My companion and I headed through dramatic weather
to Greenwich to check out Le Penguin,
the bistro that replaced the venerable Jean-Louis, whose namesake, Monsieur Gerin, reportedly is now the VP of Culinary Operations and Executive Chef of the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont. But first we couldn’t resist checking out this vintage Triumph parked alongside the restaurant.
In contrast to Jean-Louis’ air of extreme refinement, Le Penguin is more of a classic bistro,
the penguin theme affectionately mocking the kind of French restaurant where male waiters are dressed in tuxedos. That theme evinced itself in the brown butcher paper covering the tables
and even in the wrappers in which baguette slices were served.
We ordered a nice un-oaked French Chardonnay
and the “ice bucket” also turned out to be an interesting form of wrapper (even if there was no penguin).
I took my camera when I excused myself, because so often French restaurants display cute humorous illustrations in their bathrooms. In this case, the humor was there, but it was pretty American.
The menu offers fairly classic bistro fare, but with an emphasis on what’s local, fresh and seasonal, and the dishes aren’t always the usual suspects.
Good olive oil was offered, but with French bread
we preferred, and requested, butter.
For her first course, my dining companion ordered the frisée salad,
while I enjoyed a tuna tartare.
For her entrée, my companion ordered the monkfish,
while I was drawn to the Dijon-crusted lamb which rested on a white bean Provençale that was nothing short of heavenly.
For dessert,
my companion ordered the tarte Tatin,
while I was thrilled finally to encounter an île flottante, the first in quite a while.
Everyone was in high spirits, with birthday celebrations taking place,
and owner Antoine Blech (in partnership with Anshu Vidyarthi), whose son Adrien Blech is the chef and car owner, showed he loves his penguin.
Le Penguin, 61 Lewis Street, Greenwich, 203-717-1200, www.lepenguinbistro.com