dineLA

July 27, 2014

Destination: Café Bizou, Sherman Oaks

Cost: $21.00 plus gas

Many cities have “restaurant weeks” and what’s not to like? Participating establishments put together a special menu at a reduced price to introduce their fare to new customers. I’ve been meaning to do this for years, and I realized on Saturday that there was only one day left to sample this year’s dineLA, which actually lasts for fourteen days.

I made a lunch reservation at Café Bizou in Sherman Oaks. 

It’s close by and I've been hearing good things about this restaurant for a long time. Besides, the dineLA lunch menu looked fantastic: lobster bisque, homemade pasta, salmon, flourless chocolate cake yet cost only $15.00. On Sundays, Ventura Boulevard is not metered, so it was easy to find street parking nearby. The restaurant was buzzing, with patrons assembled on the sidewalk and near the hostess stand, but with my 1:30 reservation I was seated immediately, at a small table alongside a window which looked into the bar. We got off to a good start when my ever-so-slightly arrogant server greeted me as “mademoiselle.”

From the prix fixe menu, I selected baked mushrooms stuffed with chicken-spinach mousse, a lobster-avocado-mozzarella panini with mixed greens on the side and tiramisu. I liked that you could substitute the 1^st or 3^rd course for a glass of house wine.

   

The mushrooms didn’t "wow" at first bite, but really grew on me - the balsamic vinegar sauce was dark, thick and delicious. I loved the two endive leaves dolloped with a little splash of something that resembled Italian salsa. The panini was very rich and needed something to brighten it up. I scooped up some of the salad and layered it inside the sandwich. The added acid-y crunch did the trick. The small diced tomatoes on the greens were of excellent quality and very sweet.. The tiramisu was made with real ladyfingers and had good coffee flavor and lots of fluffy cream.

The mixed crowd made for good people watching, the wine list was reasonably priced if a little pedestrian - there were a few small service glitches, but nothing that would keep me away. The regular lunch menu was expansive and provided good value, especially since you can add soup or salad for a dollar. Café Bizou may become my new Sunday brunch spot.