Food! Glorious Food!

It's rather appropriate that I am costuming Oliver! right now because it's April break week for me... and that means that I can be a lady that lunches. My boys are with their dad this week every year, which absolutely slays me, but they have a really good time. I get time to spend with friends, and this year, hang out backstage listening to endless runs of "Food, Glorious Food".  Today I FINALLY got to try the new French bistro in my little town, C'est La Vie. They've been doing some private functions and a long soft open, and the moment finally arrived- I GOT TO EAT THERE.

First of all, the decor. Funky, French, colorful, creative- it's just gorgeous. In a restored stately home, the floors shine, the architectural details standout- the time spent bringing everything back to it's original splendor, and then amped up a notch with color and fantastic art installations everywhere you look.

I actually could have taken probably twenty more photos- every where I turned there was a fantastic display, or creative seating arrangement. Our table itself was a work of art- a collage of French images, clippings, recipes and vintage art, covered in a thick epoxy resin. It's as fabulous as it sounds. I was in heaven before food even hit our table.

The menu is fairly extensive for a small bistro- multiple breakfast offerings including stuffed French toast, crepes, pancakes, open faced sandwiches, quiche, soups, salads- their hearty use of duck made my taste buds all a twitter!

I was dining with two of my foodie pals, and we just threw caution to the wind and ordered several dishes. The thing that S and I had been ogling and waiting for was the Croque Madame- "a fancy-schmancy grilled cheese- french bread, house blend cheese, country ham, gruyere, melted bechamel- topped with a sunny side up egg". It was every  bit as decadent and delicious as it sounds. The weeks of waiting were well worth it!

We also had crispy brussel sprouts with apple and crispy prosciutto, gougeres with pork belly, manchego and pear (gluten free thus extremely healthy), duck hash browns, and the crepes Florentine- spinach, mushrooms, and hollandaise sauce. It was all delicious. The only criticism I could find was that one tiny bite of brussel sprout was slightly undercooked.

Now remember, there were three of us eating all of this yumminess, so of course there was room for dessert. For a few moments we considered getting three desserts, but settled on just two. The chocolate pot-de-creme was, um, like wow. WOW. Incredibly decadent. Perfect texture, rich flavor.

We tried that first, and were blown away. Then we dug into our waffle ice cream sandwich, a towering thing of beauty. By the time I realized I hadn't taken a picture however, we had already toppled it ready to dig in. 

Waffles had the perfect caramelization, but were still chewy on the inside- the ice cream was made in house, and reminded me of a caramel/brown sugar flavor. It was topped with fresh whipped cream, a blackberry reduction, and house made caramel. It. Was. Delectable. I am not even a sweets person and I couldn't help but make nom-nom noises. 

I can't say enough good things about C'est La Vie. It's incredibly tasty, fresh, and affordable food served in a stunning setting. I can't wait to take friends and family there, and show off what our local food scene has to offer. A great lunch, and in true foodie fashion- when we were done, it was "BOOM! SPOON-drop" as opposed to "BOOM! Mic-drop."

Go eat there. And invite me. I'll order the Croque Madame and make nom-nom noises whilst you discover the deliciousness for yourselves!