re: Beausoleil's New Year's Eve Menu looks ambitious and interesting (UPDATE PG 2)

I’ll post a longer write-up soon but it was an excellent meal, the service was great, and the chef came out numerous times and was personable and very friendly. We had a wonderful time.

Also they were very generous with their pours for the wine pairings

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They're likely stretched too thin, and too ambitious (ignorant of their shortcomings), as per the comments in this thread.

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They did a great job and I’ll dive into the menu more tomorrow. Any worry about them not being able to pull this off was unfounded and I overheard numerous waitstaff talking to tables about how hard the kitchen worked on this menu.

It showed.

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I’ll post a longer write-up soon but it was an excellent meal

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As mentioned above, I’d be interested in seeing the wine pairings. Glad they pulled it off.

Very glad to be wrong, and that it worked out for you.

Apologies this took a day longer to write-up. New Year's Day was a recovery day and a good eating day as well, so wife and I were just worn out and I barely made it through the Clemson/Ohio State game. But I am happy to report that this meal was a huge success and a wonderful memory for my wife and I.

We arrived for our 6:30 reservation and were led to a larger room to the side that hadn't previously been there under the old restaurant. They basically doubled the size of the place and it looks great. Upscale but not stuffy or pretentious. We were the only people in the room of about 10 tables but the hostess said not to worry, we would have friends soon. About 30 minutes later the place was packed.

The service was excellent and our waiter was the right mix of personable and friendly without being intrusive. He explained to us the dishes as they came out and some of the thought process that went into making them. The GM, who is an in-training sommelier, came out and explained the pairings for the menu. He was really proud of the sparkling pairings, but I opted for the still wines since my wife wanted a few sips and didn't care for sparkling.

Amuse-Bouche: This was a nice bite of food. Omelet was sweet and went well with the salty speck and salmon caviar. Did it's job in us wanting more. 3/5 stars

First Course: This was the weakest course and not that it wasn't good, but it was a tiny oyster and the rest of the ingredients overpowered the small oyster. The amuse-bouche was larger and there were bits of shell in mine. 1.5/5 stars. (Side note: my wife has an allergy to oysters so they gave her an impressive board of boiled shrimp, smoked tuna dip, and house smoked salmon. It was delicious.)

Second Course: French onion soup was packed with flavor, the duck was tender, and the foie gras wonton exploded with delicious flavor. This was my 3rd favorite dish and I could have eaten a giant bowl if provided. 4/5 stars.

Third Course: The boudin was served as a boudin ball, which was a good idea. There wasn't much lobster in the dish and had you told me it was a seafood boudin ball, I would say it's one of the best I've had. Billing it with Maine lobster had me searching for the lobster, which I couldn't distinguish. The bacon glass served on top was a star and I looked around and saw others happily munching on it. 3.5/5 stars

Fourth Course: The sweetbreads were my favorite dish and were absolutely outstanding. Three large sweetbreads with parsnip puree, roasted veggies, and pickled veggies...my goodness this was a wonderful dish. 5/5 stars

Fifth Course: The hamachi kama was my second favorite and was a delicious dish. The tuna was melt in your mouth tender and the squid ink risotto was flavorful and rich. The daikon salad was like a seaweed salad and paired great with the richness of the tuna and risotto. 5/5 stars

Sixth Course: At this point of the meal we had enough food and wine to feel quite full. The heaviest course was the last and we struggled to finish it. The tenderloin was perfectly cooked and the sun choke creamed spinach was tasty as well, but the terrine was a tad undercooked and the potatoes were a little tough. Add to that the overwhelming taste of white truffle and it was a miss. All other components though were great. 3.5/5 stars

Dessert: This was a wonderful way to end the meal. A chocolate sphere engulfed a wonderful persimmon sorbet. The juniper cake was delicious with the anise cream, and under it was a light habanero jelly to make the lips tingle slightly. A great end to the night. 4/5 stars

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Did you get enough food?

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Yes. Honestly more than enough. By the last two courses we were starting to get very full and then add the wine to it...we were stuffed. The last four courses (including dessert) were all large enough portions. About the size of appetizers and combined with the previous courses we left very satisfied.

I also want to add that the chef was very personable and made many trips to our table and other tables to just see how people were enjoying the meal. He and I had brief conversations about sweetbreads, the menu, and his past experience (he used to be an executive chef for Disney).

He will do more tasting menus and will rotate the menu with seasonal ingredients. Between Beausoleil Coastal and Eliza, Baton Rouge has two chef-driven restaurants within a mile of each other.

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Between Beausoleil Coastal and Eliza, Baton Rouge has two chef-driven restaurants within a mile of each other.

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this is how a food culture improves.
that, and hipsters

great review of the meal

Thanks for the wonderful review!

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ETA:

Prepare for improper prep on course 4 ruining your meal.

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Had to revisit this and laugh considering the 4th course was the absolute star of the meal