Race Street Café

At this enchanting country bistro in Frenchtown, it feels as though you have been invited to the home of a friend who lavishes you with distinctive and eclectic cooking.

By: Pat Tanner

   SOME dining spots more than others seem to fit in perfectly with their community, and Race Street Café, an enchanting country bistro in charming Frenchtown, is one such example. Its eclectic fare reflects a touch of sophistication — like the tart-and-tangy fusion salad of tomatoes and mango in mint vinaigrette — while giving equal time to homey comfort foods like melted Fontinella atop slabs of toasted Italian bread.
   The diminutive quarters are distinctly Frenchtown as well. The quaint clapboard building that it shares with a home-furnishings gallery is painted burnt orange and nestled at an odd angle at the intersection of Race and Bridge streets. Inside, the 10 or so wood tables are decorated with fresh herbs and a few modest garden flowers inside empty Grey Poupon jars. An amber glow from votive holders plays off matte gold napkins folded artistically in wine glasses. (I always find it a good omen when tables at a BYO restaurant are set with wineglasses.) The café’s rough, whitewashed walls are hung with oil paintings by a local artist of what appear to be antique breeds of cows, sheep and pigs, as well as fox-hunting scenes. All are for sale, and more can be viewed in a small room upstairs that acts as a gallery and is located next to the restaurant’s only restroom.
   Owners James and Diane Zalewski have operated the café since 1983, a run most restaurateurs would envy. Part of the appeal of their place — in addition to the above charms — is the easygoing menu, which reads like a list of what an eclectic home cook might consider making when company is coming. Choices ramble from country to country, picking up favored foods along the way such as baked brie ($8), hummus ($8), linguine with marinara ($15) and Thai-style shrimp ($20).
   Like at so many other places, saucers of seasoned olive oil and Italian bread for dipping start off meals at Race Street Café. But their oil is enhanced not only with herbs but a hint of lemon, which makes it truly irresistible, and the bread is scrumptious.

Staff photo by Frank Wojciechowski

The quaint clapboard building the Race Street Café shares with a home-furnishings gallery is painted burnt orange and nestled at the intersection of Race and Bridge streets.

   The regular menu is supplemented with many specials, which are recited without price, but at least the youthful staff is well-informed about the composition of each dish. Among the special starters the night of our visit were gazpacho, spinach and egg drop soup, and a salad of pears, blue cheese and walnuts. We chose instead the one of sliced mango and tomato, pricey at $10 but worth it for its beautiful red and orange glow and its sprightly mint and celery seed vinaigrette.
   Equally satisfying but more substantial is the regular appetizer of hot, gooey baked Fontinella cheese over slabs of toasted Italian bread ($8). The wonderful nutty flavor of the Fontinella, a sharp goat and cow milk cheese not to be confused with Fontina, is heightened by a sprinkling of oregano and lemon. An earthy dish of warm escargot with roasted garlic butter and mushrooms ($8.50) is flavorful and pleasing, and only a special quesadilla ($9) disappointed. Although tasty, the filling of black bean puree and jack cheese was pasty and the fried tortilla greasy.
   On the other hand, the sautéed brook trout with plum tomato and capers ($20) comes close to perfection. An exquisitely fresh, boned filet is sautéed in lots of butter, which smoothes out the pungent, salty sauce and accentuates the bright flavor of the trout. It is accompanied, like similar entrées, by seasoned rice and a mix of fresh vegetables that on our visit starred sugar snap peas. Roast duckling with apples, rosemary and maple syrup is, at $22, the highest priced dish on the regular menu, but it is generous and well made, with dark, crispy skin, lots of duck flavor, and a sauce that is not too sweet. Capellini de Rosa ($16) turns out to be a pleasant if not exciting pasta dish with strips of Canadian bacon in a soupy tomato-caper sauce flavored with roasted garlic and oregano.
   Feelings were mixed at our table about the special steak Aldean ($23). We all enjoyed the New York skirt steak for its taste, texture, and blessed lack of fat and gristle, but differed on the sauce, which included molasses, chili spices and hot mustard. Two of us, including me, found it harsh and unpleasant; two companions thought the sweet-hot interplay was just right.
   Disagreement continued with desserts, all of which are homemade, including ice cream (the flavor of the evening was almond coconut). Half the table was pleased, half disappointed that the strawberry shortcake here is made with angel food cake, although its real, fresh, flavorful whipped cream caused universal delight. I disliked the thick, dense texture of the chocolate mousse, while a companion lauded it for not being airy fluff. Consensus was reached on two other desserts, however. We all agreed that the blueberry and custard parfait was delicious but sinfully rich, and that the chocolate layer cake with a filling of raspberry jam paled in comparison to the other treats, being too dense while lacking rich chocolate flavor. Desserts cost $5.50.
   Overall, our experience at Race Street Café was not unlike having dinner in a good cook’s home. The setting is warm and distinctive, and the cooking reflects a personal style. Some dishes shine more than others, but they are all made with love and care, and there is plenty here to like.
Pat Tanner’s reviews can be heard on Dining Today, Sat. 9-10 a.m. on MoneyTalk 1350 AM.
For directions to Race Street Café, click here.