Café de Fleur
BY STACEY WALLACE | PHOTOS BY MIKE WALLACE
OPINION —
I am a huge fan of I Love Lucy, and Lucille Ball is my favorite comedienne of all time. My love of Lucy developed when I was in kindergarten through sixth grade.
After school, I would stay with J.W. and Pearl Patton, my paternal grandparents, until my parents picked me up after work. Grandma Patton would give me a snack, and she, Granddaddy Patton and I would watch I Love Lucy reruns. To this day, I watch this TV classic about five times a week.
One of my favorite scenes from the show is when Lucy is dining by herself at a café in Paris.
Not knowing that escargot is French for “snails,” Lucy orders the dish. When the escargot arrives, Lucy tells the waiter, “This food has snails in it.” Also, when the waiter hands her a pair of tongs, Lucy puts them on her nose. Hilarious. But I digress.
Citizens of Lee County may now eat at an authentic French restaurant without having to fly to Paris. A few weeks ago, Mike and I dined at Café de Fleur, which is located at 2272 Moores Mill Road, Suite 208 in Auburn.
I was really excited to try this new restaurant because Mike and I have never eaten in a French restaurant. The interior of Café de Fleur was gorgeous. We felt as though we were really in a French café.
Cecilia, our server, was an absolute delight, being so sweet, helpful and patient. Also, we found out that Cecilia is fluent in French and had given the staff a crash course in the language before it opened this past November 6. Corrie Sid, the restaurant’s owner, owns two other restaurants, one in Tallassee and one in Wetumpka.
Jonathan, the operations manager, was equally welcoming and was so kind to answer all of my questions. Jonathan said that Café de Fleur gets its baguettes from Stinson’s Bakery in Opelika and its jams from Hornsby Farms in Auburn. I was happy to hear that the restaurant uses local sources.
For our hors d’ oeuvre, Mike and I ordered Plateau a’ Pain, which was one of the warm, sourdough baguettes from Stinson’s Bakery; it came with seasonal compound butters and accompaniments. Too delicious for words. In addition, Cecilia brought us an amouse-bouche, a tasty, small hors d’ oeuvres; the term means, “Thank you for coming to our restaurant.”
For his entrée, Mike selected the Seared Salmon, which came with roasted potatoes, asparagus and lemon aioli. I chose the Steak & Pommes de Terre, which was a 12-ounce ribeye; it included red wine jus, grenailles potatoes and foie gras butter. Oh, my three times. That was the most amazing steak I have ever eaten. In fact, I ate it without my regular steak sauce, which is unheard of for me. However, this steak didn’t need any sauce; it was perfect.
Mike also really enjoyed his Seared Salmon. The Wallaces will definitely be back to this special place.
For dessert, we shared a Crème Au Caramel, which was vanilla custard, Grand Marnier caramel and orange zest. Jonathan also brought us a mini chocolate mousse to sample; it consisted of whipped cream, shaved chocolate and shaved hazelnut. Both of the desserts were slap your grandma twice good.
After our terrific dining experience, we complimented Chef Davy on his culinary talents, and he was very kind. The restaurant’s other chef is Chef Ivette. Ron, the restaurant’s manager, was also very welcoming to us.
If you are looking for a fabulous dining experience, look no farther than Café de Fleur, a wonderful addition to the Loveliest Village on the Plains.
Besides our delicious hors d’ oeuvre, Café de Fleur offers diners escargot and lamb marocaine.
The restaurant also serves salads, soups and a’ la carte items. Other entrees include Lamb Carre, Country Style Ratatouille and Croque Monsieur.
Café de Fleur is open Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; closed Monday and Tuesday; Wednesday and Thursday from 4:30 to 9 p.m.; Friday from 4:30 to 10 p.m.; Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4:30-10 p.m.
Café de Fleur makes the grade with an A+ from this retired English teacher. Remember, “Pooh-sized” people NEVER lie about food. Enjoy!
Stacey Patton Wallace, who retired from teaching language arts for 30 years, is a professional diner. Her column, “Making the Grade,” will appear every other week in The Observer. Stacey may be reached at retiredlangartsteacher2020@gmail.com
