ENTERTAINMENT

‘Watts for Dinner’: The art of fine dining at The French Brasserie Rustique

Will Watts
Columnist
Roasted pork tenderloin and speck from The French Brasserie Rustique, Naples.

There’s dining; an evening of fine dining; then there’s a dining experience. That’s The French Brasserie Rustique.

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There was a special going on this Sunday afternoon, a three-course meal for $39; well four if you count the bread, and you should. The basket of warm toasty bread was accompanied with soft butter and roasted garlics. What a great way to start.

For my first official course, I picked the Soupe a L’oignon: baked onion soup, gruyre cheese and a toasted baguette. The cheese was so amazing and the broth; there was sherry or white wine in it; I’m sure. Such a delicious bouquet.

Soupe a L'oignon from TThe French Brasserie Rustique, Naples.
Complimentary bread, along with butter and roasted garlics, from The French Brasserie Rustique, Naples.

For my entrée, I had the roasted pork tenderloin with speck – a pork-product very similar to prosciutto – featuring brussels sprouts, roasted apples, cauliflower crème and calvados glaze. This may have been the most tender pork I’ve ever been served. And the combination of flavors created a celebration in my mouth. I ate slowly, as to preserve the moment. To be honest, I’m not crazy about apples with pork. But this wasn’t some chunky glaze. Oh no. The apples gave off the appearance of roasted potatoes. To be honest, I forgot what they were until I took a bite.

Petite filet mignon from The French Brasserie Rustique, Naples.

My partner in dine started things off with the salt roasted beets, featuring French feta, almonds, radicchio, mandarin oranges, poppy seed and dill. The dish was as beautiful as it was tasty. Look at the photograph and decide for yourself.

For his entrée, the petite filet mignon, served with potato mousseline – think mashed potatoes baked with brown butter and nutmeg – and buttermilk fried onion rings (yes, they are as good as they sound) and bordelaise, a classic French sauce named after the Bordeaux region of France. The sauce is made with dry red wine, bone marrow, butter, shallots and sauce demiglace.

Once again, the most tender of meats complimented perfectly with sauce and sides.   

Salt-roasted beet salad from The French Brasserie Rustique, Naples.
Profiterole with ice cream and chocolate sauce from The French Brasserie Rustique, Naples.

Dessert was a profiterole, or cream puff, filled with ice cream and drizzled in chocolate sauce. This was the only small misstep as the puff was not as fresh as it should have been. But thanks to the ice cream and sauce, I was able to get it down just fine.

The French Brasserie Rustique delivers on quality, comfort and the attention they bestow on their guests. You won’t be disappointed.  

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If you go

The French Brasserie Rustique

  • 365 5th Ave S, Naples
  • thefrenchnaples.com
  • 239-315-4019