Geosmine Restaurant was in a small townhouse and designed by Chef Maxime Bouttier.  The name comes from a chemical compound that gives the characteristic smell to freshly plowed earth.  It was a 2-story place with American music playing in the background.  We were lucky to get a first floor table (the bathroom is on that level) where there was a glass section that looked down into the wine cellar.  The walls were exposed brick which also was on some of the ceilings.  Rough wood tables were nicely spaced and set with large beige napkins.  Overall it was an attractive interior.  They offer 2 tasting menu options or 8 or 11 courses.  They opened in April of 2023 and would appear to be on track to receive Michelin noting, so get there now while the price is still good.  Service was outstanding, friendly and welcoming as well as happy to answer my endless questions. The food was great.

Set-Up

 

Food

We started with a glass of champagne and they brought a glass of carrot, chile oil and tumeric which was spicy with a beautiful color.

 

A hot anchovy was on crispy bread.  It was a nice salty start.

 

Next were several appetizers – a pork rillette was breaded and fried for a hot, juicy and delicious couple bites.  Some puff pastry buckwheat sticks were to dip in creamy black garlic.  The buckwheat made for different flavor and texture than the usual breadsticks and the garlic butter was nicely flavored.  They offered to leave it if we wanted to use it on other courses.  A smoked mackerel tart with onion sabayon was an ultra-thin crispy crust filled with a smokey creamy yumminess.

 

Bread service was a nice doughy white bread with lots of air pockets.  It was served with whipped butter with mushrooms.

 

Brittany mussels were with curry, marigold and yellow wine.  Topped with mussel powder they were amazing with the curry sauce.  The terrific sauce really accented the tender lovely mussels perfectly.  Yummy.

 

Black trumpet and yellow Chanterelle mushrooms were plated with chopped parsley sabayon, and fresh herbs.  It was the end of the season for these flavorful mushrooms and they were excellent with the well-flavored creamy sauce.  Cut into easy-to-eat sizes, it was fantastic.

 

Leeks were with Glasswort (plant), egg and capers.  The leeks were cooked in the oven and seasoned with eggs and capers.  You needed a sharp knife to cut through these well-cooked leeks, which you had.  Topped with some herbs this was a more mildly flavored dish but with nice textures.

 

A scallop was with salsify, chanterelles and XO.  The mushrooms were brought in a separate dish.  The scallop was nicely browned but still lightly cooked in the body.  The tasty sauce was mostly on the strips of salsify, which had a slightly bitter flavor.  The mushrooms were perfect with it all or alone.  This was a good mix.

 

Beef filet was covered with cabbage and nasturtium on a red wine sauce.  The beef had been aged 20 days.  Some herb mayo and mint juice was mixed with the cabbage and sauce.  It was cooked nicely rare, without even having to ask and had a hint of smokiness to the meat.  All was well seasoned and tasty.

 

Breast with hay, caviar and seaweed was the last savory course. Another great sauce made this dish and the breast was actually a cow udder, thinly sliced.  It was crisped on the edge and yet soft in the center.  The caviar upped this one to an even better level.

 

Sorrel with oak leaf, mint sorbet and tarragon made up the transition course.  An interesting combination that worked.  The mint flavor went through the dish and the leaves added texture.

 

Parsnip with chestnut, whisky and vanilla was the first dessert.  Some of the chestnuts were roasted to a good crisp.  A cream anglaise made with whisky gave it a wonderful flavor.  Nice composition, and not too sweet but sweet enough.

 

Chocolate with praline, fleur de sel and cacao was the second dessert.  This was like having raw brownie batter with cream – yum x3.  It was a bowl licker.

 

MIgnardise included beetroot marshmallow, crispy coffee and dark chocolate truffle.  The marshmallow was from yellow beetroot and dense but definitely flavored with beet. The chocolate was dark chocolate with a bit of a crunch from something.  Very fine endings for a great meal. I had a Poire Williams to accompany the last bites.