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Voulez-Vous Du Beurre?

Get Both Sides Buttered
at The French Café


Written by: Jill Koch
From The Reader published June 21, 2000

French fries, french toast, french silk pie, french kissing — my limited experience with French elements had convinced me of their divinity … indeed, these are the things that fill my dreams and diaries. How better to discover more of such joys than by ingesting 3,000 calories during an evening at the French Café in the Old Market?

While many Omahans understandably associate the French Café with French food, the restaurant’s Web site states, “The French Café offers cuisine that captures the flavors of the world. From French, Mediterranean, to Americana, our menus will delight you.” Whatever the ethnicity or flavors it seeks to represent, the French Café does so exceptionally well.

Anthony Abbott has owned the Café for most of its 32 years. It’s obvious that he has spared no effort in assembling a stellar waitstaff. While I was disappointed that I wasn’t wooed by a single French accent, the service did make me feel like I was a world away from Omaha, where sports bars and hot wings fill my nights, and hamburger-tater tot casserole fills my plate.

The evening was off to a smashing start when, five seconds after we entered the restaurant, the maitre d’ dashed to the host stand and apologized for keeping us waiting. After my dinner partner and I were seated, a procession of handsomely bow-tied servers brought us ice water, placed our napkins on our laps and took our drink orders.

Black-and-white collages of marketplace scenes bestow a foreign feeling on the dining room, while a romantic atmosphere rises from the dim lighting, courtesy of the green shaded lamps hanging just above the tables. White tablecloths and candles never fail to make food taste better and your companion look more attractive, and the Café’s seductive ambience is further accented with fresh carnations on each table. Pillars reach to the high ceiling, and windows allow views of the beers and liquors lining the bar in the adjacent room.

Getting Started
Our waiter, a longtime Café server with substantial charm, was knowledgeable and eager to answer questions and make recommendations. Not a touch snooty, he made us comfortable on our virgin voyage to the restaurant. We sat back and let Nanson take care of us. My water glass was never less than half full, and we received a second basket of bread — even though we’d attempted politeness by not asking for it.

We devoured the hot, crusty bread, shipped from New York, covering ourselves in hot, crusty crumbs, yet not a server batted an eye. Nanson waited patiently while we narrowed down the five “Les Amuses” (appetizers) to the “Ceviche of yellowfin tuna served in jicama raviolis, with spicy coconut vinaigrette” ($9.00). The tuna, uncooked and quite strong, was complemented by chunks of pepper, onion and mango (which provided a sweet contrast) — all served on a bed of mixed greens.

I began my meal with “The French Café’s Famous Onion Soup, served in a crock with croutons and imported Gruyére cheese” ($7.95). The soup is rich, cheesy and hot, as so many good things are.
In true French fashion, the Café does serve frogs’ legs ($8.50); they are sautéed in brown butter with sage and proscuito ham, served with a garlic potato blini (a small, thick pancake).

Being Green
Five salads include a Caesar-for-two prepared tableside ($16.25) and a paté-and-cheese plate, loaded with assorted cheeses and fruit chutney served with lahvosh ($9.95). The side salad served with most entrees consists of mixed greens with a strong but pleasant herbal vinaigrette, shredded parmesan and sliced almonds, which added a surprisingly prominent flavor.

While we crunched through our salads, the dessert tray was presented to a nearby party. A mere glimpse of it at our table inspired moans inappropriate in an establishment of such high regard.

The menu suggests a specific wine to accompany each appetizer, salad and entree. (For more on the wine list and the bar’s other offerings, see “A French Toast” in the Happy Hour section of this issue.) When my companion wanted to enjoy a glass of Piesporter with his veal, rather than the more traditional Merlot recommended on the menu, Nanson encouraged him to drink what he likes.

The Main Event
Eleven entrees range from $16.45 for a vegetable plate to $59.90 for a Chateaubriand for two, served tableside. The dishes must compete with the Café’s signature item: peppersteak, which inspires the menu to editorialize: “The filet mignon of your dreams, poured over with black peppercorn and brandy sauce” ($29.95). The steak has been on the menu since the restaurant’s opening in 1968, and the entree’s repute is understandable, considering Omaha’s largely carnivorous population.

Guinness, which itself requires a fork, marinates a London broil of veal with French green lentils, peas and pancetta (unsmoked bacon), finished with an Irish Cream veal sauce ($24.70). The veal was wonderfully tender and flavorful, and the extremely sweet sauce provided the perfect finish. It’s hard to imagine a more well-conceived dish.

The menu — which, according to the maitre d’, changes twice a year — offers a flattering description of the pan-seared duck breast ($28.50) that succeeded in sucking me in: “elegantly presented with truffle perfumed raviolis and a sprightly stew of spring vegetables in Madeira (amber-colored wine) poultry reduction.” The reduction tasted tomatoey, and the sprightly stew consisted of spinach, carrots and zucchini. The duck was tender, but slightly gamey, and the white truffle raviolis were pleasing in flavor but mushy in texture. The presentation of every dish delivered to us was perfect. (Dare I say “inspired”? I think I do.)...

Finishing Touches
By the time the dessert tray blazed a trail of glory to our table, we were no longer hungry, but it was too late. Gluttony — the vice of the evening — had taken over. The night’s dessert selections took no prisoners; the platter boasted a mango-peach torte, creme brulée, dark chocolate mousse, white-chocolate raspberry mousse, orange marble cake served with marinated oranges, lemon cheesecake and a chocolate-mint torte.

The rich chocolate-butterscotch cheesecake was served on a plate decorated with a chocolate glaze design so fancy that it brought to mind a classier, more appetizing Prince. The first bite of tiramisu elicited Homer-style groans from my table mate — indeed, it was the best either of us had ever tasted. The smooth blend of ladyfingers and cream was enclosed in a round, elaborately designed chocolate shell, beautiful in both form and flavor. All desserts are created by the Café’s pastry chef, whom our waiter described as “mad for chocolate.” Viva le madness!

Menu items for lunch and brunch — brunch is served Sundays only — include salads, sandwiches and entrees for about one-third of the price of dinner entrees. Log onto the Web site at www.frenchcafe.com to see the Café’s current menu and to print out coupons good for lunch, brunch and dinner entrees. The coupons are nice encouragement for potential patrons who might otherwise become frightened by the Café’s prices.

Also, “Le Menu á Prix Fixe” (fixed prices) lets guests enjoy a complete meal for a set price, Monday through Thursday evenings. On Tuesday, for example, receive a bowl of the soup de jour or French Onion soup, a house salad, fish du jour, and sorbet or bread pudding for a very reasonable $21.95. Thursday’s special, also $21.95, includes the veal entree described earlier.