Upon entering 39 Rue de Jean, I became coated in the class that was dripping from the establishment. From candles, to tasteful, orchestral takes on current pop songs, this place aimed to please the masses. But the longer I became exposed to this ambiance it became more like ambien, as the candle light was nearly the only source of lighting in there; I even noticed neighboring tables using flashlights to view their menus. Although, I found this element delightful as no one could identify the horrors of my appearance.
When I viewed the menu I noticed the elegance of the restaurant was matched by its prices; with the cheapest entree being nineteen dollars, this may not be a suitable dinner option for the nearby college students. They even had a Japanese section of the menu selling various types of sushi. Just by looking at the menu for a few minutes it became clear to me that this array of dishes had more class, style and versatility than I’ll ever have. The french dishes had a myriad of vegetable options like beets, asparagus, and rainbow carrots. Being a vegetarian, this seemed like a dream. Unfortunately, all of said vegetable pairings were topped with some sort of (admittedly appetizing) meat. I obviously don’t belong here, or anywhere for that matter. There was only one truly vegetarian entree: the Wild Mushroom Crepes.
The sides held many options of fancy salads and soups, one of which I enjoyed more than the entirety of my mundane existence. The Mesclun salad had strawberries, arugula, candied pecans, rainbow carrots and crumbled goat cheese; the dressing was a refreshing red wine vinaigrette. It was presented with the strawberries arranged ever so carefully in a perfect circle around the dish. The textures melded together in harmony, which was a nice change for my insufferably conflicting existence.
As for the Wild Mushroom Crepes: They were presented beautifully. Placed on top of a bed of buttery cauliflower cream, the crepes were
topped with asparagus, rainbow carrots and button mushrooms with more crumbled goat cheese. But, for being a mushroom crepe, mushrooms were certainly not treated as the star of the dish. The first flavor noticed when you take a bite is undoubtedly goat cheese, which can be delightful as times, but not for the whole dish. By the fourth crepe the cheese was absolutely overbearing and became a slight challenge to eat.
Although there was a plus side to this experience: I now know how people feel whenever I talk to them.
Despite the barrage of cheese I experienced, my dessert was a New York Style Cheesecake topped with vanilla bean, a raspberry sauce and fresh strawberries because I’m an overindulgent. It was delightfully creamy, subtle and paired excellently with the sauces that were added.
Overall, the experience was quite lovely and my service was exceptional; I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this restaurant for college students or vegetarians, but for the elegant omnivore looking for a relaxing night out on the town, 39 Rue de Jean would be a delightful option. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go look into the mirror for three hours and question my place on earth.
