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Welcome to Savannah, America's Most Beautiful City
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By Cima Star |
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For years, all of us at SavannahBest.com have lamented the lack of a nice French restaurant in Savannah. Now, at last, we have Papillote! Not a dine-in restaurant, to be sure, but a French carryout bistro serving genuine, down to earth, country French cuisine.
Opened a few months ago, I’ve sampled a good many of their offerings, and all have been excellent, some truly superb. For instance, the Crispy Fennel Salad. When I lived in Europe, fennel, called fenouil in France and finocchio in Italy, was widespread in both countries, used both in salads and as a sautéed side dish. Delightfully crispy, with a flavor faintly reminiscent of liquorish, it’s served at Papillote (with or without shrimp) tossed with oranges, fresh basil and subtly sweet-spicy ginger orange vinaigrette. Just a couple of weeks ago, this little bistro received its wine license. So far, they have just a couple of nice French table wines (what more could anyone ask?), but plan to expand the list shortly. Another favorite specialty is the Tartine, a French open-faced sandwich, always on an interesting bread. One particularly delicious one was the French ham with locally produced Gouda cheese and decorated with a few toasted almonds. Another was the duck confit with caramelized onions and toasted pecans. The Tartines change almost daily, but are always served with a generous salad of mixed greens with their signature ginger vinaigrette. Any of these tartines makes a lovely lunch for one, or shared as an appetizer for two. Another excellent dish is the Quiche, often with fresh asparagus and lovely smoked salmon, also served with the salad. To me, the star of the menu is their Bouchee a la Reine, which I’ve had several times. A large puff pastry cup overflows with a creamy medley of chicken, mushrooms, onions and spinach. Hints of thyme and wine and nutmeg enhance the creamy sauce, lighter than a béchamel, but certainly related. And accompanied by that fresh mixed green salad, as are almost all the dishes except for salads and desserts. Desserts are all sybaritic delights, from the Fruit Tart, thus far filled with a varying assortment different berries, to the chocolate-lover’s dream, The Gilded Brownie! This latter, a deep, rich chocolate fudge confection topped with an edible 23K gold leaf is simply sublime. Bon Appetit!
Questions? Comments? Email Editor@SavannahBest.com.
Papillote |
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