Today is Valentine's Day, and if you're just realizing that now, you're probably already in hot water with your significant other and need to make it up to him or her. A dinner at Fleurie is a good start.
Located on the Downtown Mall, Fleurie offers French cuisine, quality service and a pleasant atmosphere for an upscale dining experience.
Fleurie's dining room is very classy. The soft yellow colors of the walls work well with the marbletop tables and booths. The dining room is rather small but not cramped, a perfect balance for a romantic outing.
The diner can see into the kitchen from his seat, allowing him to watch the chef's precise and artistic preparation of the meal.
In keeping with the restaurant's name, the decor definitely has a floral motif, with beautiful flowers at your table as well as in pictures on the wall.
On the extreme right sits the bar, but don't worry if you're seated in a booth next to it. Fleurie isn't the sort of place that gets rowdy. You're more likely to hear about what vineyard had a good year than what some raving drunk thinks about the country.
The service at Fleurie is great. The staff is as professional as any restaurant we've reviewed this year. Three or four prompt servers waited on us and served our every need -- even the ones we didn't know we had!
There's even a person whose job it is to refold your napkin if you get up to use the restroom. We were mightily impressed by this service.
The second time we needed him, though, his initial path to the napkin was blocked, he came out of nowhere, shot his arm over the booth wall, refolded the napkin at lightning speed, and disappeared.
We later decided to challenge him, this time by folding the napkin improperly but neatly before getting up. He appeared hesitant and ultimately decided not to force the issue, a wise choice.
But we digress.
Given the gourmet nature of this eatery, don't expect speed. A lot of work goes into both the preparation and presentation of the food, so be prepared to wait for the exceptional results.
Fleurie has a relatively small menu because the fare is very specialized and very demanding to make. It's also extremely expensive, so we recommend that you skip the appetizers, which are small anyway, and proceed straight to entrees and dessert. Bread is plentiful, so you don't have to worry about being hungry while waiting.
But if you're some kind of oil baron, give the appetizers a shot. We tried the Carpaccio of Yellow Tail and Salmon with Sesame, Mache and Cucumber ($12). It was absolutely beautiful to look at, a real work of art. The taste was a little too fishy though, so unless you have a drink to balance it we recommend you avoid it.
The chef, evidently bored or just very generous, sent out several sample appetizers that one can order larger amounts of if so desired. The Artichoke Soup ($8) was delicious and we recommend it.
The entrees are incredibly expensive but even more visually impressive than the appetizers. There are many seafood dishes on the menu, but you'll also find alternatives of duck, lamb, beef and veal.
The Seared Red Snapper with Vegetables and Cream Sauce with Saffron ($26) was a delight. The sweet cream sauce nicely eliminated whatever little fishiness there was in the tender and perfectly cooked snapper.
The Poached Lobster with Braided Savoy Cabbage, Carrots and Fennel cooked in Bouillon, Lobster Jus ($28) also was delicious, but not as impressive as the snapper. Nevertheless, this choice won't disappoint. After all, it's hard to go wrong with lobster.
If you're feeling the need for more land-based fare, give the Seared Angus Tenderloin with Madeirea and Truffle Sauce, Glazed Salsify and Gold Potato Gnocchi ($29) a try.
The meat was unbelievably tender and juicy, and the sauce was an absolutely perfect flavor that did not overpower the flavor of the meat.
Other entrees included Veal Kidney ($24), Roast Breast of Muscovy Duck ($26) and Roast Loin of Lamb ($29). Unfortunately, there really aren't any economical dishes. The cheapest you'll find is the Vegetable Ravioli Simmered in Vegetable Broth ($21).
Dessert is special at Fleurie. These are very rich dishes, however, and eating one all by yourself probably is a bad idea. All the desserts cost $7.50, and they all sounded very tasty.
We shared the Warm Chocolate Cake with Passionfruit Sorbet without any problem. It's too sweet for one but perfect for two. And, if the date is going well, it's the perfect dessert to make more time together, as the server warned us it took 20 minutes to make. The cake itself had a nice fluffy texture, while the sharpness and acidity of the sorbet was a perfect contrast.
The most intriguing alternatives were Thin Crispy Apple Tart with Vanilla Ice Cream and Pave of Gianduja Mousee with Clementine Sauce and Fennel Ice Cream.
For those of you who actually know something about wine, Fleurie has an extensive and expensive wine list. The wait staff will be able to answer your questions if you're not experienced with ordering wines.
The food is good and the atmosphere is very comfortable, but ultimately Fleurie is not the sort of place that a typical college student would visit more than once.
We didn't see a single other person within 20 years of our age, and while we were treated no differently from anyone else, we really didn't feel that we were in the right place.
Fleurie is a good place to go to break the dining routine on very special occasions. Valentine's Day is about the only occasion we would actually consider going to Fleurie, given the prices and sophisticated feel of the restaurant.
Still, if you're looking for a one-shot special night out or just need to dig yourself out of a hole, take your girl to Fleurie tonight. You'll come back poor, but you'll have a good time.
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