Let’s set the stage for an evening of dining out with friends. This time around, you have the responsibility of picking the restaurant. A bit of angst there, right? For me there is, at least. You want a place that checks various boxes: Is the style of food right for the occasion? Is the food good? What about the price point? The ambiance? The service? Do they take reservations? Oh, and will everybody find something on the menu that will satisfy? Maybe not all diners out go through this worry process before choosing a place to eat, but I do. So naturally for me, on the evening in question, I called Chez Renée, a bistro that fit my needs for this dining event in every respect.
Chez Renée is an anomaly among fine dining eateries. The cuisine is French, made likely in the name of the place. Food is prepared by a French-trained chef named Laurent Degois, who speaks broken English with a noticeable French accent. His preparations bring together simple ingredients that produce wonderful flavors. Most of his entrée offerings deliver complex taste profiles without the complexity many French recipes demand. In short, simple foods from which chef coaxes all the notes for a grand symphony of the palate. Metaphor? Yes, but not hyperbole.
The ambiance at Chez Renée is homely, in a warm, inviting, unpretentious way. Walls are festooned with small, century-old photos of people, perhaps family members, from a different time and place. The chaired tables and banquette arrangements speak more to the café or bistro than the elegant white tablecloth scene (there are no tablecloths at this eatery!). Spacing allows for casual conversation without having to talk over a raucous, chatty crowd. This eatery is a million miles away from the tuxedo-clad elegance that was the Maisonette and Pigal’s of yesteryear. Personally, I enjoy outstanding food in a laid-back setting more than the highbrow alternative.
For our friends, Chez Renée was a new experience. After drinks were ordered, we talked while glancing now and then at the menu. Without being a nuisance, the server checked on us two or three times before we were ready to order: two at our table of four choosing the salmon bake, one the orange chicken entrée, and one a risotto entrée.
While salmon was not my choice on this night, the entrée received rave reviews from our guests, as did the mushroom soup, chosen as a first course. “This is really so good,” said Patti Tibbets, speaking of the bowl of mushroom soup. The soup bowl arrived at our table with a puff pastry topper, buttery, flaky and delicious as is, or perhaps even better when pulled apart and dipped in the soup.
As for the salmon, the fish is baked rather than grilled, and in so doing, Degois is better able to control and maintain moistness throughout the filet. Salmon when grilled can become dry and consequently less flavorful, the moisture dissipating more rapidly in that process than in the oven.
Our guests’ experience mirrored my own with the salmon bake: the distinctive salmon flavor is present in every bite, and the flesh is moist with outstanding “mouth” appeal. All agreed — delicious!
So too for the orange chicken and the risotto entrees. The orange chicken is a favorite of my better half. The star of the dish is a chicken breast which is baked, sliced into medallions and dressed with the orange sauce. The salmon and orange chicken dishes are served with a choice of one side dish. Frites (French fries) were the choice for the orange chicken, the pile of which was generous enough to share.
And lastly, my risotto. For Jewish diners out wanting to eat kosher style, there are three risotto dishes that fit the bill. One is risotto with chicken. The other two are vegetable varieties, including a ratatouille version. Whichever you choose, the dish is made with arborio rice, which is an Italian strain that produces a high-starch kernel which is shorter and fatter than a typical rice grain. The result when cooked is a creamy tapioca-like texture, and in the hands of a knowledgeable chef such as Degois, risotto becomes ambrosia. Mine was loaded with flavor and satisfying. I’m betting if you enjoy risotto, you’ll love the choices on this menu.
See you at Chez Renée!
