You wouldn't expect to find a bit of Provence tucked in the corner of Aptos Village Square. But that's just what owners Michel and Muriel Loubiere have in mind with their new restaurant, Au Midi "oh mee-dee".
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Au Midi
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Stepping through yellow hangings at the entrance, my friend Len and I were greeted by walls of bright ochre trimmed with vermilion: a welcoming atmosphere enhanced by gleaming hardwood floors and the smiling server who seated us.
Our menus arrived with warm bread and a wine list noting that all of the wines -- an international selection including local and French vintages -- were moderately priced at $7 per glass, $22 per bottle. This sensible idea encourages customers to pair fine wines with meals, say the owners.
Ordering to complement our meals, Len chose a glass of rich Rock and Vines Three Ranches California Cabernet Sauvignon to accompany her Natural Angus Filet Mignon $29.95; I requested the brighter Australian Altocedro Malbec as a counterpoint to my Duck Magret $24.95.
We began with Carrot Ginger Soup bowl, $7.50 and Beets Carpaccio with Scallops $13.95. Although curious, I resisted the eyebrow-lifting $22.95 Fois Gras terrine starter other appetizers are priced below $15. The cost, says Michel Loubiere, reflects both the quality of the French duck liver and also their time-intensive preparation. "We've had many compliments from the people who order it," he notes. "This dish is for connoisseurs and also for people who just want to try it."
Au Midi's menu fuses contemporary French cuisine with California freshness, employing local and organic products whenever possible. Our carrot ginger soup was the color of a harvest moon with a rich, fresh flavor enhanced by ginger foam and a touch of leeks and mascarpone. The sea-smelling scallops, stacked on crimson beet slices and baby greens, were topped by puffs of wickedly delectable whipped wasabi cream. Although one scallop had some chewy ligament still attached, the dish blended subtlety and sauciness with panache.
Inquiring after our still-absent wine, we received sincere apologies and immediate delivery, just in time for the main courses. My entrée featured elegant duck medallions, fanned in all their rare beauty and flattered by a lovely French gingerbread sauce. Cooked carrot pieces and a perky polenta/carrot confit stack accompanied the meat. I relished the tender, rosy duck and deliciously whimsical vegetable stack, but the slightly overcooked carrots seemed an afterthought, especially since they were also featured in the confit and the soup du jour.
Len's meal was a solid success, beginning with the handsome, toothsome filet. Beautifully seared, it was enhanced by a remarkably flavorful Madeira sauce filled with meaty mushrooms. And the baked "Gratin D'Auphinois" potatoes were marvelous, thin-sliced and blanketed in velvety cream sauce and Gruyere.
We eagerly anticipated dessert, knowing that Chef Muriel Loubiere studied two years with a renowned French pastry chef followed by a stint in New York as a pastry chef. After considering creme brulee and chilled chocolate nougat, we decided on the Napoleon $7.50 with Michel's approval. It was an excellent choice, impeccable in both presentation and flavor. The tiny yellow macaroons, layered with voluptuous citrus cream, were a sweet sandwich made in heaven; they were accompanied by warm little madeleines and thin, crisp nougatine tuilles. Sparkling dry Bortolomial Prosecco matched this delightful dessert beautifully.
Santa Cruz County is now lucky enough to have three fine French-based restaurants that just happen to be in close proximity: both Ma Maison and Theo's are only few miles away. Open only two months, Au Midi is still polishing a few edges but shows great promise. And Chef Loubiere's desserts seem very near perfection. |
