May
15, 2003 —
One of my favorite things about being a restaurant reviewer
is the thrill of discovering a new place. A place I know I'll
revisit. A place I'll implore friends to try.
Du Jour Bistro is precisely that kind of find.
The concept of this charming wine-shop-expanded-into-restaurant
is evident in its name. Du Jour Bistro serves fresh, seasonal dishes
comprising locally grown or produced ingredients whenever possible.
Menu items change daily, and thus the name: du jour, French for "of
the day."
You won't find a proper paper menu at Du Jour Bistro. Instead, a
chalkboard in the entryway of the spacious downtown eatery details
the day's delights, based on whatever's freshest and available for
interesting Pacific Northwest-tinged dishes.
Depending on the day you drop in, you might choose from an
elegant Alaskan king salmon served with a raspberry-dry rosé butter
sauce or a simple yet sumptuous calzone stuffed with chicken
sausage, fennel, peppers and smoked provolone cheese.
This could be construed as a negative by some diners. What if you
fall in love with a particular dish, and can't count on seeing it
again on the menu? If our recent meal was any indication, the
impressive selection of menu items —
each prepared with care and attention to telling details —
should satisfy no matter what they serve.
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Du Jour Bistro |
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Location:
1319 Cornwall Ave.
Phone: 714-1161
Serving: Outstanding Pacific Northwest-inspired
dishes that change daily according to what's in season.
Menu items sampled:
Crab, scallop and
salmon cakes $10.95
Calzone $8.95
Duck and
sausage spaghettini $15.95
Chocolate pot de crème
$5
1999 Cypress Cabernet
$4.25 |
Wicker and wrought-iron chairs sidle up to clean-lined wood
tables, while craftsman-style lamps cast atmospheric shadows in the
dark green dining area. Light-hued hardwood floors are punctuated by
areas of smooth brick, in contrast to darker heavy wood pieces that
display wine merchandise.
Rows and rows of wine bottles share the space, as Du Jour Bistro
is also home to The Vines Wine Shop. For an extremely reasonable $5
corking fee, you can select any bottle of wine for sale in the shop
and drink it with your meal at retail price.
Our appetizer of Dungeness crab, scallop and salmon cakes arrived
not long after we placed our order. The three petite cakes were
milder than some I've sampled, but packed a lot of flavor into
rather bitty bites. Served with two thin wedges of lemon and a
smooth lemon aioli, the lightly browned cakes were delightful. A
substantial garnish of marinated carrot, red pepper, white onion and
zucchini slices filled out the plate, the vinegar tang complementing
the savory seafood cakes.
The calzone I ordered came with a starter salad. I chose the
mixed greens, a small plate of crisp green leaf lettuce drizzled in
a zesty sherry vinaigrette and garnished with pine nuts. My husband
enjoyed his Caesar salad, topped with crunchy croutons, a generous
Parmesan dusting and a light Caesar dressing.
Both salads were accompanied by round rolls with crusty shells
and chewy insides peppered with fresh rosemary.
Within minutes of our salad plates being whisked away, our
entrees arrived.
My husband had ordered a pasta dish of spaghettini tossed with
roasted duck and smoked sausage, mushrooms, garlic and green onion,
all topped with pata du mulo cheese. The thin twirls of pasta
mingled with the intriguing ingredients, making for a divine dish
you won't find anywhere else in the area.
I chose a calzone, its flavorful crust tucked around a savory
stuffing of mushrooms, spinach, red pepper, sundried tomato, feta
and provolone. It was served with a wonderful herb and garlic oil
for trickling over the calzone.
It had been a difficult decision between this calzone and one
stuffed with chicken, yam, green onion, smoked provolone and
cheddar. I didn't regret my choice for a moment but am still curious
to try the other calzone creation.
My calzone was joined by a bowl of herbed tomato soup, a bright
and robust concoction of tomatoes and herbs topped with a handful of
croutons that bobbed in the deep red potage.
One more obvious reason to like Du Jour Bistro so much? The wine.
As an extra bonus, when my husband ordered a second glass of the
Cabernet, our server returned with the empty bottle and poured the
remainder into his glass. She apologized jokingly for the heavy pour
while my husband's eyes grew slightly rounder with the abundance of
vino. All for a very reasonable $4.25 per glass.
If I don't quite have you convinced, here's the clincher: Divine
desserts are delivered daily by the Mount Bakery's Olivier Vramount.
Anyone who has ever sampled one of his sweet treats will attest that
he makes some of the best desserts around.
We shared a chocolate pot de crème that was topped with a
flourish of piped chocolate mousse as glue for a dark chocolate
truffle dusted in cocoa.
Other entrees offered on the night of our visit included pork
tenderloin with a caramel-balsamic sauce and Alaskan king salmon
with a ginger-apricot Gewurztraminer beurre blanc. No doubt both
would have been outstanding.
To give you an idea of the types of dishes you might find on any
given day, Du Jour Bistro has leaflets fanned out on an entry table
that detail some of its signature dishes.
All sound mouth-watering. Mushroom sherry soup; salmon chowder; a
calzone of chicken sausage, fennel, peppers and smoked provolone;
lamb burger with mint aioli, spinach, onions and feta cheese; rabbit
with fettuccini, garlic, white wine, spinach, roasted red peppers,
mushrooms, and pata du mulo. The list goes on and on.
Truthfully, I have the feeling that everything Du Jour Bistro
creates will be worthy of attention. And since the menu changes so
often, I plan to return on a regular basis.
