restaurant list > cafe de paris
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~ Current as of: 3/28/07 CAFE DE PARIS HOURS: LUNCH: 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Wed-Thur-Fri; closed for lunch Mon, Tues, Sat and Sun. DINNER: 2:30-9:30 p.m. Mon-Tues; 3:30-10:30 p.m. Fri; 2:30-10:30 p.m. Sat; 2:30-9 p.m. Sun PRICES: LUNCH: $8.95- $14.95; DINNER: $13.50-$26. VEGETARIAN DISHES: By request. ALCOHOL: Beer and wine. DELIVERY: No. KID'S MENU: No, but dishes available by request ACCESSIBILITY: Appears accessible for people using wheelchairs RESERVATIONS: Call 347-2233 TAKEOUT: Yes WIRELESS INTERNET: Yes EXTRAS: Limo service available to restaurant from local hotels. Call 347-2233. French TV, soccer and rugby showing in bar RELATED:
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Cafe de Paris is pricey but pleasant By Maureen Crockett The exterior color quarrel is over. Now there is a long, golden building, the same color as many buildings on the continent. Greenery in pots, a mural of the Eiffel Tower, and a bench out front offer a welcome to diners. The entrance hall has a cartoonish mural. Inside, interesting art covers the walls. Diners choose from three rooms, one of which is shut off to allow smoking. The staff speaks much French. Our server spoke it impeccably with no accented syllables. The menu looked lengthy, but each item actually got six lines, two in French, two in English, and two in Spanish. The first line was the food, the second was the description. I understand why there is French and English, but Spanish? The tablecloths were dark cranberry, and shining candlelight reflected from stemware, making a romantic setting. Charger plates had rims decorated with painted maps, requiring hand washing. Ambience is elegant. The liquor license hadn't arrived yet, so they offered us Kir, made here with champagne mixed with cassis, which is a strong aperitif of macerated blackberries (tasted like a digestive to me.) The cassis masked the flavor of the champagne. A friend started with salad nicoise, large enough for an entree. Instead of tuna, the chef used long anchovies. The leaf lettuce dripped extra-virgin olive oil. She continued with a monkfish and shrimp stew with artichokes, and had to be prevented from licking the plate. Everything looks fancy in French, but pommes frites are still french fries. They offered matchstick potatoes which were hot, slightly salty and crisp. Very fine. I started with a puff pastry filled with asparagus and shrimp, with hollandaise. There were two small shrimp, two stalks of asparagus, a bit of the sauce, and puff pastry that did not appear to be made by the restaurant's cuisinier. Bill started with a pureed vegetable soup that unfortunately tasted healthy and bland. "It sorta lays there," he said. An interesting entree was salmon tartar, raw, and ground up with lemon, sour cream, olive oil, onion, and shallots, sort of a French sashimi. I chose a sauteed beef tenderloin with Roquefort, butter, and cognac, done medium well. It arrived brown on the surface and bright red inside. I sent it back. I got a piece of meat 1/2-inch high, black and charred on the outside, gray within. If the portion had been thicker, the beef would have stood a chance. The flavor was melted Roquefort and not much else. My side dish was pureed potatoes and carrots, presented in a cup. The orange mixture had been well-seasoned. Hot, crusty bread with a modicum of butter came for the table. Butter, cream, and sugar arrived in small portions. Bill and another friend had pork tenderloin with a sweet onion gratinee on top they both enjoyed to the last juicy morsel. I asked the server how it was made and she replied she was not allowed to tell me. (Curious? See p. 577 of the Larousse Gastronomique.) Meals are pricey. There were no pasta dishes, normally the cheaper choice. The most expensive was a lamb dish for $29.95. Our friends had called in advance asking for a sugar-free dessert. There had been one served at lunch, but the restaurant did not have any left, and would not make more. Coffee here is rich and strong. The chef does two desserts table side - baked Alaska and flamed bananas. One friend asked for a chocolate floating island. Strange dessert - it came in a big soup bowl full of melted chocolate one ate with a spoon, and three dollops of meringue (the islands.) Bill had chocolate pears, a light dessert with cream and ice cream. One of us had a puff pastry similar to the one in my appetizer, but this one held a dark stiff, chocolate mousse with raspberry coulis. Cafe de Paris is new, popular, and has a pleasant ambience with an interesting menu. Most choices are very fine, some are strange, and a few are lacking in flavor. Freelance restaurant critic Maureen Crockett reviews area restaurants for the Charleston Gazette and Sunday Gazette-Mail. |
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