Manon

A charming atmosphere and Provençal fare draw a loyal crowd to this Lambertville restaurant.

By: Pat Tanner

   Manon in Lambertville evinces so much Provençal charm that, if it were a person, I’d be inclined to kiss it on both cheeks, continental-style. The 36-seat dining room virtually vibrates with the bright blues, yellows and oranges that are the signatures of Provence style. The walls are laden with amusing Provençal eye candy, including a street sign from owner-chef Jean Michel Dumas’s home town of Fourques. Even the ceiling gets in the act: It is painted to resemble van Gogh’s "Starry Night."
   The menu is equally charming. Not only is there the expected soupe du jour, but also pasta, fish and even duck du jour. Treatments range from the classic (Marseilles-style bouillabaisse) to the nouveau (roasted Maine lobster with brandade agnolotti in a basil shellfish emulsion).
   We chose one from each approach by starting with the chef’s classic country paté ($8.50) and the special soup, a purée of beets, fennel and Granny Smith apples with a dollop of horseradish crème fraiche ($5). Both are worthy of smooches on the cheek. Although the paté is described on the menu as coarse, I found its texture to be admirably smooth, and its flavor outstanding. Two thick, pistachio-studded slabs with slightly pink centers come properly accompanied by thin, crisp crostini, cornichon and pickled onions, although the tiny round rolls that grace each table make a fine transport for the paté as well. The rolls, like everything else on the menu, are made in-house. The beet soup is a beautiful rose color, which makes it as lovely to behold as to consume, with the horseradish cream providing a lush, piquant counterpoint to the beets and apple.

Staff photos by Robyn Stein
		The 36-seat dining room virtually vibrates with the bright blues, yellows and oranges that are the signatures of Provence style. The walls are laden with amusing Provençal eye candy, including a street sign from owner-chef Jean Michel Dumas’s home town of Fourques.

   A salad of watercress, Belgian endive, Roquefort, pear and walnuts ($10) also displays a nice balance between sweet and tart, with just the right amount of each ingredient, and each at its peak. But warm goat cheese salad with mesclun and toasted pine nuts ($11) is inexplicably flat, a mish-mash that could benefit from a spunky vinaigrette.
   For the most part, entrées lack the sparkle and exacting preparation of the first courses. Best among our choices was the day’s fish special: sautéed arctic char with risotto and shiitake mushrooms ($25). In this dish, the fish boasts a nicely seared exterior and a rosy, moist interior and is well paired with the earthy risotto.
   The day’s duck with black mission fig and port wine demi-glace ($24) sounds better than it turns out to be. The fig sauce is more like a glaze, providing a barely detectable sweet note, while the pieces of duck leg, breast and thigh are chewy, fatty and not especially flavorful. It doesn’t help that the duck’s skin is not crisp. Another special, veal stew with cremini mushrooms ($22), features a nicely thickened brown sauce that doesn’t quite overcome the dry cubes of boneless veal. It is accompanied by peppery garlic mashed potatoes, also on the dry side, and the thinnest of haricots verts.
   Most disappointing, however, is the bouillabaisse ($25), despite ingredients that are as authentic as they can be on this side of the Atlantic. A big bowl sports generous, good-size hunks of salmon, monkfish, mahi-mahi and arctic char, along with scallops, mussels and calamari rings in thick brown broth at the bottom of which hides a dollop of garlicky rouille. But the rouille is too fierce with garlic, and the fish are dried out on the surface, as if the dish had sat around waiting to be served. Almost all of this could be forgiven, though, by the potatoes au gratin that accompany the bouillabaisse, the duck and some other entrées. They are spectacularly, uncompromisingly rich with cream and Parmesan, and perfectly accented with tarragon and nutmeg.
   Our meal also got back on track a bit with dessert. While I found the chocolate ganache with pecan crust and caramel sauce too rich, sweet and gooey, my tablemates swooned. They also enjoyed the sorbet du jour, cranberry, more than I, apparently associating a medicinal taste. Desserts cost $7 and also include a frozen praline meringue and apple or pear tart Tatin.
   Manon is a BYO, where wine is handled knowledgeably, regulars are treated like long-lost cousins and credit cards have no place. In this, its 14th year, it continues to attract a band of loyal customers to its jovial if noisy quarters. Reservations are highly recommended on weekends, and on Saturday nights parties of four or more are restricted to seatings at 6 and 8:30 p.m., which allows plenty of time to enjoy the restaurant’s charms.
Pat Tanner’s reviews can be heard on Dining Today, Sat. 9-10 a.m. on MoneyTalk 1350 AM.
For directions to Manon, click here.