If you love French Food, then this is surely up your alley. Whenever we hear the phrase French Food, it conjures up romance in my mind. It conjures up images of Paris. The Parisian cafes and bistros, The Pain Au Chocolat, Steak au Poivre,Foie Gras and the list is endless. So when we get an opportunity to try out French cuisine, we never let it go.
We had been fascinated by the menu of a local KC French Restaurant:LE FOU FROG , for quite some time. With the menu boasting of the French classics along with exotic proteins like Kangaroo, we just made the reservation with much ado. It was one of our Anniversary Dinners. I was in my second trimester then. And we have never shied away from big ticket eating out,if its worth it.
As soon as entered the restaurant, our hostess, Barabara, also, the co-owner of the restaurant greeted us. She had such a warm smile. The interiors were all lit up with soft light and eclectic picture frames were all across the walls. It set the mood right away. Our server for the night was such a jovial soul. He kept us in high spirits even though we were not drinking any alcohol. Now i know why they claim in their website that their restaurant packs in a bit of France and New York City in downtown Kansas City. you cannot miss the vibes.
Although we had been studying the menu for days, we spent some time taking into account the daily specials, created by Chef and Co owner Mano Rafael. We opted for one of the daily specials as our first course. Vol au Vent with Rock Shrimp and Arugula. Me and the man love anything with Shrimp. I wanted to taste how this variety of Shrimp tasted like.
Rock Shrimp was almost like a mini lobster. It was sweet,but firm and chewy. The crisp arugula was a great contrast to the puff pastry and the protein.
It was time for the Main course. The Man would settle for nothing less than the Kangaroo Tenderloin. It was our first introduction to this protein. The menu also boasted of Rabbit but we wanted to have a flavor of Australia. As we waited for our food, I kept mentioning anecdotes of how Cricketers would binge on Game Meat at a famous restaurant South Africa.
Kangaroo tenderloin well done was served with a thick and aromatic au jus and fresh farm veggies like baby carrots, brussel sprouts and crisp green beans. Dusted with a generous helping of black pepper. The Kangaroo meat was tender and not at all chewy as he had expected it to be. Its the black pepper which gave it a slight edge in tying all the elements together. The man had practically stopped talking, and that just means that the food was really good. The man said that the Kangaroo tenderloin did not have a minerally or gamey taste at all, which he had expected to a certain extent.
Coming to my choice of main course. As I was pregnant game meat was out of bounds for me. But I had to have something french on my plate as well. So I settled for Jarret D'Agneau Provencal(Lamb Shank Provencal). Its basically a braised lamb shank in a rosemary lamb jus with cumin scented couscous and ratatouille.
It looked pretty impressive and was a great portion size especially for a pregnant woman, who is forever hungry. However blame it on my hormones or on my heightened sense of scent and smell, the simple lamb tastes very gamey and minerally. The Cous cous was heavenly and was a savior in mellowing down the gamey flavor. The ratatouille had a nice texture. Overall it could have been a great plate,but for some reason I could not enjoy it to its fullest.
We were ready for dessert and something hot to warm up the cold drive back home from downtown.
We ordered for Chocolate Mousse and some hot Tea. It came with a complementary serving of house made Chocolate Truffles as it was our Anniversary. And later we found out that the our dessert and tea had been made complementary too. Not a bad touch I must add.
In the dessert choice it was a win win. The Mousse was light and fluffy and was served in a chocolate lacy web of sorts,with a generous drizzle of some decadent caramel sauce. It looked too good to eat, but we ate it anyway. The truffles were melt in your mouth goodness. As hard core coffee drinkers the tea was a welcome change. I binged on the dessert for sure.
Overall it was a good experience. Now the question is whether we will go back or not. Its a big ticket restaurant for sure. The attraction for us, at Le Fou Frog was surely the fact that they served Game Meat, French style. Sadly enough they have done away with their entire selection of Game Meats on their menu. Their recent menu does not have even have the rock shrimp Vol au vent which I loved so much. And the Lamb Shank Provencal surely was not my favorite. So maybe not, till they include the game meat again. Then I might give Kangaroo a try. Did I tell you, we have just picked up some frozen Kangaroo mince meat from the local Sprouts,as Le Fou Frog doesnt serve it anymore.
LE FOU FROG
400 E 5th STREET
KANSAS CITY,MO 64106
USA
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