Cafe de France Says Oui to Delray

By Bill Citara

Jan 31, 2010 - 12:00 AM

“French quality” and “Cheesecake Factory-sized portions” are the watchwords of the latest Gallic addition to Delray’s Restaurant Row (aka, Atlantic Avenue), says Olivier Le Gloahec, chef-owner of Café de France.

The tres French eatery with its rich wood tones and posh Italian marble takes over the space formerly home to Cold Stone Creamery. Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner, its menu reprises many of the classics of one of the world’s great cuisines, from duck a l’orange and chicken cordon bleu to more than 25 different pastries, including baguettes, desserts, quiches and 10 varieties of croissant.

There’s more too: foie gras salad, bouillabaisse, escargot, and cheese and charcuterie platters, the last two a welcome development to those of us who think there are few better meals in the world than a plate of gloriously pungent French cheeses and artisan salumi.

And to anyone who still thinks authentic French cuisine means minuscule portions that would leave an infant hungry, Le Gloahec maintains he’s modeled the café’s portions to his own appetite. “When I go out I want to eat, not to play,” says this representative of six generations of French chefs and restaurateurs.

He also goes out to drink French wine, which comprises 90 percent of the café’s wine list.

FYI: Café de France, 110 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, 561-455-2140.

About This Blog

Bill Citara is a South Florida-based food, wine and restaurant writer who serves as the food editor for Boca Raton and Florida Table magazines. Citara moved from the San Francisco Bay area, where he was a big-deal food and wine critic for the San Francisco Examiner as well as a chef, winery publicist, and bon vivant. His articles have been published in Bon Appetit, San Francisco Chronicle, Miami Herald, and U.S. Airways Magazine, among others.