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Café Noir is an elegant bistro serving French specialties with sophisticated flair. So naturally the dinner check is accompanied by a stick of blue cotton candy worthy of any carnival.
That's the kind of welcome twist you find at the restaurants of the Chow Fun Food Group owned by Rick and Cheryl Bready and John Elkhay.
The curtains are lace and the chandeliers vintage crystal. Paper fortunes (Better the devil you know than the devil you don't!) hide in the folds of the cloth napkins to greet each diner.
The space on North Main Street is now in its third incarnation. A dozen years ago it premiered as the XO Café, the first restaurant conceived by the Breadys and Elkhay. Five years ago it became XO Steakhouse when beef markets were all the rage among the low carb crowd. With the economic downturn Elkhay said the time was right to create a neighborhood bistro with prices that wouldn't shock diners.
He likes to call himself the "maestro" of the local chain which includes 10 Prime Steak and Sushi, Rick's Roadhouse, Citron and Chinese Laundry. He brought his recipes, based on classic French food, to life here and of course they include the twists. His sense of theater is intact with servers greeting diners with a "passport stamp" on each table's butcher paper.
No taking anything too seriously here, except where the food is concerned. Chef de cuisine Ben Lloyd may operate out of a tiny kitchen but he produces big flavors in expertly executed dishes. Savory tartes, yin and yang salads and perfectly prepared meats make for a menu of delights.
The bistro concept succeeds on all levels. The place is comfortable; the service excellent but not overbearing; the food fun.
The prices are competitive for this level of upscale dining with details like mini cocktail shakers used to serve drinks (like the Dirty Frenchman, a Noir take on the dirty martini). There are set daily specials, priced $15.99-$18.99. On Monday, there's Pork Schnitzel; Tuesday — cassoulet, duck confit and white bean stew; Wednesday — roasted veal breast; Thursday — Beef à la Bourguignon with buttered noodles; Friday — bouillabaisse with local seafood; Saturday — roasted leg of lamb: and Sunday — braised short rib.
Everyday menu items include Steak tartare, Moules a la Dijonnaisse (Noir's version of mussels served in white wine, dijon mustard, tarragon and cream) and steak frites. Escargot and red pepper ravioli are on the menu, as is the classic French Onion Soup. You'll get the recipe when you leave, too. Meals for children include hamburgers or ham and cheese, each under $10. Carafes of wine (18 ounces) cost $14.99-$17.99 and are a nice alternative to wines by the glass or bottle.
To start off, the Chevre Salad is outrageous and reminds one how really good a salad can be. The Dijon dressing, fresh mix of greens and creamy goat cheese creates a desirable contrasting profile that could have been the beginning and end of the meal. I'd heard raves about it but didn't think it could live up to that praise. I was wrong.
But it did pale when compared to the Warm Chèvre, Bacon & Onion Tarte ($6.50). The tarte was creamy with goat cheese (don't tell me you don't like it, because it's amazing if you give it a chance.) The tarte is also salty with bacon and sweet with a fig reduction sauce. It's a wonderful beginning in a flaky crust.
The tenderloin steak ($18.99) comes with pommes purée and spinach to make a lovely dinner plate: creamy potatoes, sautéed spinach and beef so tender you can slice it with your fork.
I asked server Alex for a recommendation and his selections included the lamb shank which I had been leaning toward. This kind of slow-cooked dish is what makes bistro cooking distinctive. The meaty piece of lamb stands at attention surrounded by orecchiette drowned in a rich mushroom Bolognese sauce. This is the macaroni that resembles little ears; the sauce is tucked neatly into each bite so you don't miss a drop. The lamb was fork tender and bursting with slow-cooked flavor. It was more than I needed.
Desserts, too, are value added at $5.75 for an apple tarte tatin. With thin slices of apple drenched in sugar and cinnamon and baked beautifully, it hardly needed the ice cream on top but that didn't stop me from enjoying it.
Sitting there in the lace-curtained window, there wasn't anything I didn't enjoy at Café Noir. Café Noir, 125 North Main St., Providence, (401) 272-2116, cafenoirri.com. French bistro casual. Street parking or valet Tuesday to Saturday $3. AE, D, MC, V. One small step leading into the restaurant. One highchair. Serving dinner Sunday to Thursday 5-10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 5-11 p.m. Appetizers $3.99-$7.99; entrees $14.99-$22.99; desserts around $5. Wines by the glass, carafe or bottle and full bar. A dinner for two at Café Noir might look like this: Carafe of wine…$14.99 Chevre salad…$7.99 Lamb Shank…$22.99 Tenderloin…$18.99 Tarte tatin…$5.75 Total food and drink…$70.71 Tax…$5.67 Tip…$15.00 Total…$91.38
