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French connection

Le Cornichon offers a tour of the classics
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By Dave Faries
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
May 14th, 2008 issue

Le Cornichon


Betlémská 9
Prague 1-Old Town
Tel. 222 211 766
Open Mon.-Sat.
4 p.m. -11 p.m.

Food ***
Service ***
Atmosphere **
Overall ***

JAN PŘEROVSKÝ/THE PRAGUE POST
Manager Lubomir Hoza and his restaurant's simple version of escargot cassolette.
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FROM THE MENU



Escargot cassolette 150 Kč
Rillette 195 Kč
Whole sea bass 375 Kč
Foie gras in lentil cream 450 Kč
House Chardonnay 65 Kč
This time of year, it would be almost unthinkable for a chef to ignore the noble asparagus — a rule for both established restaurants and brand-new kitchens still trying to find their footing.
So it’s no surprise that the recently opened Le Cornichon starts you off with an amuse bouche of asparagus soup. Nothing “wow” about the idea, really. But the little cup manages to convey beauty in the plainest of terms. The king of vegetables needs very little pomp, after all. And here it’s steeped in heavy cream, supported by a few strands of bittersweet, caramelized onion — simple, yet luxurious.
Such a prelude bodes well for the rest of dinner. Indeed, my first evening at the Old Town place ended with a frantic wave-off as the waiter stepped forward with dessert menu in hand. The main courses offered enough interest.
Except for the part where you gaze out the window at a series of dumpsters, a visit to Le Cornichon is like a culinary stroll through the central Loire Valley in France.
Chefs from the region around Angers traditionally cook meat for rillettes until a deep color emerges, hence the dusky maroon seared into this restaurant’s version. At least that’s what I suspect. Otherwise, it’s the same process as anywhere else: a lot of lard, evinced here by pools of fatty liquid seeping from the mound of pulverized duck, careful cooking and several minutes of furious pounding.
Repeated hammer blows break the meat apart until it resembles a thick, fibrous paste. Le Cornichon’s rillette looks the spittin’ image of pulled pork served by barbecue joints along Carolina’s rural blacktops, though a little more ruddy in hue and, of course, refined in presentation. But the flavor strikes some of the same “Old South” notes, with a vinegar sharpness overriding the pate’s rustic character.
There’s no mistaking the restaurant’s devotion to French cooking, however.
Escargot cassolette, for instance, features a dozen garden pests baked with assorted vegetables. Plump and gorgeously tender, the snails present a husky flavor, very similar to leaves resting on a forest floor (which you will notice because of the chef’s valiant refusal to bury them in garlic). It’s a welcome presentation, allowing the escargot to stand as murky, meaty centerpieces in a porcelain container of peppers, onions and other picked items.
The kitchen serves foie gras in several forms, of which the most interesting may be the creamed lentil entrée.
Al dente beans support a lobe of pan-seared liver, scarred almost black in patches and crusted by a brittle veneer. Inside, a center of exceeding richness — pure luxury might be a more accurate description — flows like warm, musty butter across your palate. Some associate foie gras with cruelty, the goose or duck being force-fed until its liver grows to enormous proportions. But the results are exquisite, both in flavor and mouth feel: delicate compared to normal organ meats, more subtle and mellow in character.
Many chefs pair foie gras with liqueurs or dessert wines. In this case, a curious citrusy sweetness latches onto the charred shell, reminiscent of Grand Marnier reduced until the sugars concentrate and bitter edges balance. It teeters perhaps on the brink of overpowering, but manages to regain composure — although one more splash would certainly send the dish careening off course.
Le Cornichon occupies the old Red Fish space, an unfortunate location around the corner from one beaten path, and down the block from another. But stellar cooking turns the old “location, location, location” cliché into meaningless drivel. And the regional menu, consistent quality, refined paint scheme (lots of brown, which was once considered the new black) and decent service all suggest Le Cornichon is destined to beat this curse.
Even the wine bottles are arranged properly, laid flat along the shelf behind the bar.
Little things, like the amuse bouche or the simple presentation of sea bass, set Le Cornichon apart. Citrus and thyme stuffed into the voracious fish before roasting impart subtle background flavors to fluffy, cotton-white flesh tasting faintly of the sea. This contrasts neatly with the gilded, almost burnt gold, skin dusted so carefully with good salt.
Some eager kitchen hand may have ladled too much liquid into the pan, for there’s a moment or two when the brilliant white meat seems mushy. But it’s still far to the plus side of mediocre.
As is the restaurant — young, yet steeped in centuries of tradition; sophisticated, though not so pompous or perfect that it frightens timid diners. Consider it in the same class as Oliva, Monsoon, Casa Andina, Little Whale, the recently opened Metropol Music Café and other surprising, even stunning mid-range destinations.
One day, I’ll make it to dessert.

Dave Faries can be reached at dfaries@praguepost.com


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