out and about: le coq tuna thursday’s

Do y’all remember last summer? When le coq did the “road to james beard” series every thursday last summer? It featured chef tara monsod cooking live at the bar three dishes each night inspired by the farmer’s market and catch of the day on her way to the james beard awards. It was one of our favorite summer food adventures.

This summer? She’s done it again. And although we thought nothing could beat the live cooking, the breakdown of a 200+ lb tuna in the middle of the dinning room, mind you, has done it. Every thursday night (except my birthday) until the end of bluefin tuna season, it’s happening. A $65 dollar three-course tuna tasting featuring said bluefin. And how much fun was it to watch the breakdown.

margarita: tequila, strawberry aperitif, falernum, lime

I mean, who doesn’t love a margarita. And as a long time fan of a strawberry marg, who doesn’t love the swap out from grand marnier to strawberry? A whole lot more refined then the frozen and blended fruits of my college years. Also, in margarita terms, it wasn’t super strong, but at the same time not too sweet.

baguette: chicken skin butter

Needed a little nosh while waiting for the breakdown, and I happen to be obsessed with the chicken skin butter - pretty sure it’s the only reason I order the baguette - and thankfully everyone else was down too.

riviera spritz: gin, honeydew, cassis, pamlemousse, yogurt, bubbles sidecar

New favorite drink alert. Guys! This was so fun. And tasty. They literally separate out the two drinks so you can drink, or chase, or combine as you please depending on how bitter or sweet you like your spritz. I absolutely loved both, separately and together. I drank about ½ of each on it’s own, then combined the two to make the perfect spritz. No joke, I’d just come for this drink alone.

tuna crudo: charred corn, capers, red onion, lemon

This dish was so light. The tuna so fresh. And all the componants screamed summer. I also loved that we got different cuts of the blue fin, including the o’toro. Fantastic to blend both the fattiness and the regular cut together, with the corn and capers complementing both.

seared tuna: tamarind basquaise sauce, sakura tomatoes, potatoes, dragon beans

I was very happy they offered multiple second course options, ‘cause I got to tell you, I am not a fan of seared tuna (or any fish for that matter). I like my fish cooked. I like my fish raw. But seared? It’s a texture thing, i think - it just doesn’t sit well. And I am very well aware that’s a me thing.

Everyone else enjoyed it.

tuna katsu: mushrooms, yu choy, capers, brown butter, soy bordelaise

The other entree option for the evening was this katsu. And being that I love a good katsu, I was excited to try it.

Unfortunately, it too featured a seared tuna inside the batter, instead of a cooked fish like traditional katsu. Which again. Just me. All the accompanyments were fantastic, and that sauce was delish - we only wished there was more of it.

Again a hit all around - prolly the table’s favorite of the two.

And, as an aside, you should definitely do what we did. The restaurant doesn’t make everyone order the tasting. You can have one per person, one per couple, two or more for the table… it’s all your choice. We opted to share two tastings between us so that everyone could try everything, and then suplement a bit.

filet: bearnaise sauce

I know, I know, it’s tuna night. But if you’ve ever had this filet, you’d order it too. Melt-in-your-mouth doesn’t even come close to how tender it is. And the steak was the perfect compliment to all the rich and fattiness of the tuna.

Pro tip: don’t skip on the bearnaise. That taragon pop just adds a little something extra.

harland: india pale whale

Harland is fast becoming one of Jamie’s favorite brewery’s. The hazy, the west coast ipa, and now this ipa. It’s becoming quite the habit. But since le coq only has two beers on the menu, at least we know they’ve got one of his favs now.

corn sundae: corn ice cream, peaches & brandy, local stone fruit, cispy corn

I’m not a huge dessert fan. But this combo? I could eat for days. Corn ice cream? Yes please. And if you are questioning how corn does in ice cream… think about how sweet corn bread is. Add a little sugar, and corn quickly flips from savory to sweet.

Think of all the times i’ve combined corn and stone fruit myself… the combo is one of those perfect pairings that just works no matter the iteration.

I also love bookending the crudo and corn app in savory form with the corn in sweet form. Well done chef, well done.