Baume Palo Alto

Baume is an experience and while the tastes discovered may not always delight, it is a positive experience for anyone looking to hit the sharpest points in their taste buds. Came for the 8-course dinner, left with mixed feelings of highs and flats. Started high with the amuse-bouche; fresh and zesty, like running down the hill and tasting the wind of a breezy spring day. I was hoping for the standard foie gras, but it was pâté. Rich and creamy over their baguette, but it did leave a longing for the normal serving. Caviar over white asparagus followed; this was a hit or miss for me. Sometimes I'd get it right, where it started with a fresh crunch from the asparagus, followed by a burst of caviar that unleashed the flavors of the ocean in your mouth. Other times, I'd burst the caviar too early and when mixed immediately with the asparagus, left a somewhat bland flavor. Next was the jidori egg; note, you have to break the egg and enjoy the runny yolk over the (pearl?) barley. Taste was savory, but mellow, with occasional sharp bitterness from the veggies; I liked it, but my companion mentioned it was a bit too chewy from the barley. I have no idea what the next dish was, but it was interesting. I believe it was scallops, but the texture was closer to tofu. It was served with roasted cucumbers that broke down without any effort. The fish was the only dish that was notably unappetizing. The flesh itself was cooked perfectly and the candied seaweed was great. The plating was beautiful and it looked amazing and set a high expectations. Unfortunately, the taste didn't match the looks. The veggies on the bottom had a strong bitterness and the sauce below the fish did not impart any strong and pleasant flavors. The squab was far the best dish I had that night; great sear, cooked beautifully red, coupled greatly with the bed of sauce, and tasted amazingly savory. Just cutting cleanly through the flesh piqued my appetite. The cheese course was flat. It was basically three bites of a honeyed cheese. The underlying flavor was very pungent and personally, may have needed a bit more honey. Dessert was absolutely amazing and was the perfect end to the squab and cheese. Presentation was lovely and starts disintegrating the moment it's brought out. Sherbet and meringue with distinct and refined fruitiness. Left me with a satisfying zesty and slightly tart aftertaste. Personally, it should've ended there, but there is one little extra treat after the dessert. No need to ruin the surprise, but do be prepared for a sweet ending to the night. A couple of notes: there's definitely a lot of efforts to bring an authentic French experience to you. The plating seems to all have French-origins and have a refined feel to them. The baguette is half baked daily by a baker trained in France and finished once patrons are seated. The butter seems to be imported from France (as explained from the hostess) and seems to have impressed my companion, who could not help but vehemently praise it in comparison to standard butter. Overall, it's a pricey experience, but that's the point. It's meant to be an experience, not just dinner. The chef really does try to paint a palette of flavors, and it's not necessarily going to always wow you, but it will awaken taste buds and flavors that seemed so dull or nonexistent before. I can't say you should come to be full, but rather come to test your culinary boundaries.

My very beautiful and delicious special ocasion dinner before being plated. Just part of it got into photo...baguette and caviar I ate before taking a picture of the rest of dishes...yummm