This particular one was part of the Shopping Center at Fashion Island Drive which is a stone’s throw from the Crowne Plaza Hotel. We went there for lunch and it was quite a crowd. Although the name implies a French connection, the food is definitely American with some Louisiana twists. The signs within the restaurant are delightfully set in French, and this does give it a bit of elegance. Although, the décor, especially the choice of curtains, is very very "Provence" with predominantly blue and yellow colors. I felt quite comfortable.

There are themed rooms which are intended to take you to places like New Orleans, as in the Garden Room . We sat in the Café area where there were comfortable booths and counter seating as well. There was a large display of pastries staring at me during the entire meal. I was much more interested, though, in letting my eyes admire the mixture of textures and colors that made this a most unusual place. It is very different from a Bennigan’s for instance, or a Pizza Uno or even an Applebee’s . There is no theme of nostalgia here with antiquated license plates and baseball hats cluttered on the walls. White and blue checks tablecloths give the bistro an intimate feeling where one can have a romantic dinner as long as you don’t mind the crowds.

Now for the food: the wait staff is slow. By any standards. I had a Thai Chicken wrap that was so huge, I could not finish it. Chuck had the Café Corn Chowder with carrot bread and French bread that was delicious. It took forever to get our food, and people kept streaming in. Some folks came in just to purchase baked goods and left. The menu itself is quite varied, but if you were to substitute some of the French names for American equivalents, it wouldn’t be extraordinary. For instance, they have a sandwich called "L’Express"; curious yet? Well, it’s basically grilled ham and cheese, or a croque monsieur as they’d say in Paris. But they add tomato and 1000 island dressing. You can get very basic here with Pot Roast or get a bit fancier with a Fromage Burger . Feel like pigging out? Then save room for the Nu Awlins Bread Puddin’; a composition of French bread, cream, eggs, sugar, raisins, vanilla served warm with whiskey sauce (yeah!) and whipped cream. I’m going back just to admire those curtains!