French Archives - Our Changing Life

Cafe Des Amis Offers Intriguing Dishes

Jeff & Crystal — Fri, 03 May 2019 09:45:55 +0000

Our visit to Main Street Parkville allowed us to sample a wide range of cuisine options. Within a few easily walk-able blocks, visitors can find anything from casual to refined elegance for dining choices. We wanted to sample every one of them, which meant we were in for quite the culinary adventure. We chose a visit to Cafe des Amis to fall as a lunch stop, during a day of exploring. After seeing their menu posted outside of the restaurant, we were anxious to savor some of their French cuisine.

We want to thank Main Street Parkville and Café des Amis for their hospitality. Rest assured all opinions are our own.

Cozy and Quaint

Our morning meal had been hours ago, at the local B&B. (You can read about Main Street Inn here.) Hunger was beginning to call out to us, and we were anticipating more than a meal. Having prior knowledge that owners Guillaume and Ingrid Hanriot are from the Champagne region of France, increased our anticipation. We knew the dishes would be full of delicate, yet complimentary flavors. The hostess seated us with a window view of the downtown. We timed our visit to be a late lunch, in hopes of missing the normal weekend rush. Our server, Sarah, welcomed us to the oldest business building in downtown Parkville. (Built in 1844) She walked us through the menu and included some suggestions based on dishes she enjoys.

Difficult Decisions

With Sarah’s assistance, we were able to plan out our entire meal. We knew it would come in stages, which allowed time to savor each dish properly. While this cuisine is designed to be complimented by certain wines, we decided to forego this and stick with water. Sarah brought us a tray of crusty French bread, with lavender salted butter, to munch on while our meal was being prepared.

Dining With Our Eyes

In order to get the best cross section of flavors, Crystal and I decided to split dishes where possible. We started with Salade Cafe des Amis, which combines baby greens, red pepper, Portabella mushrooms, blue cheese crumbles, and candied spiced walnuts. Even a simple salad becomes a culinary masterpiece when the correct selection of flavors are combined.

Refined Elegance at Café des Amis

The next course included a pair of seafood based dishes. It is fair to say that most people have heard of escargot, yet many have not tasted a dish containing snails. My first experience was at Café des Amis, when I ordered the Feuilleté D’Escargots. The dish consists of six Burgundy wild snails in a butter sauce, with garlic and fresh herbs. The flavor was a delightful blend that begged to be completed. It was apparent that the crusty bread was a perfect way to sop up every drop of the delicious sauce. Sarah arrived again shortly, with my order of Coquilles St. Jacques Au Gratin. This breaded and baked dish of sherry sautéed scallops and mushrooms is served in a béchamel sauce. The addition of tomato had tinted the “white sauce” to a beautiful hue of orange. The addition of a baked squid ink wafer added an architectural element to the dish.

A Taste of Brunch

Time for a confession. Not for me, but for Crystal. She is not nearly as open to new flavors as I am, so she was skipping the opportunity to sample the seafood dishes I had chosen. Her loss was my gain, as each one presented a new flavor combination that my taste buds had yet to discover. Now it was her turn, as the Quiche Lorraine was served. This labor intensive dish consists of 36 hour poached ham, bacon, sautéed onions and Swiss Cheese. Baked to golden perfection, I could immediately see that Crystal was happy with her choice. Our final dish to be served reminded me that it was a good thing I had let her have the majority of the salad.

Sensational Seafood

Sarah brought out a lidded pot that contained my order of Moules Marinières Faςon Odile. I knew that this would be all mine, since Crystal was busy with her quiche. When the lid was removed, a plume of steam rose from the pot. Inside I spied Prince Edwards Island mussels in a sherry wine, shallots, herbs, and light cream sauce. This was definitely another fantastic dish that offered a depth of flavors. Soon, my pot was empty and our meal was complete. Sarah returned to tempt us with dessert, but we had no room left for it.

Returning to Our Discoveries

Our thoughts were turning to our afternoon of exploring, and we wondered how many people would recognize the look of satisfaction that comes from a meal at Cafe des Amis. Time for us to make our way back into public, but we would carry with us the memory of the refined elegance we just enjoyed. With an afternoon still ahead of us, it was certain that we had plenty of energy to take on any challenge.

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Pancake’s Fancy Brother – Chez Elle Crepes

Jeff & Crystal — Mon, 29 Jan 2018 10:55:45 +0000

Spending the winter months hunkered down in Kansas City may not be the most tropical of destinations. It does offer us a chance to build up a backlog of topics for articles about our hometown. Fortunately, if we run out of ideas, we can simply ask our readers, and get a ton of great suggestions. A day planned for visiting the World War 1 Museum needed a great breakfast jump start, and you all really went above and beyond with the list. Many were stored away for future outings, and the final decision was made to visit Chez Elle, at 1713 Summit Street. We were anxious to sample their menu filled with pancake’s fancy brother.

We want to thank Chez Elle for their hospitality. Rest assured that all opinions are our own.

Just Like In The Movies

Chez Elle is the brainchild of owner Ellen Trakas. We were fortunate to run into her during our visit, and I spoke with her about her passion. The building has been converted from the old Summit Theater, which is evident from the remaining ticket window. Everything else bespeaks a flair of a Parisian creperie and coffee house. Ellen fell in love with this staple of French life during a stay in France. Chez Elle is not only unique in its menu, it is also one of only a few restaurants that we are aware of that is truly environmentally nurturing. The paper goods are all compostable, and they even recycle the coffee grounds for use in making garden compost for local farms.

Our Visit To Chez Elle

We met up with our daughter for breakfast, and beat her there by a few minutes. This gave us time to order some lattes, since we were already well caffeinated by now. When we entered the building, we were deposited into a large foyer, where the window is for ordering. A huge chalkboard sign lists the available crepes, which come in sweet, savory, and breakfast categories. We decided to wait for our daughter, before picking our dishes, so that we could create a trifecta of flavors. After placing our drink orders, we found some seating in the main dining area.

Soon our coffees were delivered, and before long we were joined by our daughter. By chance, the owner was in the restaurant that morning, and we had a chance to talk with her. She explained a little of the history of the building, as well as the surrounding neighborhood. As she spoke, it was apparent she had a strong connection with the area, and wanted to leave a positive mark in its history. Our discussion turned to the crepes, and it was decided that picking one from each of the main categories would give a good sampling of the menu.

Pancake’s Fancy Brother

Many people wonder what the difference is between crepes and pancakes (I used to.) The main thing is that pancakes are made with a raising agent, such as baking powder or soda, while crepes are not. This allows crepes to remain a thin skin in comparison. After we had placed our order, I wandered over to the station where the crepes are prepared. I watched with wonder, as the cook ladled the batter, and then leveled it across the cooking surface. It was very entertaining to see this being done, and at Chez Elle, there are windows that allow viewing. I’m betting kids would love to see this, as well.

Time To Dine

Our dishes arrived sooner than I had expected, and I had to scramble a little to decide the best way to photograph the plates. It was finally decided to just move them to an empty table nearby for the pictures. Our selections included one each of; Bonjour (A breakfast crepe with bacon, eggs, and cheese), Patriote (A sweet crepe with strawberries, blueberries, and bananas with whipped cream and two sauces), and Le Jardin (A savory crepe with vegetables and cheeses) . Once the pictures were completed, we all started in on our original choices. After a while, we switched plates to sample the other two varieties. By the end, there was still a portion of two of the crepes left, and all three of us were stuffed. With a solid breakfast, that included some protein, under our belts, we were now ready to go explore Kansas City. It was my first visit to a creperie, and now I’ve discovered a delicious alternative to pancakes.

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