Le Chat's Charms

Intimate, upscale restaurant perfect for Valentine's Day

Stacee Sledge

Feb 6, 2003 — Several years ago, a friend from grad school — a talented, trained chef — traveled through Bellingham on her way to Whistler, B.C. Having sampled her culinary creations at an exquisite, upscale restaurant in my Midwestern hometown, I was nervous about selecting a dining destination.

I settled on Le Chat Noir, although I'd only been there once. I fretted for days before her arrival, not certain it was the right choice.

Le Chat Noir

Location:  1200 Harris Ave., Fairhaven Phone: 733-6136 Hours: 4 to 10 p.m., Monday through Friday 5 to 10 p.m., Saturday and Sunday Serving: A mix of comfort food and upscale evening fare ranging from ravioli and Grandma's pot roast to crepes and filet mignon, served in a sophisticated yet relaxing setting. Menu items sampled:  Green salad $2  French onion soup $2  Steak Diane $22.95  Baked Gouda chicken $14.95 White chocolate Baileys' mousse $5.75

I needn't have worried.

The charming restaurant and lounge, perched high above 12th Street in Fairhaven's historic Sycamore Square building, was a hit with my haute cuisine-loving friend.

For a recent visit my husband and I walked the short distance from our home to Le Chat Noir. Our server greeted us warmly and asked if we preferred the front or back dining room. We chose the back, farther from the sometimes-smoky bar.

Le Chat Noir — or the Black Cat, as it's also known — has a decidedly upscale air. The lighting is kept so low it's difficult to discern the color scheme, which only adds to the ambience.

Most striking as you enter are the exposed brick and soaring ceiling and windows. There's even a faux door at one end of the back dining room, complete with street number, mailbox and a light above the door, reminiscent of a French streetscape after dark.

I've sampled almost all of the appetizers on Le Chat Noir's menu over the years since my friend's visit, and each has been memorable. Even the simple grilled bread is fabulous, wedges of French baguette crowned with a choice of pesto, marinara, garlic, black olives or mozzarella.

But it's difficult to decide on my favorite appetizer at the Cat. It's likely a tie between its bacon-wrapped water chestnuts with barbecue sauce and prawn skewers served with aioli and cocktail sauce. Then there are the Northwest oysters and steamer clams. Or roasted garlic. Oh, it's too difficult to decide.

Food for the heart

Valentine's Day is on the way. Looking for some place to satisfy both your heart and your palate? Restaurant reviewer Stacee Sledge offers a few of her favorites: Cliff House  331 N. State St.  The stunning water view alone inspires romance, but the food is equally enthralling. Pacific Cafe  100 N. Commercial St.  A fine-dining haven in the midst of downtown that offers a lingering experience for lovebirds. Calumet  113 E. Magnolia St.  A suitable spot for high-end eats and stolen kisses in a modern, metropolitan setting. Dirty Dan Harris'  1211 11th St.  Enjoy a romantic stroll through Fairhaven that ends in the enveloping dark wood and candlelight of Dirty Dan's. Harborside Bistro  1 Bellwether Way  Dine a deux in the elegant Harborside Bistro at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether. Wild Garlic  114 Prospect St.  Ensure that you have your Valentine all to yourself after you both imbibe in the wondrous garlic gastronomy of Wild Garlic. Oyster Creek Inn  2190 Chuckanut Drive  Make the romantic drive along winding Chuckanut and enjoy a romantic escape to the upscale Oyster Creek Inn.

Picking an entree at Le Chat is also a challenge, because the selection is so sublime.

Feel like something simple but extraordinary? Go with a gourmet "pizzette" or hot roast beef sandwich.

Or maybe you're looking to order a dish not frequently found elsewhere in Whatcom County. Try one of Le Chat's three savory crepes.

The pasta dishes are also spot-on, from fettuccini Alfredo to beef stroganoff.

The night of our visit, we were both in the mood for special-occasion fare, which meant Steak Diane for my husband and baked Gouda chicken for me.

My husband started with a salad of leafy greens topped with slivers of carrot, cucumber slices, tomato wedges and cubes of croutons, finished with a tangy, robust vinaigrette.

I'm a sucker for any soup with an onion base, so I was torn between the restaurant's popular French onion soup, available daily, and the soup du jour, vichyssoise (cream of leek and potato soup).

I went with the French onion soup and, although I'm still imagining how wonderful Le Chat Noir's vichyssoise might be, I wasn't disappointed. Resting on a classic saucer encircled by a thin black pinstripe, the cup of soup was too hot to taste for a few minutes. The aroma that rose as I pushed aside the thick slab of floating French bread with melted Swiss cheese made me impatient to get at the bubbling broth. It was worth the wait.

Ordering a steak at Le Chat Noir means more than an extremely tender, flavorful filet mignon surrounded by baby red potatoes or herbed wild rice, veggies or spinach soufflé.

At Le Chat Noir, each naturally aged steak is finished tableside by your server on a small gas burner rolled up to the lip of your table on a small, square cart.

Our smiling server poured brandy into the sauté pan holding the near-finished filet, which had been pre-prepared in the kitchen. She expertly set it ablaze, cooking off the alcohol, then quickly built a simmering sauce of mushrooms, green onions, lingonberries and demi-glace in the small pan, removing it when the flambéed steak was cooked to an ideal medium rare.

She placed the steak in front of my husband then quickly returned to the kitchen for my baked Gouda chicken.

The Steak Diane was simply divine, tender and complemented nicely by the sweet lingonberries in the otherwise savory sauce.

For Le Chat Noir's baked Gouda chicken, a boneless chicken breast is stuffed with the smoked cheese and petite bay shrimp, then swathed in a creamy, flavorful pesto sauce. A fantastic blend of flavors and textures, it is, quite possibly, the best chicken dish I've ever been served in a restaurant. Period.

My husband was feeling overfull by the time the final course rolled around, so for a change the dessert decision-making was left up to me. He tends toward the richest chocolate desserts, but my eye went directly to the description of Le Chat Noir's lighter white chocolate Baileys mousse. Piped into a brandy glass presented atop a doily-covered saucer that had been dusted with powdered sugar and sprinkled with sliced almonds, the airy ribbons of mousse made a delightful dessert. The distinct flavor of Baileys Irish Cream balanced nicely with the understated white chocolate.

Changes are afoot for Le Chat Noir, with plans to separate the dining rooms completely from the bar area, renaming this division the Alley Cat. This will remedy the occasional problem of cigarette smoke that drifts into the front dining area. Happily, the menu shouldn't change much — although there is a fondue rumor circulating.

Can Le Chat Noir possibly be improved upon? I can't wait to find out.