Anglaise was poured into the souffle’s center at table, and while this gave it a pleasant taste of egg and vanilla, we couldn’t detect the Grand Marnier at all. Still on the menu is chocolate fondant, a new version of a holdover from Harriette’s.
New owners John Risley and Michael Lauren are planning to upgrade the restrooms and make a few changes to the décor, including the welcome addition of wall sconces and new flooring. As it is, the long, dim space is meant to conjure up the ambiance of a retro luxury dining car, with walls of dark wood, mirrors and touches of brass, all culminating in a rounded alcove at the rear. As it is, I find the room strangely cold and boring.
The alcove, which seats a table of lucky diners, contains what is to me the room’s only truly attractive feature: a muted, abstract floral design.
The current menu had been in effect only three weeks when we visited. I think it’s off to a good start, and with some fine-tuning, can become more consistently delicious. But when this ubiquitous fascination with fruit in every course will end is anybody’s guess.
For the summer Les Copains is closed on Sundays, although plans are to offer Sunday brunch and dinner after Labor Day.