If you didn’t know it was there, you might surely miss this strip of restaurants hidden away in Belden Alley. The area has a very European feel and is bustling with people so you know the word has gotten out! Upon a friends’ recommendation, we selected the restaurant – Plouf and sat outside on their patio.
The restaurant is a French Seafood Bistro and they specialize in mussels along with a complete menu. The decor was casual and funky and I loved it! We were very excited to try their mussels so we ordered them in two different versions. Plouf with pastis, cream, shallots, roasted garlic, chili flakes & fine herbs and Coconut Broth with lime mice, garlic, shallots, cilantro, chili and coconut milk. They were served with delicious crusty bread for dipping in the broth and both were equally scrumptious!
Moving through their menu, we ordered several appetizers to share. The Crab Cakes made with caramelized pancetta, spicy remoulade and lemon, Fried Local Calamari with fennel, scallions, lemon and spicy marinara, and Foie Gras Torchon with aged balsamic vinegar, strawberry salad and brioche toast. They were all fantastic, but one of the most amazing items was the fried scallions on the calamari dish. Innovative and delish!
We ordered two entrees to share. The Pastis (anise flavored aperitif) Flamed Shrimp on a polenta cake with caramelized cauliflower and parsley lemon butter and the Seared Duck Breast with new potato hash, pancetta, sweet & sour cabbage and vincotto (cooked wine).
I was quite impressed with the attention to detail on every ingredient of the dish, the exquisite plating and the fact that everything was amazingly delicious! We were also intrigued with the fact that this was not your typical overly adorned establishment. Just a great place to hang out with friends and have really excellent food, wonderful service and a good time!