AUTHOR: ARTSY CHOW ROAMER

This post has been updated on two different dates as of 12/29/21

French Dining

C’EST LA VIE IN MARBLE HILL

The location has held several different restaurants over the years; some more successful than others. C’est la Vie just might be different. Why? Perhaps we need a little more French in our lives right now. Maybe because we just love having a new place to go for a shorter ride than usual.

Of course it could be the food too. We have a tendency to be very picky in this part of the woods. They will receive their fair share of criticism as time goes by. But we also reward the ones that take it to heart in trying to please their patrons. This post will feature both a little criticism and praise for this latest edition to the local food scene.

A LITTLE HISTORY

If you don’t know already, let me introduce you to Laetitia and Vincent Fernandez, the owners of the place. Both were born in the region of Provence near Avignon; known for it’s wine, lavender, beauty and books ( A Year in Provence and sequels by writer Peter Mayle). Said books are wonderful and brought a lot of tourism to the area to experience the scenery, good food and the local quirkiness that French culture can bring with it.

Surprisingly neither planned on becoming a chef or working with food. Laetitia earned degrees in marketing and communication while Vincent studied racehorses. But shortly after meeting in 2008 they decided to open a pizzeria with the help of 40 years experience that her father had in food.

Successful from the beginning, they decided to chase their dream to the USA so they loaded up the family, worked hard at their craft and opened their first French restaurant in Washington, GA. They are now bringing that same idea to Marble Hill. They want to join their French memories with American culture on the plates they place in front of you.

CASUAL LUNCH DINING

Day time provides a space for both lunch and dinner that includes a bar, booths and big long party tables that seat eight. A stage up front suggests the live music format they promised for weekends. As I learned from our server, Ashley, Vincent sometimes comes out of the kitchen when done and provides DJ music.

She sometimes sings (and NOT in a Karaoke kind of way she emphatically stated). They are interested in having local musical groups and have already hosted Sock Monkey as well as a group called Freq 432 making for lively fun on Friday and Saturday evenings.

I was somewhat surprised that the decor seemed to be more about American culture with local sports team memorabilia, beer signs and music from pop favorites of previous decades. I have to admit I was hoping for more of a classic brasserie with Gypsy jazz and iconic French accordion in the background.

FINE DINING FLAIR

Having said that I crept over to the sliding barn door to get a peep at what they had done with the dinner dining interior and was instantly charmed. Now that is what I was expecting overall even in the casual space.

The beautiful blue walls instantly felt Mediterranean and fresh recalling warm water sea breezes. A lovely blue and white traditional upholstery on black arm chairs brought desired softness and upgrade to the space. The wood ceilings offered warmth with quirky contemporary light fixtures made from green wine bottles.

The entrance sported custom wing walls with accessories in the form of plants and canning jars filled with different ingredients. A soft abstracted painting of the Eiffel Tower watched over all along with a clock that doesn’t so much keep time as offer the suggestion of when dinner might be served?

They have kept the large bar that has always been a part of every restaurant that has previously opened along with the peek-a-boo arched window that lets patrons get a view of what they are doing in the kitchen. The stone floors are classic and on the whole everything creates the atmosphere you would want for French dining.

Pro Tip: Consider making the casual room look like it belongs with the dinner room. Right now it could be two totally different restaurants and I’m not sure that works well from an interior design stand point or the French branding.

WINE LIST

As I previously mentioned, we had a wonderful server named Ashley. She really worked the room well and was very comfortable chatting with people. She seemed both knowledgeable about and cheerleader for the menu offerings.

While we studied said menu she brought us a Mimosa using Lunetta, an Italian Prosecco, made by Cavit. While it tasted extremely good it was an odd shade of orange in color with a garnish that was…underwhelming.

I opted for the Hayes Ranch Cabernet which is made in the good ole US of A. At first it seemed like it had short legs but it quickly grew on me. I would order it again. (However, when in France…) I asked Ashley if I could get a tasting of the French Syrah, the Cotes du Rhone and the Cabernet for a comparison to the American wine.

She said of course and brought a couple of sips of all three which my husband and I both tasted. While very good we really did prefer the American Cabernet overall. Surprising really except that I heard an urban legend one time that the French don’t send us their best-they think we won’t notice. Maybe they are right? 🤣

CASUAL MENU

We decided to share the Le Parisien Sandwich with a Hot Goat Cheese Salad and I was very glad we did. The portions even on the small salad we ordered were big enough for us to eat lunch and ask for boxes to finish the meal for dinner that evening at home.

The sandwich reminded me of what it was like to eat in France (except for those portion sizes) when the bread is fresh, crunchy and slathered with salted butter with just a little ham and lettuce. The simplicity of just a few of the freshest ingredients is why Europe has always eaten better than America-it was delicious.

The fries were perfectly crisped on the outside and soft pillows on the inside-it doesn’t get any better. I imagine they are quite good with the New York cut steak offered on the menu which traditionally is called Steak Frites.

The salad was very nice with a mix of fresh greens dressed well in a vinaigrette with walnuts and bacon. The goat cheese was slightly warmed and presented on toast points. I loved the warm part-the toast not so much. I would rather have had the cheese directly on the salad in breaded rounds after being warmed up in that cooked bacon pan to marry the ingredients.

It shouldn’t be surprising that since they started their dream with a pizza restaurant it would be a large offering on their menus. I haven’t tried it yet but I hear it is really good. I would wish that the choices not all be so classically Italian and look for ways to offer fewer with more French influence and ingredients-looking at you Black Truffle.

