French Kiss
I love Chez Fonfon in the Springtime…
By Jan Walsh
Spring begins when asparagus and strawberries appear on Chez Fonfon’s menu. And today asparagus with farm egg vinaigrette is at the top of the menu and Strawberry Tart is at the bottom.
Chez Fonfon is the Stitt Restaurant Group’s French restaurant. Other restaurants include Bottega Café, Bottega Dining Room, and Highlands Bar and Grill. The restaurants are locally owned and operated by Executive Chef, Frank Stitt and wife, Pardis. Staff here is a mix of familiar faces, including Nathan and Tyler, and new ones. Yet all have the same professionalism. From the valet’s welcome to the server bringing the check, the Fonfon experience is flawless.
Today we are seated at “our table” in the corner of the bar. Mustard yellow walls wrap around the lively yet intimate bistro, transporting guests to the South of France.
On spring days when weather is predicable, we reserve the courtyard patio, complete with umbrellaed tables, flowering foliage, a flowing fountain, and boule court.
Looking over the wine menu reminds me that Frank was at the helm of Birmingham becoming the wine city it is today. And it shows in this wine list. We narrow our choice down to two bottles of bubbly, from which our server, Tyler suggests the rose, Louis de Grenelle, which is one of the last remaining, family-owned sparkling wine houses in Saumur, France. From 25-year-old cabernet franc vines growing on chalky, clay-limestone soil the grapes are hand harvested, slowly and gently pressed to achieve its salmon color. Lovely notes of white peach and honey tickle the nose with persistent effervescence.
Kev starts with Artisanal cheeses from the La Petite Cuisine, knowing I will share. I am torn. Each spring I order the grilled asparagus with farm-egg… have a library of photos of this dish. It varies a little each year. But today I also see asparagus on one of today’s fish sets. So, I forgo it as an app and order the Beet Salad.
Today’s selection of vetted cheeses: Capriole Sofia, an award winning creamy, wrinkly goat cheese from Indiana; raw milk Montgomery Cheddar from Somerset United Kingdom, bold and earthy; a standout Coston Stilton Bassett Blue from Auvergne, fudgy in texture with complex blue tanginess; nutty and sweet Comte hard cheese from unpasteurized cow's milk in eastern France. Nathan presents a tour of the cheeses, which I should have filmed. Yet he graciously writes “CliffsNotes, for me as Kev and I spread this vetted variety onto bite sized baguettes, swooning over each. Much like a wine tasting, cheese plates are an excellent way to learn about fine cheeses and cheesemaking. In season, local beets shine in my vibrant beet salad. They harmonize with mâche, fennel, hazelnut, and Capriole Goat Cheese, with each balancing the others’ flavors and textures into a congruent whole … the best beet salad ever! Come here. Order this!
Kev has made fun of my Julia Childs impression and pronunciation of “boeuf bourguignon,” for years. Today he orders it and brags
that he does it better than me… “buhf bor·guh·nyaan.” Yet I am more jealous that I cannot order it myself (due to mushroom allergy) than I am his obviously well practiced, behind my back btw, pronunciation. Today I want fish but want it my way: the fingerling potato and asparagus set comes with the swordfish. But I want it with the Roasted Gulf Tile Fish and its sauce ecrevisse. The kitchen graciously accommodates. Intrigued by the optional side of Carrots and Tarragon, I order it too. Kev’s fancy short rib arrives piping hot. Where else will you find boeuf bourguignon in Birmingham? Fork tender beef in a glossy, earthy, red wine sauce atop creamed potatoes, is enhanced with lardons, mushrooms, and carrots. This complex, concentrated, deeply flavored French stew is highly recommended! The caramelized tarragon carrots flaunt aromatics of licorice. I add spoonfuls of it to my fish plate, brightening the seafood with color and savory, sweet herbaceous notes. This impromptu fish presentation looks like a boat, with fingerling potatoes and asparagus as the hull and crawfish both along for the ride and swimming alongside. The tile fish and crawfish are a duo of delicate sweetness, complimenting each other, as do their firm textures. Ecrevisse is a French feminine noun meaning crawfish or crayfish. And sauce ecrevisse elevates the seafood with a shellfish exclamation point. My way or their way, catch the tile fish if you can.
For dessert Kev tries a new (to the menu) dessert, Chocolate Mousse. And I am all in for Strawberry Tart. The chocolaty mousse has a hint of citrus from its orange liqueur, and its espresso adds another layer of depth. The deep, rich mousse is topped with sweet cream and dark chocolate shavings and is served with a soft cake like cookie that looks like cornbread. Calling chocoholics for this dreamy dessert! My strawberry tart is a work of art. Just the crust itself is perfection in form, texture, and flavor. I could eat it with no filling. Its frangipane filling marries well with fresh, local strawberries, strawberry jam, and its topping of toasted almonds. A 16th-century Italian nobleman, Marquis Muzio Frangipani, who created a popular almond-scented perfume, is the namesake of this filling. The crisp crust, sweet fruit, and crunchy almonds make a fab and fulfilling dessert. Up next, blueberry trifle and tomato salad season… until then, Fonfon!
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