Philadelphia, PA - This month I dined at Bistrot La Minette (located at 623 South 6th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147) for the first time. The purpose of my visit was to preview April's special, a menu that features a Tartiflette. The tartiflette menu is a celebration of French family style cuisine centered around cheese. The tartiflette was chosen because this is the season of reblochon.
Reblochon is the traditional French cheese that's used for the tartiflette. This is a four person meal which costs $160. Each person gets a soup and salad. The main Tartiflette course is a family style dish and it's quite large. Each person gets their own dessert. And lastly, a bottle of Savoie wine that's used to make the Tartiflette is also included with the dinner.
Each month, Chef Woolsey and Chef Bush bring a different French culinary region to Bistrot La Minette, serving rare and seasonal specialties that rarely make their way onto American menus. Upcoming monthly menus at Bistrot La Minette, highlighting a variety of iconic French culinary delicacies, will include:
- April 18-19 Parisian Bistrot Dinner featuring classic Parisian fare such as Terrine de Campagne, Salade Frisée aux Lardons, Pot-au-Feu and Crème Caramel
- May 16-17 French Rosé Dinner featuring seasonal spring dishes such as Coq au Vin Rosé, all paired with top-notch French rosé wines
- June 20-21 Dinner in Provence featuring Provençal fare such as Escargot à l’Aixoise, Salade Niçoise, Daube d’Agneau à la Provençale and Clafoutis
It was time for dinner to begin. Executive Chef Kenneth Bush formerly introduced himself and proceeded to serve the first dish. He presented the Soupe Savoyarde. This is a root vegetable soup with creme fraiche and comte cheese crouton. This soup had a slight creamy texture. It was a bowl full of delicious comfort that I very much enjoyed. Next came the Salade Savoyarde. It's similar to a chef's salad. This is made with bibb lettuce, sliced raw mushrooms, pine nuts, croutons for texture, diced French-style ham, Comte cheese and Dijon vinaigrette. I loved everything about this salad. Every ingredient paired well each other.
Kenneth Bush explained that Tartiflette is from the region of France known as Savoie, it is an alpine region. Savoie is close to the French alps where the French and Swiss alps boarder each other. Tartiflette comes from this region. Chef Kenneth Bush noted that he paired the Tartiflette with other traditional food from the Savoie region. Now it was time for the main course, the Tartiflette. This gorgeous family style dish is made with an entire wheel of reblochon cheese, cooked potatoes, cream, caramelized onions, bacon and about 4 ounces of Savoie wine. The wine adds the flavor and tradition to the dish. It also came with a side of haricot verts. The tartiflette is very much a plentiful dish, so be sure to bring your appetite! If you still have a little space in your belly after enjoying the Tartiflette, you have to squeeze in room for dessert. You'll be served a beautiful Tarte aux Fruits des Bois. This is a mixed berry tart.
Make sure to head over to Bistrot La Minette and experience this wonderful special that's currently being featured. Reservations are required if you want the Tartiflette special. For more information about it, please visit www.bistrotlaminette.com/april-tartiflette-month/
