Magali & Martin's Menu Degustation

Once a person learns that with some effort, they can cook just about anything they can think of, it's hard to go out and not think about how much money could have been saved by making things at home. The whole idea of value in dining out goes askew. I sometimes leave a restaurant thinking if only we spent that money at the market, we'd have really eaten like kings.

The more I learn about how to do things right, the more my standards change. Other things take on more importance. For example, sometimes I just want to sit down and have someone serve me a meal at the table, and serve me with love. I will pay for that. The quality of the service becomes more important to me.

Another thing that has changed as I have grown is that I seek out restaurants that are going to serve things that might be a whole lot of trouble to make a home. Ideally, I would like something I could prepare at home but never thought of before. I want something out of the ordinary.

Last night we went to the neighborhood restaurant Magali & Martin, one I mentioned before. Looking at the days offerings, it was difficult to decide, everything on the menu seemed interesting. Loic remembered that they have had a degustation menu, which is little versions of the chef's choice of things they have going in the kitchen. We asked, because it wasn't mentioned anywhere on the menu. Magali said Martin could of course muster up something, and their price was €45, for seven courses including cheese and dessert. We didn't hesitate.

The first course: A cool watermelon soup that had been ladled over cubes of sushi grade red tuna, gently seasoned with chives and slices of soft marinated ginger. Delicious, and a wonderful idea. I never would have thought of juxtaposing the watermelon and tuna flavors, and they worked perfectly. It was one of those things where every element was necessary and their sum was extraordinary.

Two: A marbled poultry terrine, including duck, guinea hen, and foie gras, served with delightfully smoky and salty caramelized slow cooked onions. I was thinking about how simply beautiful it was, in addition to tasting very nice.

Three: Poached wild salmon, delightfully rare inside and cut presented in all of its quivering glory on a splash of curry sauce along side a pretty detailed artichoke heart with its tender inner leaves and edible beginnings of its stem still intact.

Four: A wedge of Atlantic sea bass seared skin side down, the skin delicious and crispy, the meat perfectly cooked, served over a shellfish and spelt wheat risotto.

Five: A duo of sliced pan seared duck breast served over a mound of the season's fresh chanterelles in cream, its leg confit simmered in red wine and served over cabbage. I wrote in my notes: ("we almost died.") They were both heavenly.

Six: The cheese, tangy beaten fresh white goat cheese topped by a layer of slivered aged Picodon, black currants, and basil. Very uplifting.

Seven: A soft centered chocolate cake served warm, with house made fresh fig sorbet, a spoon sized quenelle of frozen dark chocolate creme, and raspberries served separately in a gravy boat, floating in delicious soft "half-moon" tea infused jelly.

We enjoyed a bottle of white wine through the course of the the meal, something that Magali suggested and that she also didn't have on the menu yet, a 2005 Saint Joseph Larmes du Pere from the Alain Paret vinyard. (€32)

A wonderful thing about our meal was that when the check came, we were pleased as punch with the total. We walked home on air like two young lovers and went straight to bed. I had sweet dreams of a spa journey to Eugenie des Bains where I met Michel Guerard and meeting an old school mate while sitting in the second row of a symposium.

Magali & Martin
11, rue des Augustines
69001 LYON
04 72 00 88 01
Closed weekends. Reservations are necessary a few days in advance these days.