Dinner at Saint Jacques

The Mrs. and I went to Saint Jacques in Raleigh last night for a pre-birthday “mine” dinner with our friends Memsy and Gill. I’ve been there several times for lunch with my dad and have been trying to get there for dinner for at least a year. It’s one of the most elegant, calm and sophisticated restaurants I’ve ever visited, reminding me favorably of Pachon in Tokyo, where I celebrated my 21st birthday in what is still the benchmark meal of my life. At Pachon, the wait staff are basically ninjas. You finish your dinner roll, there is a slight shimmer in the air, and a new roll appears on your plate. Dinner for four cost about a thousand bucks, and that was in 1986.

Saint Jacques comes closer to that level of service than anywhere I’ve eaten in quite some time, certainly anywhere in North Carolina. The owner, Lil Lacassagne, is from Provence and worked for Roger Vergé at Moulin de Mougins. When I’ve described the level of service to friends, I cite one quick example: The restaurant’s napkins are white, but if you’re wearing dark clothes, they bring you a black napkin so you don’t get napkin fluff on your trousers. There’s much more, but it all flows from there.

Lil is a perfect host, friendly without being unctuous. When my dad and The Mrs and I have been there for lunch, we’ve had long conversations with him about his work in France, how he came to the US and where he gets his tomatoes. I have a very high standard of service that descends from my German restaurateur grandfather, and Lil lives up to it in a way that I very seldom find. Last night he guided wine aficionado Gill through a selection process that was a joy to behold and left them both smiling.

Here’s what I had “yoinked from the online menu”:

Crusted Scallop on a Smooth Bed
Wild caught delicious scallops, pan seared in a thin crust, served atop a julienne of soft pear and fennel braised with smoked bacon. Rich and slightly sweet, a delight of the senses

Braised Veal Pied Paquets “stuffed veal” Veal hanging tenders filled with meat and vegetable stuffing, slowly braised in red wine, served on a garlic and cheese creamy polenta finished with cippolini onions and tomato veal braising juice.

The scallop was outstanding, and I’m not a huge fan of scallops. But everything that’s great about a scallop was there, without any of the stuff about a scallop that’s not great. If you know what I mean. Fresh and reminiscent of the sea, but not fishy.

The veal dish was also very good, but a bit more like meatballs than I was expecting. Really, really great meatballs, granted, but the initial impression stuck.

I had the apple tarte tatin for dessert, and it was obviously how much time and care had gone into making it.

We enjoyed the meal very much and the price was reasonable for the level of service, attention to detail and quality of ingredients. This is a restaurant to visit for the complete experience, rather than for cutting-edge gastronomy.