Several hours after this week’s challenge, I awoke in a darkened room feeling the fire of a thousand volcanoes rumbling in my chest. As I chewed a fist full of Tums & went back to bed, I said in my best Madonna voice “Absolutely no regrets”. Obviously, this serves as proof that I don’t eat 14 pounds of fried butter on the regular (So yes, Dr. F, you can rest easy). This can only mean this week’s challenge is French food! Bijou in La Jolla is the Sister restaurant of a place I covered earlier this year on the blog, the fabulous Addison Del Mar. Expectations were high as my friends and I arrived in our fanciest eatin’ pants.
Aimee-Roommate since the 90’s, BFF, allergic to hot dogs and therefore labeled a commie by many
Amy B-Vegetarian Belle, Author, Event Planner
Amy J-Rocky Horror performer, Michigan football loyalist, a common floozy
Chris-Attorney, lifelong food snob, loves good Scotch and gay jeans
Craig-Jackie’s lucky and mysterious other half, picture unavailable
Harry-Wise guy, master of the grill, loves camping for some reason
Jackie-Awesome Soprano, fellow East Coast transplant, Has a Vegas story or two
After this dinner we started to think that French people may actually be too lethargic to move when someone starts playing a Jerry Lewis film and that’s how that whole rumor got started.
Bijou is luxurious and elegant without feeling super stuffy. The staff was very attentive and knowledgeable. They made us feel very at home and did a bang up job at keep a straight face while we butchered every word on the menu. Fortunately booze transcends all language barriers, so we started from there. Aimee had the Peche Champgane Cocktail, which she said was great. Chris ordered a Blue Mint. Chris and Amy B both had a “starter” cocktail (Pear Vodka, Germain, Lemon Juice, Grapefruit juice and basil). They said both cocktails were flawless. Amy B also had Aligote for her wine. Harry got the Kentucky Bees Knees. Amy J had the “Yellow Jacket”. They both enjoyed their drinks. High marks to the bar.
The chef was feeling generous (or bored. Either way, Yay.) that night so he sent out a few bites for the table to enjoy. The first was the Oeufs Mayonnaise. Basically the French version of a deviled egg. I’m not a fan of eggs, so I gave mine to Aimee. She said it was good. Nothing to scream about but a really good deviled egg. The second bite he sent out was a beautiful pork belly. I don’t think I’ve ever used the word “creamy” to describe meat before but it just melted in your mouth. Really spectacular. A perfect bite of pork.
For starters, Aimee ordered the Salmon Rillettes (with toasted baguette, radish and onions). She said the dish was incredibly rich and sized for sharing. The radish and cornichons really added great crunch and broke up some of the fattiness of the fish. Chris and Craig both got the Escargot en Croute. Craig said the dish was well prepared. Jackie started with the French Onion Soup. She said it was awesomely cheesey and she loved the browned part of the cheese on top. I ordered the steak tartare. I’d had it before but had forgotten that it came with a raw egg yolk on top. While I almost always bend to my ridiculous food fussings, I decided it was time to man up (er, “boy” up?) and try it. I quickly cut up the egg yolk and just told myself it was a sauce. It added a great richness to an already lovely pile of raw steak. I love a good tartare. true story. Still not eating eggs though because gross and no.
Like all things I don’t like, I quickly sliced it up and ate it before I even had time to think about what was happening.
For our main dishes, Aimee got the Steak Frites. She called it easily one of the top 5 best steaks she’s had in her life. She loved the compound butter on top that added great saltiness. Chris had the Coq au Vin. While he said it was good, it struggled to meet expectations after our experience at Addison. Harry ordered the Loup de Mer (Ratatouille). He said it was pretty much the second best meal he’s had this year (behind Addison, of course. Have I mentioned how hardcore we ride that place’s jock?). Rich, savory and buttery. He loved it all. The Amys split the Gnocchi al la Parisienne, Mushroom Ragout and Haricots Verts. Amy B found the gnocchi to be delicious with an usual texture (Bijou makes its gnocchi from flour rather than the traditional potato. Super light!) and a great buttery sauce. She also gave high marks to the Haricots Verts (green beans) and mushrooms. Amy J also found the gnocchi to be a flavorful highlight. Craig ordered the Veal Pailiard (with arugula, tomatoes and mushrooms) Jackie and I both ordered the Lobster Gratin. The dish was incredibly rich and flavorful. Warm and savory with huge, tender and delicately sweet chunks of lobster with mushrooms and various veggies that married perfectly with the rest of the dish.
I printed this picture out so instead of wasting both our time with a list of foods I shouldn’t be eating, my Doctor can simply point to it.
Dinner in a French restaurant without having dessert almost seems stupid. So we ordered just about everything on the dessert menu. Hilariously the only thing we didn’t order was the creme brulee which I don’t doubt was awesome but stomach real estate for all involved was at a premium by now. We were looking to break some new ground and we did with one particular dessert, which I’ll get to in a moment. Other dishes served were Brown butter Clafoutis. Macarons Du Jour. Pot de Creme. Fruit tart with Lemon Curd. The standouts according to most diners were the Clafoutis & Pot de Creme. All of the desserts were fabulous but one simply rose above to a whole different level altogether. The “Paris Brest” is a light pastry with a hole in the center (Think a croissant shaped donut. Hey, what a novel idea!) in the center they pipe in almond cream, sprinkle toasted almonds on top and drizzle with caramel. It’s the best dessert I’ve had on this entire challenge. It’s also only $10 and I dream of it fortnightly. Life changing-level fat kid bliss.
As gay man, here is a pair of brests I would happily throw my face between forever.
The final verdict from me on Bijou is a positive one. While others with me felt there are better places to go to drop that kind of money on dinner, I really liked what they had to offer. Addison is not special occasion dining, it’s once a year dining but I feel that Bijou is a good special occasion place, especially if you love French food. You’ll drop a pretty penny but it’s accessibly priced for upscale dining and you will get an expertly crafted, elegant and tasty dining experience.
To see all of the photos from this dinner, be sure to follow The Boy who ate San Diego on Instagram!
The Boy Who Ate San Diego 
