One of the first places Taro took me to when we first started dating was Maison Akira. At the time, I was quite impressed. However, we haven’t been back since then and within the past two months, we rediscovered this quaint Japanese-French fusion restaurant. The first time we went back it was on a spur of the moment without my camera. However, this past weekend, we asked my parents if they wanted to go – I feel like my dad is now much more open to different types of food – so I was camera ready and also ready to enjoy some great food, especially since pulling out my wisdom teeth was a handicap to my eating abilities!
This month’s Menu Molière featured veal. My mom and I decided to order from this menu while Taro and my dad ordered from the Menu Rabelais. I decided on the Sautéed Crispy Veal Sweet Bread with Green Salad in a Honey Pepper Sauce and the Roasted Medallion of Veal Tenderloin in a Shiitake Mushroom Sauce. Taro decided on the Crispy Soft Shell Crab Tempura on a Hijiki Potato Mousseline, Japanese Hamachi Sashimi and Momotaro Tomato Appetizer, and the Snake River Farm “Kobe” New York Steak in a Bordelaise Sauce.
The dinner started with an amuse-bouche, which was salmon. It seemed like a weird mixture – was it sashimi or smoked? The texture itself was different and I am not quite sure whether I liked it or didn’t. However, the Sautéed Crispy Veal Sweet Bread was delicious! It was juicy pieces of veal, light and crispy. The only downside was the salad was filled with carrots (I am allergic to carrots.), but the upside was that I just ate the veal, which I was perfectly content with! The Crispy Soft Shell Crab Tempura was good as well, but pretty similar to the type of dish found at a sushi restaurant or bar. What I enjoyed most about the Hamachi Sashimi was the wasabi infused masago. It was very different and provided a nice pop of spice into your mouth.
The Roasted Medallion of Veal Tenderloin in a Shiitake Mushroom Sauce followed next and the veal was oh so tender. And since I love mushrooms, I made sure that each piece I cut had some mushroom sauce on it. Taro’s Kobe New York Steak was equally as tender and it was nice to have a duo of meat. In the end, I don’t think you can have too much veal…or steak. I also had a bite of the fish my dad ordered and it was a nice piece of bass.
To finish off, each of our dinners had dessert so we decided to order one of each! It is awesome eating as four because I can try a bite (or two or more) of each dessert. So at the end of the night, we ended up with Brioche Pudding with Raisin and Cream Fraîche, Macha Green Tea Cream Brulée, Grand Marnier Soufflé Classic, and Baked Alaska with Green Tea Ice Cream and Raspberry Sauce. I love that the Baked Alaska comes out on fire and you get a nice charred meringue as you dig your spoon into the packed green tea ice cream underneath. This one is a favorite, but the soufflé definitely rivals it. I love soufflé and this (so far) is one of my favorites next to the raspberry soufflé from Arnie Morton’s.
It was a great dinner with Taro and my parents. I can’t wait to go back to Maison Akira. I really enjoy the quiet environment, the staff – I love their French accents! – who really help to make the night enjoyable, and the sheer fact that Chef Akira (who studied under Joel Robuchon, who I love, love, love!) walks around every table to say hi and ask how things are.
Until next time…next month for Scottish Salmon, perhaps?
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