Cote Sud
Twas the appetizer today that's prompting me to post.
Cured salmon with honey and mint.
I was honestly unsure about this; I couldn't imagine it. But I'd been to Cote Sud before and had some level of trust for what the chef could do, so I went for it.
I can safely say that on balance, it was incredible. Cured salmon (gravlax) is a wonderful dish; the texture is more velvety smooth than good sashimi tuna, with an unctuous quality that just emphasizes the richness. Good cured salmon is incredibly mild in flavor, with just a hint of salt and much more gentle than the more common smoked salmon (lox). The honey, which was not a heavy variety -- a lighter, gentler than clover honey -- danced around the flavors of the salmon incredibly. Each curve of the savory flavor of the salmon fit with a corresponding bend of the honey's sugar. And brightening it all, opening it up, was just the barest bright hint of the mint flavor.
Best of all, each of the effects was magnified when I added a tiny bit of lemon juice.
Cured salmon with honey and mint.
I was honestly unsure about this; I couldn't imagine it. But I'd been to Cote Sud before and had some level of trust for what the chef could do, so I went for it.
I can safely say that on balance, it was incredible. Cured salmon (gravlax) is a wonderful dish; the texture is more velvety smooth than good sashimi tuna, with an unctuous quality that just emphasizes the richness. Good cured salmon is incredibly mild in flavor, with just a hint of salt and much more gentle than the more common smoked salmon (lox). The honey, which was not a heavy variety -- a lighter, gentler than clover honey -- danced around the flavors of the salmon incredibly. Each curve of the savory flavor of the salmon fit with a corresponding bend of the honey's sugar. And brightening it all, opening it up, was just the barest bright hint of the mint flavor.
Best of all, each of the effects was magnified when I added a tiny bit of lemon juice.