Patric Kuh Lauds Terrine's Mastery of Contrasts

This week, Patric Kuh pens a lengthy review of Terrine, chef Kris Morningstar and business partner Stephane Bombet's brasserie that Kuh describes as "authentic French cooking as interpreted by a chef who doesn't hold back." Similar to Besha Rodell's glowing three-star review, Kuh's takes note of Morningstar's deft preparation of lesser cuts of meat, and lauds his mastery of contrasts:

Morningstar didn't invent that sort of key contrast, but he achieves a lot with it. The kitchen is especially adept with vinegar, relying on it to sharpen matters, as with his salad of shaved raw brussels sprouts, in which sherry vinegar combines with little hunks of fresh Braeburn apples and dates to bring clarity to the vegetable. In his stellar boudin noir, a deglazed and reduced vinegar sauce forms a ribbon around the parsnip puree and focuses the barnyard notes of the traditional blood sausage.

He modulates what would be an off-the-charts gaminess of the squab crepinette-squab breast stuffed with wild mustard greens and wrapped in caul fat-with a sauce that revolves around the fino sherry flavor of vin jaune from eastern France's Jura Mountains. And the aged vinegar in the side of carrots almondine provides a gentle tug of acidity to the butter sauces that dress the whole-sautéed vegetables. [LAM]

The LA Mag critic awards Terrine three stars.

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