Feb
6, 2003 — Several
years ago, a friend from grad school
— a talented, trained chef
— traveled through Bellingham on her way
to Whistler, B.C. Having sampled her culinary creations at an
exquisite, upscale restaurant in my Midwestern hometown, I was
nervous about selecting a dining destination.
I settled on Le Chat Noir, although I'd only been there once.
I fretted for days before her arrival, not certain it was the
right choice.
Le Chat Noir |
Location:
1200 Harris Ave.,
Fairhaven
Phone: 733-6136
Hours: 4 to 10 p.m., Monday through Friday 5 to
10 p.m., Saturday and Sunday
Serving: A mix of comfort food and upscale
evening fare ranging from ravioli and Grandma's pot roast
to crepes and filet mignon, served in a sophisticated yet
relaxing setting.
Menu items sampled:
Green salad $2
French onion soup $2
Steak Diane $22.95
Baked Gouda chicken $14.95
White chocolate Baileys' mousse $5.75 |
I needn't have worried.
The charming restaurant and lounge, perched high above 12th
Street in Fairhaven's historic Sycamore Square building, was a
hit with my haute cuisine-loving friend.
For a recent visit my husband and I walked the short distance
from our home to Le Chat Noir. Our server greeted us warmly and
asked if we preferred the front or back dining room. We chose
the back, farther from the sometimes-smoky bar.
Le Chat Noir
— or the Black Cat, as it's also known
— has a decidedly upscale air. The
lighting is kept so low it's difficult to discern the color
scheme, which only adds to the ambience.
Most striking as you enter are the exposed brick and soaring
ceiling and windows. There's even a faux door at one end of the
back dining room, complete with street number, mailbox and a
light above the door, reminiscent of a French streetscape after
dark.
I've sampled almost all of the appetizers on Le Chat Noir's
menu over the years since my friend's visit, and each has been
memorable. Even the simple grilled bread is fabulous, wedges of
French baguette crowned with a choice of pesto, marinara,
garlic, black olives or mozzarella.
But it's difficult to decide on my favorite appetizer at the
Cat. It's likely a tie between its bacon-wrapped water chestnuts
with barbecue sauce and prawn skewers served with aioli and
cocktail sauce. Then there are the Northwest oysters and steamer
clams. Or roasted garlic. Oh, it's too difficult to decide.
Food for the heart |
Valentine's Day is on the way. Looking for some place
to satisfy both your heart and your palate? Restaurant
reviewer Stacee Sledge offers a few of her favorites:
Cliff House
331 N. State St.
The stunning water view alone inspires romance, but the
food is equally enthralling.
Pacific Cafe
100 N. Commercial St.
A fine-dining haven in the midst of downtown that offers
a lingering experience for lovebirds.
Calumet
113 E. Magnolia St.
A suitable spot for high-end eats and stolen kisses in a
modern, metropolitan setting.
Dirty Dan Harris'
1211 11th St.
Enjoy a romantic stroll through Fairhaven that ends in
the enveloping dark wood and candlelight of Dirty Dan's.
Harborside Bistro
1 Bellwether Way
Dine a deux in the elegant Harborside Bistro at the
luxurious Hotel Bellwether.
Wild Garlic
114 Prospect St.
Ensure that you have your Valentine all to yourself
after you both imbibe in the wondrous garlic gastronomy
of Wild Garlic.
Oyster Creek Inn
2190 Chuckanut Drive
Make the romantic drive along winding Chuckanut and
enjoy a romantic escape to the upscale Oyster Creek Inn. |
Picking an entree at Le Chat is also a challenge, because the
selection is so sublime.
Feel like something simple but extraordinary? Go with a
gourmet "pizzette" or hot roast beef sandwich.
Or maybe you're looking to order a dish not frequently found
elsewhere in Whatcom County. Try one of Le Chat's three savory
crepes.
The pasta dishes are also spot-on, from fettuccini Alfredo to
beef stroganoff.
The night of our visit, we were both in the mood for
special-occasion fare, which meant Steak Diane for my husband
and baked Gouda chicken for me.
My husband started with a salad of leafy greens topped with
slivers of carrot, cucumber slices, tomato wedges and cubes of
croutons, finished with a tangy, robust vinaigrette.
I'm a sucker for any soup with an onion base, so I was torn
between the restaurant's popular French onion soup, available
daily, and the soup du jour, vichyssoise (cream of leek and
potato soup).
I went with the French onion soup and, although I'm still
imagining how wonderful Le Chat Noir's vichyssoise might be, I
wasn't disappointed. Resting on a classic saucer encircled by a
thin black pinstripe, the cup of soup was too hot to taste for a
few minutes. The aroma that rose as I pushed aside the thick
slab of floating French bread with melted Swiss cheese made me
impatient to get at the bubbling broth. It was worth the wait.
Ordering a steak at Le Chat Noir means more than an extremely
tender, flavorful filet mignon surrounded by baby red potatoes
or herbed wild rice, veggies or spinach soufflé.
At Le Chat Noir, each naturally aged steak is finished
tableside by your server on a small gas burner rolled up to the
lip of your table on a small, square cart.
Our smiling server poured brandy into the sauté pan holding
the near-finished filet, which had been pre-prepared in the
kitchen. She expertly set it ablaze, cooking off the alcohol,
then quickly built a simmering sauce of mushrooms, green onions,
lingonberries and demi-glace in the small pan, removing it when
the flambéed steak was cooked to an ideal medium rare.
She placed the steak in front of my husband then quickly
returned to the kitchen for my baked Gouda chicken.
The Steak Diane was simply divine, tender and complemented
nicely by the sweet lingonberries in the otherwise savory sauce.
For Le Chat Noir's baked Gouda chicken, a boneless chicken
breast is stuffed with the smoked cheese and petite bay shrimp,
then swathed in a creamy, flavorful pesto sauce. A fantastic
blend of flavors and textures, it is, quite possibly, the best
chicken dish I've ever been served in a restaurant. Period.
My husband was feeling overfull by the time the final course
rolled around, so for a change the dessert decision-making was
left up to me. He tends toward the richest chocolate desserts,
but my eye went directly to the description of Le Chat Noir's
lighter white chocolate Baileys mousse. Piped into a brandy
glass presented atop a doily-covered saucer that had been dusted
with powdered sugar and sprinkled with sliced almonds, the airy
ribbons of mousse made a delightful dessert. The distinct flavor
of Baileys Irish Cream balanced nicely with the understated
white chocolate.
Changes are afoot for Le Chat Noir, with plans to separate
the dining rooms completely from the bar area, renaming this
division the Alley Cat. This will remedy the occasional problem
of cigarette smoke that drifts into the front dining area.
Happily, the menu shouldn't change much
— although there is a fondue rumor
circulating.
Can Le Chat Noir possibly be improved upon? I can't wait to
find out.
The
Fine Print: I dine on my own dime. The opinions herein are mine
alone, not The Bellingham Herald's. Agree? Disagree? Please drop
me a line at StaceeSledge@hotmail.com.