Délicieux

Tatsu's French Restaurant

I've tried lots of cuisine. Asian, American, Latin, European, I've tried many, many different ethnic foods, but until last night, believe it or not, I had never had real French cuisine. This was somewhat of an embarrassment to me, as French is really the Godfather of all fine dining, and indeed the food aficionado movement.

Previously I always attributed this glaring omission to the absence of French casual dining restaurants, as I couldn't really afford fine dining. To be honest, I still can't, but last night was my anniversary, three years with my lovely and beautiful wife Natasha. As a special treat, we went to Tatsu's French Restaurant at 4603 W. 90th St. in Prarie Village.

A tasteful,white tablecloth-type restaurant, Tatsu's is tucked away off of Roe in a tiny stip mall. Decorated in the classical French style, popular since the days of Louis XIV (or was it Louis XIII? I can never remember), Tatsu's is clearly popular with the wealthy retirees of South Johnson County. I say this because Natasha and I lowered the median age at least 20 years. However, it soon became obvious that these geriatrics, and pre-geriatrics, have impeccable taste. The food was better than I expected, or even could have imagined.

We started with appetizers, Natasha with the stuffed, sauteed oysters and I with the escargot. Now I've never had escargot before (I've never knowingly eaten any insect, canned tuna excepted (or are snail arthopods? still, same deal), but our waiter promised the best in Kansas City. Though I have nothing to compare it with, I am inclined to agree. Served in a buttery pesto with champignon mushrooms (that's white mushrooms to you), it had a texture and flavor that reminded me of something, though I can't quite determine what. Slightly chewy, but bursting with flavor, I enjoyed it thoroughly.

The stuffed oysters were even better though. I've only had raw oysters before, as had Natasha, so when we were informed that these were the special, we couldn't pass them up. I'm glad we didn't. When cooked oysters lose their rubbery texture, and with a stuffing of herbs, topped with a sweet, almost teriyaki-like sauce, they were one of the best things I've ever eaten. Honestly. I love food, and have tried many things, but these oysters were in the top five things I've ever eaten.

After the appetizer, we had salads, which come with every entree at Tatsu's. Romaine pieces topped with their house-made creamy Italian dressing, they were served with fresh, hot baguette slices, simple yet delicious. Fresh cracked pepper from our server was a nice added touch.

For mains, we each ordered something we had never tried before. I had beef oxtail (is that redundant?) and Natasha had veal sweetbreads. The oxtail was unbelievably tender. I now understand why French cuisine has influenced so many others, as this tough piece of meat was braised to the point where it was falling off the bone. Served with a red wine reduction and the requisite French mashed potatoes and steamed carrots and broccoli, it was exactly how I imagined it would be.

On the other hand, neither Natasha nor I had any preconceived notions of what sweetbreads should taste like. We had seen them used on Top Chef, and knew it was a gland, but we had no idea what it would taste like. We were definitely impressed, however. It's hard to describe the flavor, the breading somehow reminded me of my mother-in-law's pork chops (high praise), but the texture was unlike pork. Soft and succulent, it really was something different, but something we both enjoyed. Served with the same vegetables and mashed potatoes as the oxtail, it also came with rice, as chef and owner Tatsu Arai clearly doesn't subscribe to the one starch rule.

For dessert our waiter brought us a complementary Tatsu's Delight for our anniversary. Consisting of creamy custard between layers of light, airy pastry, topped with whipped cream, choclate shavings and a strawberry, it was the perfect ending to the meal, particularly when paired with a cup of espresso.

Our entire meal was washed down with a Chilean Bordeaux, which was recommended by Chef Tatsu himself. I'm hardly a wine connoisseur, but I appreciated the oaky and black currant undertones this wine offered, an excellent pairing for our entire meal.

As you may have imagined, this meal was not cheap. In fact, it is the single most expensive meal I've ever eaten. However, as a special treat, it was well worth it. I highly recommend that on your next anniversary, or birthday, or some other special occasion, that you try Tatsu's.

You can the reviews of other people at Zagat.com.

Scorecard
Food: 4.9
Atmosphere: 3.5
Service: 4
Menu: 4.6
Price: 3
Total: 20.0
Average: 4

http://www.kansascitymenus.com/tatsus/