little french bistro

i had the pleasure of visiting the newly opened café lola on unquowa road, fairfield’s answer to a french bistro. the cuisine was as light and fresh as it was traditionally french.

their space is limited. their foyer, if you can call it that, consists of two chairs, a lilliputian couch and a foot stool. not surprisingly, it would be a whole lot less fun to wait with more than a friend or two. but be sure those friends have recently lost weight.

their bar area is a bit meek as well. it looks like it belongs in someone’s den more than it does in a restaurant. however, they did what they could with meager surroundings. unfortunately, the space has always been small. the previous two restaurants, the pearl of budapest and isla montecristo, fought the space restrictions as well. with lola, they’ve managed to brighten up the space with a light coat of paint and spare furniture. it’s amazing how you can make more with less.

at first seating, a tiny plate of gougeres, or little cheese puffs, and salted nuts greeted us. this is to take the edge of your hunger while you consider the petits et grands plats to choose from.

their wine list is an eclectic mix of french and american wines. but of those offered, their pinot noir and their malbec are hearty suggestions. the pinot is light and fruity, the malbec herculean.

we started with the frisée aux lardons, a traditional salad of curly endive and handmade croutons tossed lightly with a shallot-bacon dressing. a perfectly poached egg was placed on top to be broken and mixed at the table.

we indulged in garlicky escargots. i have not had escargots since i was little. i remember the special plate it came in and the smell of the garlic as it married with the melted butter. skip the little snails, man. let me dip my bread in that thing. if the divots were big enough, i’d swim in it.

we also tried a grown-up version of macaroni and cheese. if you liked it enough, you could get it for dinner as well. it was properly creamy with the texture attributed to the gruyère and a touch of bacon. a dusting of bread crumbs just kissed the top. this was not your typical neon orange kraft mac-n-cheese.

their dinner menu boasts such favorites as roasted chicken, mussels in marinara as well as the little crustaceans in a madras curry sauce. i highly recommend the latter. if you prefer something other than shellfish, there was a lovely offering of beef bourgignon, steak au poivre, and pan-seared duck. we tried the steak frites. it was fine, but relatively unremarkable. we might have been better off with one of the other dishes.

their specials are rather good. i had a pan-seared sea bass with a butternut squash puree that was pillow-soft. my husband, however, had by far the best dish. he asked for the chicken in the madras curry sauce, a dish not offered on the menu. the chef agreed to make it and it came out quite well. there was just enough heat and spice to make your mouth dance without over-playing it. the chef stopped by the table later on to ask if we liked the dish. mais oui. but, of course. who wouldn’t?

while the café certainly struggles with space issues, they make up for it in taste. but when it comes to a restaurant, i would rather suffer with my surroundings than suffer with the food.