Bureau de Poste

January 5, 2024

Hello, hello! Happy New Year! I hope this year is off to a good start and treating you well! This new year I have very few goals. I feel setting goals for a whole year is a great way to set myself up for failure. So I am taking it month by month. This January I am focusing on reading, moving my body, and doing a nightly eye mask. The only big sweeping declaration I am making is I am going to write more. So here we are! First Bite of the New Year, Bureau de Poste at The Tiny Grocer.

Only open for dinner, this little French American pop-up left me a little wanting, however, the light vibes and very friendly attentive staff left a good impression nonetheless.

I started with a recommendation, a virgin espresso martini ($12) #dryjanuary. I am not a coffee drinker, as I've mentioned here before, but I love espresso martinis! I know there's no logic in that, but we press on! This orange-expressed drink was a fun twist (literally) on a bar classic. The citrus brought out the deep full flavor of the espresso. I could've benefited from a chocolate rim or shavings, I think with the citrus notes it would have been phenomenal. You can't blame a chocolate addict for wanting chocolate. Great start!

First up was the Pomme Dauphine ($18). A crunchy, melt-in-your-mouth, potato croquette, topped with smoked trout roe, and sprinkled with herbs. Beautifully presented, the bright orange roe and herbs popped so vibrantly on the plate. First Bite: a beautiful crunch and a warm and melty potato inside, but didn't leave much of an impression. The croquette itself was lacking in depth and left me yearning for a more profound potatoey experience. The trout roe offered a touch of the umami I was craving but it just wasn't enough. 

Onto my entree, Lord knows that when I see ratatouille ($20) on a menu it's an easy sell. You can just tell so much about a kitchen by its ratatouille. It’s an easy thing to not get right. First Bite: tomato, eggplant, and zucchini, but there wasn't much else. There was an absent richness that is necessary in any tomato-based dish.

Finally, for dessert, I stayed with the classics and ordered the vanilla bean creme brûlée ($10). First Bite: an amazing break of sugar, creamy, and velvety goodness. Great comeback. The creme brûlée for the win. It was a lot for me to finish by myself, it was so rich, but I powered through! Amazing finish for Bureau de Poste!

Though I probably won't be returning for the entrees, I’ll be making my way back for the mocktails and that creme brûlée!

Bureau de Poste at the Tiny Grocer - 5.8/10