The first thing you notice about Café de Paris as you walk in is that it has atmosphere. Or, perhaps more appropriately, ambience.
It has a seating area on a windowed patio. It has more seats along interior rows of windows inside. There are flowers, candles and white tablecloths on every table.
Piano and classical music plays over the sound system. On a recent visit, soft piano music played “I Will Always Love You” and “What the World Needs Now is Love, Sweet Love.”
Yes, it’s romantic.
The next thing you notice about Café de Paris is that the service is prompt, warm and friendly.
And the next thing is that the food matches the atmosphere and the service.
The French bread was crispy on the outside – but not too tough – and flaky on the inside. Just the way I like it.
I ordered a full meal, which means an entree, vegetables, potatoes and bread for the price listed for the entree plus soup and salad for $3.95 combined. I tried the soup du jour, cream of leek, which was very good.
The salad, made with bibb lettuce – another favorite of mine – had shredded carrots, a sliced tomato and egg and was dressed with a creamy vinaigrette. Again good.
For a French restaurant, the wine was reasonable – I ordered a glass of white Bordeaux for about $6. It was tangy and dry, not too sweet.
My entree was one of the specials of the day, ling cod cooked in a creamy white wine sauce with mushrooms and baby shrimp. The sides were scalloped potatoes, cooked green beans and carrots, and creamed spinach. The latter had a lot of flavor.
The fish was fresh and melt-in-your-mouth tender. Even the dark part of the fish did not taste “fishy.” The baby shrimp were tender and fresh as well, and the combination of all the flavors had me going non-stop all the way through the gauche act of scooping up the last of the sauce with my spoon.
For dessert, one of those brought flaming to your table, such as cherries jubilee or baked Alaska, sounded good. But I went with an old standby, chocolate mousse – and was glad I did.
Café de Paris opened 21 years ago. Current owner and chef Fermin Berclaz began as a cook with the opening of the restaurant and bought it six years later. Berclaz learned to cook French cuisine in a small town in the French part of Switzerland, where he grew up.
All the classics are available at Café de Paris – chateaubriand, boeuf bourgignon and escargot, plus, for example, saumon (salmon) florentine and filet de boeuf au poivre (pepper steak). There are numerous other dishes featuring fish, chicken, beef, pasta and crepes, and a great array of appetizers, salads and desserts. A lunch menu features soups, salads, sandwiches, omelettes, crepes, and a few specialities, such as boeuf bourgignon with noodles for $8.25.
Café de Paris provides a French dining experience without breaking your bank. Everything I had, not counting tip, was about $30.
I’m looking forward to going back.
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