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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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JULY 27, 2011 FLAGPOLE.COM 9
