Cafe Francais
photo by Janet Wilson
We recently made our annual review of Café Francais located at 801 Signal
Mountain Road. The building is very non-descript and unassuming. In fact,
if you are not looking for it, you may keep right on going. But don't let
the outside fool you because there's a special evening waiting inside. Just plan on being there for awhile.
Café Francais is one of those restaurants where the food is consistently good. We have been there many times since our first review and not once have we ever experienced anything not prepared deliciously.
Evelyne Putman, Owner, Hostess, Server and Chef, is busy from the moment she arrives - in fact, she is busy even before she arrives. She does her own shopping to ensure that everything she serves for the evening is the freshest possible and the best quality available. She works during the day preparing soups from scratch and as soon as you enter the restaurant, the aromas filling the air surround you.
On the recent Saturday night we were there, a Christmas party was also going on and the customers were having a wonderful time dancing to the music of Joe Keck. We really could not do this article without mentioning that Joe was in top form on this particular evening, better than we have ever heard him. He played his guitar as well as keyboard and seemed to be singing better than ever, entertaining us with music from the 50's and up - old rock as well as up-to-date country - the music ran the gamut.
We enjoyed listening to the music and watching the partiers dancing while we
ate our dinner. When I called for a reservation, Evelyne told us she was
working on a special veal dish for dinner and wanted to know if we were
interested in trying it. It consisted of veal, potatoes, pearl onions,
green peas and several other veggies on a bed of rice. It was absolutely
delicious. The two soup specials were French Onion and Cream of Mushroom. Wayne tried the Cream of Mushroom and found it to be absolutely delicious,
served with her homemade French bread, pate and butter. Anyone who has
never tasted Evelyne's French Onion soup has not experienced French Onion
soup. This is the best I have ever eaten - anywhere! It does not have that artificial beef broth taste like most do. It is topped with the French
bread and melted cheese. After she puts the soup in the bowl and adds the
topping, it is baked in the oven - the BEST!!
Evelyne prepares many items at her customers' request - she prefers to know in advance what you would like that evening so she can purchase it the day of your dinner for that extra special freshness. Her Coquille St. Jacques (scallops in a buttery garlic sauce topped with cheese) is the best we have ever eaten. On our recent visit, she prepared Chateaubriand, which was lovely as it was served "aflame".
Usually a seven-course French meal is in the range of $29.99, depending on
what entrée you order. An evening at Café Francais is a special treat. For
those skeptics who say, "I don't like French food" when they haven't even
tried it - you don't know what you are missing. I would say that you
probably don't really know what it is.
Café Francais also has a French bakery offering all kinds of delightful treats and goodies. Our dessert for the evening was Almond Cake with custard in the center served with ice cream on the side.
If you'd rather have dinner at home, stop by and pick up a homemade Chicken
Pot Pie. Evelyne also offers lunch specials during the week. Stop by, look over the menu and plan a dinner at Café Francais soon.
Hours are: LUNCH: Tuesday-Friday 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Daily lunch specials priced at $4.99. Dinner 7:00 - ? Seven-Course French Meal offered Friday and Saturday at 7:00 p.m. (you can also order a la carte on Friday and Saturday). Sunday Brunch is noon - 2:30 p.m.
And remember - if you know anyone who eats out a lot we have the perfect
gift for them. The new Adventures coupon books are now in with even more
coupons - 86 in all. These are perfect gifts for birthdays, anniversaries, and many other occasions - or even for yourself. By using our Adventures book during 2001, Wayne and I have saved over $400 that would have been spent out of our own pockets - and we still have coupons that haven't been
used. To make shopping easier for you, we now have credit card capability on the Chattanooga Dine Out site. We ship the same day as you order (unless it's Sunday) so your books should be received within approximately three days.
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