Le Deauville 1/30/09

We slog through the not-yet melted snow downtown to perhaps the only traditional French restaurant in Lexington. Inside, the ambience is warm but unremarkable and our waiter greets us promptly. We peruse the very old-school menu and I'm torn between the duck confit and the paella special (though I'm always a little skeptical when place venture outside their specialties/regions). We start with the charcuterie plate. The pate & sausage were good as were the perfectly crunchy/soft toast points but it was missing the rillette the menu advertised. Halfway through, the waiter came by and asked us how our carpaccio was. Carpaccio?

Well paced, our entrees came, though with mixed results. My duck confit was generous but too greasy & under-salted. The too-thin scallops were criminally overcooked and over-salted. Mussells Provencale were above average and offered a hint of unexpected sweetness. Their accompanying fries were about the only things close to perfect on the table.

Our coffee creme brulee was flavored perfectly but cooler than room temperature under the burnt sugar crust.

All in all, a mediocre meal, made all the worse by the steep prices ($25 entrees, $15 app's).