After 10+ visits to St Jacques, I felt I had to let others know about it. This restaurant is an oasis where one is transformed from North Raleigh to the South of France. Owners Lil & Lori are the most accommodating restauranteurs I have seen anywhere, truly believing that their customer is their guest and that the guest's experience during the few hours in their restaurant is the most important thing there is. If anyone on this earth was born to be a Maitre d', it is Lil. Ask him to describe the evening's dinner selections and your mouth will be watering at each description! This is great but wouldn't be enough if the food didn't live up to the service. Luckily it does. Chef Aaron Whittington and his small kitchen staff have really mastered the intracacies of the finest French dining experience. Nothing is ever loaded with heavy sauces ( though many of the dishes are quite rich ) and many of the items have a simple elegance that needs to be tasted to be understood. At last night's Alsace wine dinner the 1st course of Salmon Souffle stole the show. Imagine having the guts to serve a souffle to 60 people all at once! The end result was a fabulously aromatic dish that was light yet rich and the star of the evening. The entire dining room seemed to be talking about it as they were enjoying it. Try the Ravioli Whittington when it's on the menu for a very rich but very sensually satisfying dish with deep and concentrated aromas and flavors. The onion soup has been mastered - no saltiness to hide the flavors of high quality ingredients cooked for what I imagine must be a very long time. And of course the St Jacques namesake, Scallops, are expertly prepared. We've had the opportunity to eat in fine restaurants in NY, Chicago, Paris and the French countryside and St Jacques can hold their own with the best of them. Everyone we've introduced to the restaurant from across the Triangle continue to talk about it and some drive from Chapel Hill somewhat regularly to go there.
Pros: Service, Food, Ambience
Cons: None!
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