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| Babette’s Café ~ upscale casual **** by Suzanne Wright Babette is not a common name. Thus, whenever I eat at Babette’s Café in Virginia Highlands, it evokes images of the 1987 movie “Babette’s Feast.” Sumptuously filmed, the story is simple: A group of zealously religious villagers are taught love and forgiveness through a banquet prepared by a housemaid who turns out to be a world-class chef. While eating at Babette’s Café is not an exercise in forgiveness, there is much to love here in this low-key, simple French bistro. Babette’s moved into new digs across from Manuel’s Tavern almost two years ago. It’s a great space: a lovingly updated 1916 bungalow that’s warm and inviting. There’s a small bar with blond wood fittings just before the dining room. Inside are dark hardwood floors, and dark tables and chairs, white linens and a non-working fireplace. The walls are a wonderful goldenrod texture that begs to be touched. It reminds me of a Tuscan farmhouse. Attractive, almost imperceptible, acoustic tiles on the ceiling are great absorbers of sound. Even full, the restaurant isn’t noisy – a real relief in a city full of deafening restaurants. Tables are also widely spaced for intimate conversations. The paper menus are propped up between the salt and pepper shakers. There’s not much to look at, save a few textiles and copper cooking utensils on the wall and lacy curtains that look straight out of grandma’s parlor. Flowers and candles on the generously sized tables would make nice additions and make it easier to read the menus. Nonetheless, this is a supremely comfortable room to while away a couple of hours. The wait staff reminds me of aging hippies. The bartender/host wears suspenders and has a Santa-Claus-sized belly that I find comforting at a restaurant. They wear jeans and white button-downs, and are free of pretense, like the room. Still, I wish they were warmer. I’d best describe the servers as no-nonsense, vaguely French in their aloofness and certainly not chatty. And sometimes it takes a perplexing long time between the ordering and delivery of wine and the appearance of the next course. Meanwhile, nosh on the good crusty French bread while you wait and inhale the tantalizing smells waft through the room. I like the menu: It’s a relief to see a kitchen offer a well-edited selection of dishes they excel at preparing — that’s confidence. As a result, there’s a following of patrons here: a smattering of seniors, middle-aged couples, young couples on first dates, tables of businessmen and groups of women who count on consistency. The menu changes seasonally and is well priced for the neighborhood, with appetizers under $7 and entrees between $13 and $22. There’s also a small wine selection available by the fairly-priced glass that has a few offerings you don’t often see, like the nicely spicy Lake Sonoma Zinfandel. We begin with the bibb lettuce with beets, a combination of flavors with a pleasant bite. The enormous portion of plump, steamed mussels poached in white wine with strawberries and Serrano peppers is a signature dish. Piquant and aromatic, neither flavor predominates; rather, the subtle interplay of tastes is nicely balanced — use your bread to sop up the broth. The spinach and salmon tart is more spinach than salmon but has a meltingly rich homemade crust and a smokiness that pleases. Of the main courses, my hands-down favorite is the grilled lamb loin chops. Tender with a fresh herb crust, they are cooked in a red wine reduction that doesn’t overpower the perfectly grilled meat. Also good is the grilled Portobello tortellini with four cheeses, a brown butter sauce and sautéed spinach. The handmade pasta is thinner than most, which allows the meaty, earthy mushrooms to shine. Finally, we sample the beef tenderloin with gorgonzola sauce, finding it a bit chewy, though the onion rings that accompany it are light as clouds. Beware of the spinach: It turns up on multiple plates. For dessert we try mom’s chocolate cake, which looks like “a wall of burnt chocolate” as my companion says. It is quite good, if a bit dry. I’d opt for the terrific dried cherry almond tart. A sophisticated dessert, it boasts tart cherries, a dusting of powdered sugar and a gorgeous lattice crust. Have it a la mode and prepare to defend your plate. Our Babette’s is not a movie-star-quality locale. But our Babette’s is a reliably good eatery where anyone and everyone is welcome and can feast on a rustically inspired meal. Which explains why some are, indeed, zealous after all these years about its charms. Babette’s Cafe is located at 573 North Highland Avenue. Their phone number is (404) 523-9121. |
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| above: salad of fresh steamed artichokes, arugula, Nicoise olives, lemon oil vinaigrette; Roasted halibut with mustard vinaigrette; Mom's chocolate cake. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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