Le Jardin du Roi, Chappaqua, NY

I usually don't stray too far from the world of BBQ on this space, but want to give props to the restaurant where my brother and teammate Cristiaan works, Le Jardin Du Roi in Chappaqua, New York. Sheila and I went there again for dinner Saturday night, and as always everything was great.

Cristiaan

Even though it is a French bistro in an upscale town, Le Jardin doesn't project a stuffy feel to it. The food is great, and you can have either a high end special or a hamburger at any time. They also serve breakfast until four in the afternoon.

Cristiaan set us up with an appetizer sampler that included scallop spring rolls with curry dipping sauce, garlic shrimp sauteed in olive oil and roasted red pepper, along with pan sauteed goat cheese with carmalized onion and potato crisps. All were outstanding, I especially enjoyed the scallop rolls, which were different.

Knowing your waiter helps. Cristiaan then hooked us up with a pasta course, which was a serving of linguini with pan seared scallops and a tomato cream sauce.

For dinner, we both ordered off the specials menu. I had the rack of lamb with a green peppercorn sauce and truffle mashed potatoes. I received the entire rack, which was cooked to a nice medium rare. Sheila ordered the shell steak with Bearnaise and steak frites, which was great. That remins me that half of her steak is still in the fridge, I'll take care of that later...

We moved up to the bar and had cappuccinos and a rich chocolate cake for dessert. All in all, it was a great feast, and a fun night out for our first actual dinner out by ourselves since Max was born.

One thing that distinguishes Le Jardin from so many restaurants where I have eaten in the past is the service. waiters will not hesitate to help each other out, and seem to work as a cohesive unit to bring the best possible service to diners. Cristiaan is a large part of that, as he has been there for a long time and really sets the tone for the floor service.

All in all, New York area readers should take a trip up and try Le Jardin sometime. Reservations are suggested, and make sure you request to sit in Cristiaan's section. They will certainly take good care of you, and you may end up sitting next to the Clintons!