Dining Diva's "Spotlight On San Diego"
This week's "Spotlight On San Diego" is focused on Au Revoir French Bistro.
Located East of Downtown in a wonderful part of Hillcrest.
Bonjour... and welcome to Au Revoir French Bistro.
The restaurant itself is very understated, its location is off the beaten path, but once you've arrived, you'll have no problem finding it again. And believe me, you'll want to find it again. The interior walls are painted an attractive shade of red, a large (hand-written) chalkboard prominently displays the daily specials.
The tables are quaint, and while the Bar area could be considered small, it's quaint and personable, both in a good way. From the Bar area you're able to view every delectable dish that the Chef has created, each dish stunningly displayed. Makes it difficult to decide what to order, they all look and smell so good.
Fortunately for us we wound up sitting in my FAVORITE Server of ALL time, Cecile's, area. Besides her cheery outlook on life and food, she's an expert in French cuisine. Cecile, having herself lived in France, speaks fluent French and as it pertains to the Au Revoir Menu, she is extremely knowledgeable and is both willing, as well as able, to help navigate your way through the menu and recommend dishes that will suit your taste(s).
Having experienced nearly the entire Brunch menu, the picture to the right is the Oeufs (eggs) Benedict / Vegetarian style. It is by far THE best egg dish you can get anywhere in San Diego. Rich, creamy, delicious, I could go on and on. It's served on a toasted brioche bread, with sauteed spinach, cherry tomatoes, goat cheese, mushrooms, Farm Fresh eggs (poached to perfection) and a House Hollandaise sauce. It's served with a House salad.
However, because I love the skinny lavender frites / potato (cooked fresh every time they are ordered), I order them as a substitution. And along the side of the "Oeufs" is fresh fruit.
Perusing the photos below you'll see the Chef's food placed in the window for Pick Up. The French Toast, the "Janette", fresh strawberries, Nutella and toasted hazelnuts. And yes, it is as delicious as it looks.
Moving on, I'll start this sentence off with OMG... the Moules (Mussels) with Roquefort cheese, garlic, shallots and blue cheese and cream. They are served in two sizes, petite and grande, and we always order the grande.
They are served in a tin pan accompanied by warm french bread and a cream like butter. Plumbs, creamy, a terrific blue cheese sauce, hot, it's absolute perfection.
As per Cecile's recommendation, we ordered the Daily Special, Sea Bass cooked in white wine, lemon and capers. The Chef prepared our fish with such expertise, it was extraordinarily tender, flavorful, and simply wonderful. Situated between a House Salad and my other favorite, lavender frites.
I've likely experienced all the desserts offered by Au Revior but the Mousse au Chocolat is to die for. Dark and fluffy mousse served with fresh (homemade) whip cream and fresh raspberries. I don't think an explanation is needed here, other than one word. That word being "Heavenly".
During Brunch you have the choice between unlimited Mimosas, or By-The-Glass and they always have a special blend of juices to accompany them such as blackberry, passion fruit or for the purist, great orange juice.
Chances are my next review at Au Revoir will be very soon. I'll surely let you know how my wonderful Tuesday Night Three Course Dinner is (not to mention it's only $30.00 per person!) which includes your choice of Pour Commencer (appetizer), Ensuite (entree) and Cote Sucre (dessert).
And just for you, I will also let you know about the wonderful wine specials that night too.
Until then... Au Revoir!