I would offer the same advice with the deluge of burger options. I’m sure they are all good but I feel they could cut it down to one that is really French, a veggie, a fish and American option and lose the rest. If you did that you could make room for other things patrons might expect to see.

Things like a French Onion Soup version, a classic Salad Lyonnaise, Mussels in Pernod or Tarte Tatin that changes daily. Ashley said they try to change up items on the dinner menu every two weeks especially in the appetizer and dessert categories.

The day I was there I was glad to see they were offering Mediterranean Octopus, a Vegetable Tian and Mussels in white wine on the dinner menu which is pretty classic Provencal; the chicken, rib eye and premium burger not so much. Julia Childs included a recipe for floating islands in her cook books; it was originally invented in America and I think their preparation sounds delicious.

I am still wondering where are the Escargots, Crispy Scallops, Steak Tartare, Charcuterie Platter, Beef Bourguignon or a perfectly cooked brasserie style chicken with a parsnip mash? These are some of the more classic offerings I was hoping to see that might appear down the road.

CONCLUSION

We enjoyed our lunch very much. Ashley was friendly, helpful and gracious with her time. I like the story of Laetitia and Vincent. I am charmed by the love, time and imagination they personally put into opening this restaurant. I sincerely hope they will be the place that is finally successful in that location and will become a local favorite. I know I will be back for dinner soon-so should you.

If you liked what you read, you might like more posts under Edible Fare. You’ll find more local restaurant reviews as well as information on where to eat in the many cities I have traveled to. I particularly like this post on Prague. Look for upcoming posts on my trip to Savannah soon. Until next time…

Cheers,

ArtsyChowRoamer

TO MY READERS: This post was updated with additional info and pics on 6/24/21

CEST LA VIE FOR A BIRTHDAY DINNER

After having had a very pleasant lunch at this charming little restaurant, I decided it was the perfect spot to take my mother who was visiting from out of town for her birthday dinner. Laetitia had sent me a lovely note regarding the first blog post written here.

She assured me that she and Vincent were still testing recipes, working on the menu and that a few items would change every few weeks during that effort. Many of those items would indeed have more of a French flair to them but she wanted me to know they really were trying to merge American and French.

I told her I had made a reservation for Tuesday night and that it was a special occasion and I wanted one of her lovely cakes for it. She sent me some pictures from which to choose and I picked a beautiful Mango Fraisier type with sponge and cream.

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE BREAD

We arrived about 10 minutes before they opened after having drinks at the Big Canoe Clubhouse which put them into a little bit of a tailspin. Others must of had the same idea as the phone started ringing and before too long five tables were already seated and looking over the menu as more poured in through the door.

The waiter took our drink orders and brought us some French bread on a platter with some softened butter. This bread…..well heavenly is about the only word that comes to mind. Crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside with the best flavor. Even the butter tasted better on this bread! I had my eye on the Beef Burgundy and ordered a glass of the American Cabernet to go with it.

My mother and husband had their eye on the Scallops with foam and they each ordered different white wines to try. They were lovely made better only because of the bread. My husband said “I could come here every night just to eat this bread and drink this wine”. Pretty good huh?

FRENCH FOODS WITH FLAIR

As mentioned, two of the items on offer for dinner that night were Beef Burgundy and fresh Scallops with sweet potato and foam. After a bit the waiter arrived with our plates that smelled delicious and looked really pretty. The scallops especially looked so artistic presented on black plates which made for beautiful contrast.

I dove into the beef which was melt in your mouth fork tender. My guess is a long slow braise for many hours was used to make that dish with the herbs you expect and the richness of red wine. It was served with freshly made pasta to just the right doneness.

This dish had all the comforts of home in it and I could imagine myself sitting anywhere in France enjoying a dinner just like this. My mother raved over the scallops saying they were the best she had ever had and marveled over the beauty and taste of the foam surrounding luscious bits from the sea; hubby shook his head in agreement not even bothering to stop eating to comment.

THE BEST DESSERTS

There was so much beef in my dish that I had to ask for a box to take away what I couldn’t finish. We snacked on it later that night. The scallop plates were cleaned up and taken away. By then, the restaurant was almost full with others waiting for a table at the bar. There was a pleasant hum of conversation that told you the place is already a success in this small community.

Laetitia came to the table with our Mango cake and a candle softly singing happy birthday which sounds ever better with a French accent! My mother was so surprised and clearly happy with my choice. She thanked her profusely and blew out the candle. They brought small plates and a knife and I cut generous servings for us.

It had a sponge on the bottom with the softest creamy center and the sweet sour Mango gel on top. It was decorated with star fruit and dollops of fresh cream and was the best dessert I have had since traveling around Europe. Laetitia knows how to bake and you should always have her make your special occasion desserts from now on. We asked for a box and had another wonderful meal from the leftovers.

Needless to say, the birthday dinner was a huge hit. My mother was so impressed that we have a restaurant of this quality in our community. She wanted to thank Chef and we stepped over to the window to tell him how much we enjoyed our meal upon leaving. She even told him how handsome he was (yes, she really did) causing him to say “you make my cheeks go pink”. I hope Vincent and Laetitia find success here and will be a part of our food family for a long time to come. Go by and give them a try soon….tell them I sent you.

Artsy

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TO MY READERS: On a recent visit for take out service at this restaurant my party was less than thrilled with the food. I do not know if this was a one off-night or is a developing problem in the kitchen. Because I try to be fair and honest with my readers I never want you to think I am giving you less than my best advise for where to eat in the area. PRO TIP: Avoid the take out option.