French Corner

Review #84

The French Corner is an adorable little cafe nestled on the 101 in Leucadia.  You have probably driven by it a million times and didn’t even know it existed.  There isn’t a huge sign out front and has no dedicated parking lot.   But what it has on the inside is heavenly!

First things first.  Are you in the mood for a savory or sweet meal?  This is a tough decision.  The sweet pastries in the display are sure to seduce you, but the paninis, quiches and other savory dishes on the menu sound so good too.

Savory Goodness

Hello Sweetness!

A whole display of yumminess

What are these sweet looking morsels and why aren’t they in my mouth?

Gluten-free are ya?  No problème!

 

What’s this I see by the register?  Bits and scraps of something that smells divine.  It’s a bowl of pastry samples- yes!  So smart.

Whichever way you go, start off with some or other organic coffee drink.  They have it all.  I ordered a cafe au lait.  It was perfection.

Hubs and I ordered paninis and BP (Our insatiable 14 year old, “Bottomless Pit”) ordered, what else?  French toast.  Always.  But we let him pick out a goody to share while we waited.  Remember, a shared goody at the table while one waits for their meal never has any calories.  He chose a slice of banana bread.  It was good but not my favorite.  Not overly sweet which I appreciate, but almost too banana-y.  Does that make sense?  Can banana bread in fact have too many bananas?  But trust me, it was devoured in record time between us all.  And with my delicious, creamy, dreamy cafe au lait, the world was fantastic right about now.

(Hubby note:  she’s nuts.  The banana bread had an excellent banana count.  There can’t be too many bananas in banana bread!)

There’s a nice deck wrapping around French Corner, and it’s outside seating only.    If you come early like we did, you can get a prime spot.

We chose this portion of the patio which was very nice.  They even have a few toys for the youngsters and authentic french music playing to put you in a french mood.

 

Beautiful french music playing

The service wasn’t lightening fast, it was more “classically french”.  Which gave us plenty of time to notice our surroundings.  They have adorned this tree with lights and succulents.  Have you ever seen a tree decorated in succulents?  Because I haven’t.

There’s also some…interesting…art to look at.

No need to wait to be served water.  Get off your ass and get it yourself!

BP’s french toast looked great, but I am not a french toast expert.   Here’s what the true connoisseur says:  It’s good for a light breakfast.  I would give it a 7/10.  I’ll be ready for more food when I get home though.

Hubby ordered the Pesto and Turkey Panini.  They knocked this out of the freaking park!  The baguette was super crispy with the flavors of homemade pesto and a thick, balsamic reduction coming through.  Trés fantastique!

Their baguettes are made fresh right here.

My caprese panini was equally amazing.  The reason why these paninis are so much better than all others is that they really mash the panini maker down hard on these bad boys.  These sandwiches get the cheese-wiz pressed out of them so that they are hot all the way through.  Think about it.  When was the last time you had a truly hot panini all the way through?  I’m guessing never.  Usually once the bread is toasted, they are deemed “done”.  But they aren’t!  And biting through warm bread into cold meat and cheese isn’t appetizing!  But here….oh here, they know what they are doing.  Smash these suckers as flat as you can French Bakery, and don’t stop until you have a completely warmed sandwich through and through.  Now this is how to do panini!

Our only complaint is that our sandwiches were served with chips instead of the green salad.  A mistake they promptly fixed.

Get this salad, not chips, with your panini for sure!

Well, no I have not.  YET that is!

BP’s other hobby besides eating is drawing.  During our wait, he drew a very lifelike portrait of Hubby waiting for his food:

Hubby hungry!  Hubby need food!

Bottom Line:

Bring your dogs, bring you kids, just don’t be in a rush.  The reason your food takes a while is that it’s made with love.  And you can’t hurry love.  (Stop singing that song)  Let me know when you are going to the French Corner, they are open daily from 7:30-4:00, because I will want to meet you there.

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***THE LANAI IS CLOSED!! Meet us just south for dinner and dessert st Live Culture instead!

Join us this Sunday, July 7th at 6:30pm at

The Lanai

http://www.thelanaileucadia.com/

We want a BIG crowd for this one.  It’s casual, it’s affordable, it looks like a lot of fun.  I’ve never been, so the verdict is still out on the food.  Have you been wanting to join Dining on the 101 but haven’t made it yet?  Do it now!  Looking forward to meeting some new friends!