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.
|
Du
Jour Bistro |
|
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.
