France on a Plate

Practically every industrialized country on the face of the planet suffers from the ever popular, and ultimately disgusting, combination of fast food restaurants and franchised coffeehouses that characterize the streets of communities across the globe. Once in a while though a glimmering oasis of culinary delight surfaces among the dull, uninteresting restaurants that Americans in particular have grown to love. In Bloomington, Le Petit Café is just that gem, offering French bistro-style cuisine and atmosphere.\nThe first thing you must know when visiting Le Petit Café is that you must not take yourself too seriously during your visit. The restaurant is located in an old garage, and the enormous, rolling garage door at the front of the dining room will not let you forget this while you are dining. But the garage has been nicely renovated to include a wood-paneled ceiling, roughly finished walls, some primitively framed prints by French artists, wooden cafe tables and a cast of characters that reads more like a late 19th century Absinthe Bar than the usual Midwestern family restaurant. \nThis restaurant does not present itself as a five-star shrine to gastronomic perfection. Rather, a French family prepares the traditional bistro fare. The menu changes daily, according to the availability of fresh ingredients. Le Petit Café affords patrons the opportunity to enjoy hors d'oeuvres, soup du jour or salad verte, one of approximately five entrees, and offers two or three dessert options nightly.\nUpon arrival, the host or hostess is certain to extend warm hospitality to you with a genuine smile before introducing you to the menu for that particular day. The menu, written on a dry-erase board located centrally in the dining room, is written in French and illustrated with a child-like drawing to aid those patrons who are not adept in the French language. For example, the braised rabbit was marked with a small bunny, and the salmon with raspberry sauce was marked with a small fish. \nNo sooner has the menu been described to you than the waiter (yes, there is only one) has delivered to your table a fresh, fragrant basket of authentic French bread. \nThe arrival of the bread marks the beginning of the dining experience. The simple start to the meal prompted my companion to order the cold spinach soup and the olive oil marinated t-bone steak with red pepper sauce. The soup was chilled in a large bowl, had a light and smooth texture, and was appropriately cooling for a steamy summer evening. The t-bone steak was wonderfully flavorful from the olive oil marinade, tender, juicy, and well balanced with the slightly spicy red pepper sauce.\nI ordered the salad verte and the salmon with raspberry sauce. The salad was topped with fresh beats and a Dijon vinaigrette -- very French, and very tasty. The raspberry topping complimented the salmon nicely, and the combination of the naturally dense, oily fish with the two textures and flavors of raspberry proved very satisfying and interesting from first bite to last. Additionally, my date and I were jointly served a plate of fried potato cubes to share during the entree.\nFor dessert, my companion ordered café crème caramel, and I opted for the blueberry cake. The crème caramel was adequately prepared and flavored with coffee, but was not especially appetizing in its presentation and execution. \nThe blueberry cake was considerably more flavorful than the crème caramel, and a thick, custard-like topping that had been baked atop the cake provided some textural variation that was welcomed after tasting the crème caramel. Nevertheless, neither of the desserts served as a spectacular finale to the meal, but both were sweet enough to leave me feeling that the meal was complete. \nLe Petit Café is a charming bistro that serves high-quality French cuisine. At this restaurant, you will not find the food of Louis XVI or Marie Antoinette. But you will discover food that is well balanced and thoughtful, and is served in an anything goes atmosphere that is intended to be enjoyed by patrons and staff alike. This simple, humble food could easily be traced to any family table in a French home on any night of the week. The couple can even be seen after dinner, resting on the front steps of the bistro, smiling and waving you goodbye as you conclude your visit to their petit café.