Rustic European fine dining restaurant La Chasse, 1359 Bardstown Rd., celebrated their third birthday this year, and it’s full steam ahead as they begin sourcing some of their produce and herbs from Fiacre Farms, the new farm also owned by restaurant owner Isaac Fox. The farm is named after the patron saint of gardens, Fiacre, who – like Fox – is Irish with European food ties. He became famous for gardening after moving to France.
“I think our real goal overall from the beginning has been to focus on being down-to-earth, not just in a casual way, but very literally,” said Fox, who started the farm with his family last year. “It takes a few years in a business to really get the flow of things. What I see happening now is more seasonality, more farm-to-table, more use of local fresh ingredients, and more seasonal freshness.”
Items like radishes and herbs have already started to appear in both dishes and cocktails, but in the coming months after summer harvest, the restaurant will begin to incorporate squash, zucchini, and ratatouille type vegetables. Currently, the restaurant is offering their new summer menu with lighter sides and sauces for their mainstay proteins. For example, the pork chop currently offers a strawberry and black pepper compote glaze instead of the once offered red-eye gravy agrodolce. Featured cocktails have also gotten the summer transformation, offering lots of the fresh herbs, citrus, peaches and raspberries you might expect but also some very interesting uses of vegetables and herbs like jalapeños, carrots and dill.
“With our rustic French approach, I think some people have thought was a touch heavy in the summertime,” Fox explained. “I think you can do rustic food for summer if you make it very European with local organic vegetables and produce but keep it light, and that’s one of the things Chef Tina has been working on this summer.”
He went onto explain they’ve learned a lot in three years and are working to up their game on all fronts. Known for handcrafted cocktails, the restaurant is rolling out something unique. They’re going to begin offering their first ever Happy Hour with handcrafted highballs on July 9.
“We’ve never had one before. We’re going to have lower APB drinks that have some sort of carbonation. We’ll start with the classic highball and build on that. There will be about 6 craft cocktails on the list for about $6 each Tuesday through Friday from 5 to 7 p.m.”
That’s about half their usual price for cocktails. The happy hour will embrace the European concept where people enjoy an Aperitif hour, drinking things with carbonation and tonic that helps them prepare to dine without getting drunk after just one.
Patrons looking for smaller bites will enjoy their new bar menu that features plenty of affordable flavor with items like daily sliders and fried oyster tacos to name a couple. There is also a new dessert menu on the way.
Photography: Jumbo prawns, pineapple, watermelon radishes and bourbon smoked togarashi, courtesy of La Chasse
