five fifty-five<\/strong> on Congress Street: chef\/owner Steve Corry (Maine Restaurant Association\u2019s 2011 Chef of the Year), his wife\/partner Michelle, and partner\/manager Liz Kayo.<\/p>\nPetite Jacqueline is unpretentious, with cheery, soft yellow walls and minimalist decor. Warm and welcoming, the space was designed to emulate a cozy dinner at the home of Michelle\u2019s grandmother, Jacqueline.<\/p>\n
Our meal begins with a soft and chewy baguette served in a brown paper bag. Unwrapping the silverware\u2013charmingly swathed in blue-and-white kitchen towels\u2013we prepare to taste the confit de langue d\u2019agueau ($8), lamb\u2019s tongue cooked in its own fat with French green lentils, a variety often called “poor man\u2019s caviar.”<\/p>\n
Next to arrive is the terrine of foie gras ($13), graced with local honey, brioche rounds, and a compote of cherries and apricots, which plays silky and sweet on the palate. Following up is the roast pork belly with cabbage and herbs ($8). The buttery and salty belly is crisped on the outside, and the kraut lends well-balanced crunch and acidic tang.<\/p>\n
My entr\u00e9e, fluke meuniere ($19), a pan-seared local fluke with capers and butter draped over a bed of spinach, is beautifully browned, its skin almost crispy. \u201cMeuniere\u201d means \u201cmiller\u2019s wife,\u201d and food cooked in this fashion suggests a homemade dinner prepared richly and creatively using inexpensive ingredients.<\/p>\n
The moment my partner\u2019s beef Bourguignon ($18) arrives, our conversation immediately ends as he enthusiastically plunges into the peasant classic with its savory broth, tender meat, and a hearty mix of Maine potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms that soaks up the intense flavor of the beef.<\/p>\n
Enhancing the entire evening is a generous carafe of the pinot noir-syrah house red (approximately six glasses for $20).<\/p>\n
The pear cr\u00eape du jour ($7) makes for a brilliant finish as we savor dipping the delectable fruit into the chocolate sauce garnish.<\/p>\n
To Petite Jacqueline we offer un grand merci <\/em>and voeux pour une longue dur\u00e9e de vie<\/em> (at least as long as the ninety years currently enjoyed by its namesake)! n<\/p>\nPetite Jacqueline, 190 State Street, Portland <\/strong>
\n<\/strong>Tues-Thurs, 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri-Sat until 11 p.m. <\/strong>553-7044, bistropj.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"May 2011
\nPortland\u2019s new bistro in Longfellow Square \u201chas the peach\u201d and is at the top of its game.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4135","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-featured"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4135","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4135"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4135\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4265,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4135\/revisions\/4265"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4135"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4135"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4135"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/Petite-Jacqueline-Interior-from-KitchenIMGP0035.jpg\" "\\"Petite-Jacqueline-Interior-from-KitchenIMGP0035\\"")
<\/a>Welcome Petite Jacqueline!<\/strong> The impressive French bistro is the brainchild of the folks who gave us five fifty-five<\/strong> on Congress Street: chef\/owner Steve Corry (Maine Restaurant Association\u2019s 2011 Chef of the Year), his wife\/partner Michelle, and partner\/manager Liz Kayo.<\/p>\n