Origines Restaurant was opened four years ago by Chef Julien Boscus, who earned a Michelin star as chef of Les Climats and now tries to highlight seasonal and local ingredients at his own place.  Chef did come out to visit with his guests at the end of the service.  His menu offers a la carte options as well as a 4 or 6-course tasting with an optional cheese course and/or wine pairings.  You pick your courses from the menu with the 4 composed of a starter, fish, meat and dessert and you add 2 more starters for the 6, which was the option we chose.  We also took the wine pairings which were exceptionally well done in that they truly enhanced the food.  The small place had bare wood tables fitted with well-stuffed seating.   The lowered lighting, music in the background and large plank wood floors gave it a cozy feel.  There was a window to the kitchen so you could see some action but it was not open so noise was not a factor.  We had a wonderful meal here with friendly service and I very much recommend you go if you have a chance.

Set-Up

 

Food

We started with 3 amuse bouche.  A pistachio butternut squash was shaped like a pasta but instead used a thin slice of squash to house the tart interior filling.  Presented on pine cones, a tapioca chip held some chopped cauliflower.  On the stones was a smoked haddock and cheese sandwich.  Here the bread had been nicely toasted to go with the very good filling.  We enjoyed a cocktail with this section.

 

Bread service was nice brown bread with lightly salted and softened butter.

 

Sea Bream from the Brittany Coast was freshly sliced and lightly marinated the served with  Sansho pepper, Satsuma mandarin and a declination of seasonal cabbage, all with ponzu/citrus sauce.  The leaf of cabbage on the top had been fried to add a crisp texture to the plate and chunks of broccoli and romanesco also added textures.  The ingredients all blended well with good citrus overtones.

 

Normandy Coast Scallops were semi-cooked with smoked white pepper, grilled leek, raw cream with trout roe, champagne, dill oil and lemon and topped with nori seaweed tempura.  The lightly cooked scallops were excellent with the grilled and smokey flavors in the buttery sauce.  The roe gave the dish a pop while the seaweed was crisp.  A really yummy dish.

 

Maison Vadorin sweetbreads and wild mushrooms were in a fine tartlet garnished with a wild mushroom fricassee, spinach and celery.  The crunchy sweetbreads were well sauced with an amazing veal jus creamed with Mas Delmas wine.  The well-reduced sauce was just slightly thick and sticky without being salty.  This was perfect with the crisp exterior of the perfectly cooked sweetbreads all in an ultra-thin tart crust.  This one made good use of the bread to mop up every bit of sauce.

 

Brittany Coast Sea Bass was poached in seaweed butter and plated with Utal Beach oyster tartar with ginger and lemon, steamed puntarella, confit Allians potatoes and watercress juice.  The fish had been somehow formed into a round and while the flavor was fine I found the texture to be mealy.  The oysters had been diced and formed into the mound that was in the green sauce. The puntarella added a slight bitter component that overall made this into a lesser course for me.

 

Rosé veal was from the Basque Country.  It was veal loin with pine morel mushroom and caramelized onion with vinegar alongside a bowl of potato mousseline and a short juice with walnut oil.  The veal was nicely cooked and presented in 2 pieces that had previously been connected by a large piece of fat that was removed.   It was tasty and tender with a wonderful sauce.  The mushroom side dish was also terrific as was the roasted onion.  The potatoes were creamy almost gelatinous with amazing texture and flavor.  A fabulous course.

 

Comice Pear was marinated in lime syrup and presented with hazelnut biscuit, coffee cream, green cardamom foam and dried ceps sorbet.  The totally sweet pears were soft and perfect for eating.   They paired well with the crisp hazelnut cookie and the dried mushroom ice cream.   This was a really terrific dessert, sweet and fruity where the other ingredients perfectly set off each other to enhance flavor.

 

Some last treats included a chocolate truffle, pistachio cake, and Muscavado sugared grapes.  The grapes tasted a bit like raspberries and were seedless and juicy.  The chocolate was creamy and silky smooth.  The cake was also sweet with a light cream on top.  All were yummy and a fine end to a fabulous meal.