Had another great dinner at Le Cellier. We had another awesome server, Darcie, and once again we enjoyed everything. I decided to try some items I haven't had before, so here they are:
Crab and Heirloom Apple Salad with Celeriac Remoulade, Lemon Oil, Radishes and Micro Celery - I liked it a lot because it tasted like a fresh, deconstructed crab cake without the breading (which is my least favorite part):
Pacific King Salmon with Parsnip Puree, Braised Greens, Pickled Pearl Onions and Mustard Sauce - I really don't like salmon, so I wanted to see if Le Cellier could make salmon that I enjoy. I was highly impressed. The salmon was cooked perfectly (medium, as recommended) and it didn't have an overly fishy flavor. The mustard sauce had a ton of flavor (which is why there wasn't so much on the plate). The sides also worked really well with the salmon. I would definitely order this again:
For dessert, we shared the trio of chocolate, which includes Chocolate Almond Cake, Chocolate Sorbet, and Canadian Club Chocolate Mousse. I liked all three - the almond layer was creamy, the sorbet was icy and cool, and the mousse was soft. I think my favorite was the mousse on the right:
I also tried the tangerine rooibos tea. I love rooibos (which is becoming increasing common among the signatures), and the tangerine added an interesting citrus flavor to it.
Overall, after three consecutive dinners, I'm very happy with the new Le Cellier menu. The food has been consistently great, and there was a noticeable improvement from my Le Cellier lunch in January. Not being a huge steak person, I'm very impressed that I was happy with my three non-steak entrees (duck, cod, and salmon). The service was always great, and we never felt rushed (which seems to be a complaint about pre-signature Le Cellier).
Le Cellier definitely compares to the signatures now. In fact, the other night we had a dinner at Jiko (our previous favorite); the food was inconsistent and service was subpar. Also, when we were here two months ago, we had a disappointing meal at Citricos (one of our former favorites) and an okay meal at Artist Point (another former favorite). So Le Cellier has definitely earned its place as a true favorite for us (after several years of avoiding it).
I hope some people here choose to give Le Cellier dinner a chance. No, some of your old favorites might be missing (that's not unusual for signature restaurants; the menu rotates and dishes change), but I think the new menu is a great combo of old and new. For the record, Le Cellier was still very busy during dinner, and everyone around me was happy with their food. So while some people might stop coming because of the price increase (or credit increase), I think the food quality will more than compensate for that. If not, then Le Cellier dinner might become one of those awesome gems where I can usually get a reservation (like Brown Derby).