Takao Takano has about 9 tables, interesting light fixtures with embossing on the interior, old wood on the floor, nicely spaced small bare pedestal tables with good quality cloth napkins, wood decorations on the wall, no music in the background and windows to the street on two sides. It has been recognized with two Michelin Stars. They offered 3 tasting menus – one for a lunch special and 2 longer tasting menus. We actually found the lunch tasting most appealing and so ordered it. Interestingly, my menu had no prices. Pacing and portion control were good as was the service, although not engaging.
We started with some champagne. Bread was served by the slice and it was a light brown bread with a good crust. Butter was firm and well flavored.
An amuse bouche of smoked mackerel, egg custard, mushroom consommé, and dill started our meal. The smooth custard was nicely accented with the crunchy vegetables and strong dill flavor from the few sprigs on top of the mackerel. The fish was good and nicely smoked. Overall it was a good combination of flavors and textures.
Sots l’y laisse de Poulet Fermier, Trompettes, Cardons et choux, vinaigrette tiede a la Miette noire, was chicken oysters with lovage cream, cabbage, mushrooms and truffle vinaigrette. It had a very pleasant taste but not a ‘blow you away’ thing. Everything melded well and the greens added a nice texture. I love the idea of a dish with the chicken oyster but I would only call this good not outstanding.
Cochon des Montagnes de Savoie, Racines au Sautoir, Condiment de Pied et Noisettes Grillées was pork cooked with mushrooms and vegetables. The pork was slightly pink, nicely browned on the outside, had most of the fat rendered and was perfectly tender. The vegetables, turnips, salsify, potatoes, were just cooked and accented with a small round of mashed potatoes that were great. Including hazelnuts flavored it well and also added texture. It was a good combination and the sauce brought it all together for a tasty dish.
Châtaignes, Mûres et Poires, Caramel au Beurre demi-sel a la Sauge was Chestnuts, blackberries and pears with a salted butter caramel ice cream with sage. The pears were well ripened so had good flavor yet still had texture – not mushy ripe. The ice cream was creamy and the chestnuts were toasted for a good crunch. A thin transparent piece of sugar was on top to add extra sweet and crispness. It was a well balanced dessert that was properly sweet. Thumbs up.
With coffee came treats of caramel cookies (filled with caramel too) and Madeleines. Both of these were spectacular. They were served warm, fresh and were a wonderful way to end the meal.
