Loulay

My husband and I recently had a date night at Loulay in downtown Seattle.  Loulay is Chef Thierry Rautureau’s new restaurant which is named after his hometown of Saint Hilaire de Loulay in France.  He's referred to as The Chef in The Hat and also owns Luc in Madison Valley.  He came over to our table and chatted with us which was a nice touch and added an exciting element to our dinner.   I was happy to see how friendly and good natured he is.  He's well known in the Seattle restaurant scene and hearing about his humble beginnings is inspiring.  He has a passion for food and cooking and his menu reflects that. 


I started off with a glass of Bordeaux which was full flavored and had a nice, oaky finish.  My husband had an Orange Capone which resembled an Old Fashioned.  The amuse bouche was some sort of orange porridge, just a couple of bites to whet our appetite.   Then we had bread and butter topped with sea salt and the house salad.  We also tried the duck confit slides, the seared foie gras and the beef burger.  The only downside to the meal was that all the food came at once.  Sadly our server did not pace the dishes and we barely had room on our table.  Next time I go out I will only order one dish at a time.  But we enjoyed all the food and were pleasantly full.  Our favorites were the foie gras and the burger.  We indulged in the French fries with aioli that came with it.  It was nice to share all the dishes because we were able to try a variety of things.  Finally, to end our meal, we shared a festive chocolate cocktail with Chocolate Stout and Eggnog.