It’s listed on the bar menu without fanfare, right between the beef sliders and the cheese plate. The new Chef’s Tasting Plate ($50) at the stalwart Andre’s restaurant is simply described as a selection of five menu items in tasting portions—three appetizers, one entrée and one dessert item—selected by chef Christopher Bulen.
Intrigued? Andre’s is and always has been as classic French as it gets, certainly not one of those trend-riding restaurants shifting into a small-plates format. But what if that’s the way you wanna eat? Of course you’d like to try both the beef carpaccio and the herb-crusted loin of venison, but that’s a lot of food … a lot of rich, French food. That’s where Bulen’s perfect plate comes in.
I grabbed a seat at the handsome bar, ordered a Lower Manhattan cocktail and waited for my personalized feast to arrive. It didn’t take long. After considering starting with dessert, I ate counter clockwise (following my server’s instruction) and began with the carpaccio, its deep beefy flavor contrasted by smooth curried cauliflower purée, bitter arugula, sharp preserved lemon and a Szechuan pepper cracker. If the kitchen could fit this many flavors into this bite-and-a-half, I knew I was in for a memorable (if quick) dining experience.
Next up, the utterly indulgent shrimp scampi en croute, a crisp and flaky bite of fish floating on a bed of pernod cream sauce. I immediately wanted more of this stellar appetizer—a whole plateful, even—but I also felt grateful there was only one. So rich and creamy, more would have been a meal-ender. Besides, a deceptively large portion of roasted cauliflower risotto was waiting around the bend, imbued with brown butter and topped with crispy fried sage. There was no way I could finish it before moving on to the venison, juicy-rare, impressively tender and only slightly gamey, hiding a wildly flavorful combination of sweet potato spaetzle, Brussels sprouts and tangy, lively black currant jus. This dish ($48 as an entrée) made me want to come back and order it by itself. For a tasting size, it was an impressive portion of meat, and I felt a little guilty alternating between bites of venison and risotto. But not that guilty.
With just enough room to devour dessert—a petite gingerbread sandwich with pumpkin cream inside—I realized the genius of this plate. It may seem strange to order one plate of food for $50, and it might be odd to receive five “courses” all at once. But the uniqueness of the experience is worth the experiment … and it’s not as if you have to worry if you’ll like the food. Andre’s is a model of consistency. This offering just adds new fun to the mix.
The Chef’s Tasting Plate is available at the bar and in the dining room. The selections change nightly depending on the chef’s preference, but each dish is chosen from the regular dinner menu. Considering that it’s fall, every chef’s favorite cooking season, and that Bulen has just introduced new dishes such as black peppercorn crusted filet and pan-seared duck foie gras with rhubarb strudel, now’s the time for your tasting.
Andre’s Monte Carlo, 702-798-7151. Tuesday-Sunday, 5:30-10 p.m.
