| French Garden 8050 Bodega Ave. Sebastopol (707) 824-2030 www.frenchgardenrestaurant.com French Cuisine |
The French Garden in Sebastopol is the newest incarnation of what was once Marty’s Top of the Hill. After an extensive renovation and a short play as Bistro Bella Vita, the building now is a complete turnaround from what it once was.
Today it has a rich exterior and interior, with an open front veranda, a large bar with a fireplace and a cream-colored dining room and separate banquet room. My friend Brennen and I were greeted with friendly hellos and then were seated at a corner table at the edge of the room, which provided a nice, private feeling.
New owners Dan Smith and Joan Marler are long-time Sebastopol residents, and much of the produce used at the French Garden comes from their 30-acre organic farm. Their daughter Sorel’s paintings adorn the walls of the restaurant.
To begin the meal, Chef Stephane Roy sent out the “amuse of the day,” a small plate that had a delectable triple crème cheese and some crackers with a salmon spread. Sprinkled with chives, it was a delicious beginning (and went great with my martini!). Hot, fresh bread from the pastry kitchen served with house made organic butter was then placed on the table. Our next course was the butternut squash and tomato soup. The squash was the dominant flavor of many in the hot, lovely winter selection.
The restaurant’s wine list is especially interesting because it includes as many French wines as it does domestics. I went for the Domaine Chandon Pinot Meuniere. I’d never tried that varietal before, and when the server described it as “Pinot Noir on steroids” there was no turning back. (And he was right!)
Next we had two salads. The first had organic butter lettuce with a light (not too tart) shallot vinaigrette. Flower petals and thin apple slices were on top. Purple onions and chives were chopped into tiny pieces, and thin-sliced cucumber was placed along the sides.
The second salad was made of local gourmet mushrooms with a balsamic olive vinaigrette and organic lettuce. This is a mushroom lover’s fantasy on a plate. It wasn’t overly dressed, so the true earthy flavors of the mushrooms came right through.
For our entrées, we began with the whole Maine lobster, which was served disassembled on the plate with chanterelle mushrooms and a rich, buttery sauce that teetered on the edge of sweet. The lobster was fresh, moist and amazingly luscious.
Next we had pan-roasted Petaluma duck breast with fig sauce, red cabbage, potato sarladaise and vegetables.A nice change from the citrus or berry sauce that often accompanies duck, it wasn’t too sweet and its abundance of flavor made it quite a treat.
Our meal concluded with a Gran Marnier mousse cake and a lemon mousse cake. We finished them up joyfully on the couches by the fireplace. You can’t really beat an ending like that!
