ARLINGTON — The search for Cafe Dijon’s chef is over. We found him.
Ali Kalantari is now making his signature sandwich plates and French onion soup at the Wild Rose Bistro.
“When people come in they say, ‘Oh my god! This is where you are,’ ” said the new owner, Augustine “Augie” Martinez. “He had a big following in Everett. He gets recognized about once a week.”
After Cafe Dijon on Broadway in Everett closed last year, Kalantari brought his menu to the reopened bistro and catering company on N. Olympic Avenue. (The bistro shut down about five years ago when the previous owner shifted his focus to catering.)
“It may be a different restaurant, but it’s the same passion,” said Kalantari, who has been a friend of Martinez’s for 10 years. “The quality, the freshness, the presentation is all the same.”
The best seller, just like at Cafe Dijon, is the Bombay chicken salad croissant ($12.95), made with chicken, curry, celery, grapes, apples, red onion, raisins and cashews.
Martinez recently tried the famed sandwich for the first time. (He checks in on the Wild Rose once a week, so he’s still tasting his way through Kalantari’s menu.)
“I was like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me!’ ” Martinez said. “It really is as good as they say.”
My co-workers Sharon Salyer and Evan Thompson and I stopped in for lunch this week. I didn’t get a chance to eat at Cafe Dijon before it closed, so I was eager to try one of Kalantari’s plates.
I ordered the California wrap ($12.95), made with turkey breast, cheddar and mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, red onions, avocado, lettuce and ranch dressing. It came with a cup of the tasty French onion soup.
I loved how fresh and healthy the wrap was. It’s like a salad wrapped in a soft flour tortilla. The turkey breast was thinly sliced, the lettuce leaf was crisp and the avocado was perfectly ripe. I especially liked that it wasn’t awkward to eat, as wraps sometimes are. This one held together well.
Evan had one of the day’s specials — the roast beef sub served with a side of au ju for dipping ($11.95). His order also came with the French onion soup. He said his meal was simple and satisfying, just the way he likes it.
“The meat was savory and really soaked up the au jus,” he said. “The mozzarella and provolone cheeses were also a nice combination.”
Sharon tried the garden sub sandwich ($11.95), a different spin on a traditional offering served on a whole-wheat ciabatta bun. It included fresh basil, avocado, cucumbers, red onions, tasty Roma tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. Rather than the soup, her order came with a house salad.
“The unexpected addition of hummus was a nice twist,” she said. “With its ripe tomatoes and fragrant basil, it was a reminder that spring really is here and summer is around the corner no matter the weather.”
None of us knew about the best-selling Bombay chicken salad croissant. There’s always next time.
If you’d like your lunch to go, you can order box lunches daily before 9 a.m. Orders of 10 lunches or more need to be made one day in advance.
Even after renovating the 5,000-square-foot restaurant so it has a warm and inviting Napa Valley style, Martinez said they still need to redesign a private dining room. That space will seat 20.
Other plans are to add breakfast and dinner service, happy hour, early-bird specials and live jazz music. Martinez might even add a few of his own specialties to the menu.
“We’re looking to be here for quite some time,” he said.
Wild Rose Bistro & Catering
318 N. Olympic Ave., Arlington.
Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Closed Sunday.
Dine in or order box lunches to go. Full-service catering also available.
Call 360-435-4488 or email wildrose4catering@gmail.com.
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