About Flagpole. (Athens, Ga.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (July 27, 2011)
BON APPETIT Revived: It's been some time since we had a proper French restaurant in Athens, and with the quick closing of Cotton Club, the space at the corner of Broad and Jackson opened up a good location for one. So, John Elder (chef), Stefano Volpi and Stephen Price (the business side), AKA the team that runs La Dolce Vita just upstairs, felt the time was right for their new venture, Etienne Brasserie (311 Broad St.). I know it's kind of a go-to joke to make fun of the French and, as a side effect, to disparage French cooking. I'm sure this attitude is at least partially responsible for the reduction in the number of French restaurants throughout the country, which is a terrible, stupid shame. French food is one of the great cui sines of the world, and you owe it to yourself not to be afraid of snails and pate. Etienne is not aiming for super-upscale dining. A brasserie is a casual space, not big on the latest in cuisine, serving a good array of traditional French dishes, and that is just what you'll get here. At lunch, the burgers are a good bet, topped with items including candied bacon, Roquefort cheese and caramelized onions or foie gras butter. They're of the tall rather than the flat variety, but the meat is nicely cooked, and the accessories well chosen. The accompanying frites might be better described as fries—there's nothing tremendously different here than from any other fried-potato product in town—but the ketchup has a welcome bit of added spicy zip. The croque madame (grilled ham and cheese topped with a fried egg) is equally nice but not spectacular, and the salad with duck confit is well sea soned and constructed. The confit itself is a little dry, both in the salad and when it shows up on a plate of cheese and charcuterie at din ner, but the flavor is good. The platter of meats and cheeses is totally pleasant | to munch on, with some tasty salami, a drunken goat cheese, pate, a not-fragrant-enough Camembert and more, but not overwhelmingly French. The escargot are plenty buttery but a little large and mushy, something that can also be said of the mussels. Entrees range from about S14 to the high-20s, most coming in around $20-22, and the quality is variable as well. The pore mignon, which comes with mushrooms and a sauce piquante that makes excellent use of vinegar, is delicious and worth a trip to the restaurant to eat. So is the beef tenderloin au poivre, which incorporates the pepper with a lighter hand than is tradition ally the case and, in doing so, improves the dish. The coq au vin, on the other hand, is a little on the muddy side, with the bacon not present enough in flavor. The restaurant also creates a few specials daily, making use of seasonal organic produce. I admired the effort more than the result with a fish dish en papillotte, which hid zucchini under the paper pouch and needed more seasoning. The kitchen really knows how to cook meats, and its adult beverages are smartly chosen (cocktails made with St. Germain elderflower liqueur; Lillet Blanc and Rouge among the aperitifs). The designation of the slightly raised section of the dining room as "the balcony" is a little silly, but the staff is friendly and willing to please. The restaurant is open for lunch and din ner Monday-Saturday, has a full bar and takes credit cards. Sweets: Amanda Jane Crouse's Little Cuckoo Chocolates (160 Tracy St., www.littlecuckoo.com) is up and running in its retail location in the Chase Street Warehouses, in a tiny space near ATHICA and Mercury Artworks. In addition to her chocolates, which have quite a following in Athens, Crouse has sandwiches for sale. Both those of salami, generously mayoed, with a few slices of banana pepper, and those of veggies and cream cheese come on whole-wheat sub rolls, making you feel a little more virtuous than you probably should. Crouse also serves a basil-infused lemonade and does various coffee drinks to order. The chocolates can be inspected in a glass case. I recom mend you opt for the sea turtles (caramel and pecans in milk chocolate, topped with sea salt), which I prefer over the less subtle chubs (peanut butter-stuffed, chocolate-dipped pret zels). The atmosphere is darling and arty, with Crouse's three- year-old eagerly conversing with customers, and the hours are approximately Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., but it's worth making a call in advance. Little Cuckoo takes only cash and checks, so plan ahead. Hillary Brown food@flagpo!e com ...salad with duck confit... 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