LET THE FEAST BEGIN IN FRENCH AT LE RENDEZVOUS

LET THE FEAST BEGIN IN FRENCH AT LE RENDEZVOUS

Cold duck pate with a baguette, martinis and candlelight begin our evening of French fare from Le Rendezvous Bistro & Restaurant.

Everybody loves Italian food and who doesn't have a favorite Asian dish, but nothing says “special occasion” like reservations at a French restaurant. Particularly if it is Le Rendezvous Bistro & Restaurant, 3844 Fort Lowell Road.

Neither Bernice nor I had any birthdays or anniversaries to celebrate, but Bastille Day was in the air, and seeing how the Le Rendezvous menu said we could order “Escargot Au Chablis” and “Croque Monsieur” to go, there was no reason to resist.
So while she went looking for the perfect little black dress, I went online for the correct 

Purple and gold would be the colors for our table setting, with proper attention paid to the warming and slicing of our demi-baguetttes.

The wine had already been cooled when I picked up our order curbside at the restaurant, so I wrapped the bottle in a beach towel for the ride home. That seemed to work pretty well.
Le Rendezvous does take its carry-out orders seriously. Every dish comes with its own re-heating instructions, from French Onion Soup to the Pithivier (almond cream in a puff pastry) that became our dessert. Both of the entrees we picked – Coq Au Riesling and Duck Confit Cassoulet – were frozen in flavor-sealed pouches ready to be dropped straight into boiling pots of water.

Coq au Riesling with bacon, mushrooms, mashed potatoes and garden vegetables is Gallic comfort food, for sure.

These thoughtfully prepared dishes came out of the pot looking quite lovely, as Bernice opened and plated them for their photos. Ever attentive to details, Victor found beguiling French cafe music from the Pandora website's Nouvelle Vague channel to play softly in the background.
I kept pushing aside thoughts of wondering whatever happened to my black beret and wishing I could light up an unfiltered cigarette. Another sip of that crisp martini kept my attention focused on the hefty slice of coarsely ground pate, rich with a complex blend of roast duck and garden herb flavors.

The Duck Confit Cassoulet of white beans, with a link of andouille sausage, was equally comforting.

Only, that set my mind swirling with visions of those formal paintings that always portray a classic French countryside. The ones where two young people in tousled clothing enjoy each other's company under the welcoming boughs that spread across a verdant meadow. You know the kind.
Was it the light from those tall candles that kept flickering in my memory?
“
Our tandem of entrees, Coq Au Riesling and Duck Confit Cassoulet, did look enticing in that candlelight. Each was an ample portion framed with promising side dishes adding their own accent notes.

Just as the name suggests, Coq Au Riesling is a white wine version of the more familiar Coq Au Vin. The Riesling lends its own sweetness, especially appreciated after that opening course of savory pate.
The chicken itself was tender and moist, full of deep flavors that added an extra dimension to the potential that's possible in “carry-out” orders. This can be said of the duck, as well.

Served in an equally generous portion, the dish traveled without incident from its midtown restaurant kitchen to Bernice's northwest side home. Along for the ride was a complementary link of andouille sausage to balance out the flavors nicely.

The Angel of Dessert joins us for a divine finish to our dinner of companionable delights.
Our dessert of Pithivier was simplicity itself, a puff pastry filled with almond crème which takes its name from the town of Pithiviers in the country's north-central region. Le Rendezvous recommends heating for 10 minutes in a 300-degree toaster oven. We added our own cups of dark roast French coffee.

The candles still had a few inches left to burn, so we lingered on with another coffee, wanting to savor more of our memories of the evening and those soft rhythms of Nouvelle Vague.

Our toast to Le Rendezvous for its culinary magic carpet. Thanks for the memories.