A big, positive change has come to Chez Renee, to my way of thinking. Chef Laurent Degois announced the opening in late May of his new patio, located off the bar in the back of the house. Patrons of Chez Renee may recall that al fresco dining previously was available in front of the restaurant on Main Street in Milford’s Old Town section. While charming in an Old-World sense, dining on a busy thoroughfare with car and pedestrian traffic near at hand is less than ideal.
The new walk-out patio has been a long time coming, but Degois said that the goal was to do it right, not fast. “If we take it from the architect’s plans and everything, we began to dig in July of 2023, so (it took) ten months about to do it (plus the red tape). I did the work mostly on my off day,” he said, adding that he had worked with wood before but nothing to the extent or complexity of the structure he has added to his bistro. “We took a long time to do it, but we wanted to do it well, and yes, we like it.”
Classic cassoulet made with duck
Being a woodworker myself, and having built decks as well, it’s easy to see the quality of the finished product. It’s sturdy, it’s protective from the elements, and it’s away from the madding crowd, as the saying goes. Personally, I appreciate that it is sequestered from the main thoroughfare, the fumes, the foot traffic, and the noisy ambiance of a busy street. More pleasant dining for sure.
“We will use the patio for dining from five to eight in the evening, and then after the dining rush is over for the evening, we will have people who are from the bar,” Degois stated, saying that he expects some bar patrons to want to adjourn to the patio after a few drinks and have dinner on the patio. “We just opened, and so we don’t know how this will work itself out, but after eight in the evening, then we open up for the bar (patrons to come to the patio) after that.”
The patio is roofed with translucent panels that temper the sunshine and protect against the elements. The decked area seats up to 30 people for dining and will accommodate 40 or so for stand-up cocktail events. Already, Chez Renee has had inquiries about holding private parties on the deck area this spring and summer. Patio umbrellas have been added to the back of the outdoor area to shield patrons from the setting sun, and plans are being considered for see-through, drop-down curtains that can be utilized to protect against showers and windy days. Those refinements will be added in due course, but the patio is open now and ready for your dining pleasure.
The new Brussels sprouts side dish that patrons want elevated to an appetizer
One of those dining pleasures, for me at least, would be the newly added vegetarian cassoulet. Julia Child might raise an eyebrow over a vegetarian cassoulet, since the French add pork, sausage, duck, and even chicken to this classic dish to make it a true cassoulet. But my thinking is that it would be very good even without the animal protein. In its vegetarian form, the dish starts with an all-night soaking of dried cannellini beans. The beans are rinsed and placed in fresh water for cooking, a process that takes several hours to soften them. Degois then prepares a sauce made of tomatoes, garlic and thyme, and mixes it into the beans with some mushrooms, zucchini, yellow squash and potatoes. The whole preparation then is placed in a casserole dish and baked until the flavors meld and the entree is bubbly hot, and ready to serve. With some crusty French bread, good butter, and a hearty burgundy wine, what could be better?!
The butternut squash bake with honey and cinnamon
Another new dish is Chez Renee’s answer to a craze that seems to be sweeping today’s dining scene — Brussels sprouts. Degois’ version of these sprouts is different and sounds delicious. First, the Brussels sprouts are steamed to soften them. Many restaurant offerings of Brussels sprouts skip this step and simply place them raw into the oven or the sauté pan. To get the sprouts to be “tender” by either one of those methods tends to dry them out in the process. Not good in my book. But Degois’ method of steaming them first to soften them keeps them both tender and moist. Next step is to add honey and butter, salt, and pepper, and bake to a crisp the exterior of the spouts a bit, and to cook in the flavors. The revues have been such that patrons have asked the chef to include this new side dish in the appetizer list.
Also, there is a new butternut squash dish that is similar to the Brussels sprouts in that it is roasted with honey seasoned with cinnamon. All three of these new dishes are ideal for Jewish diners-out wanting to eat kosher style.
See you at Chez Renee, perhaps on the new patio!
