From The New Orleans Menu Daily By Tom Fitzmorris Originally published May 11, 2008 Cafe Degas 3$ Esplanade Ridge: 3127 Esplanade 945-5635 Lunch Tues.-Sun. Dinner Mon.-Sat. Brunch Sun. AE DC DS MC V French Bistro. http://www.cafedegas.com With no end in sight to the vogue for casual French bistros, the owners of Café Degas must be satisfied with themselves. It was the first of that genre locally. It was so far ahead of the times when it opened in 1986 that a lot of people didn’t know what to make of it. Named for French Impressionist painter Edgar Degas--who lived up the street long enough to become known as a local character--Café Degas is unambiguously French, starting with the language of the menu. In 1986, a French menu meant a formal, ambitious, and expensive dinner was coming. But Café Degas has never been any of those things. It couldn’t be more casual. Most of the tables are on a deck that only seems like it's indoors. (They keep it warmed and cooled by surrounding it with clear plastic walls when necessary.) Service is loose to the point of being helter-skelter. Prices are bohemian. I wasn't impressed by Café Degas in its early years. But each meal I take there is better than the one before. And a certain style has emerged. Owners Jerry Edgar and Jacques Soulas just let it happen. And the restaurant is now the center of the flourishing little commercial neighborhood on Esplanade near City Park. The daily specials sheet is the best place to start looking for food, even if you’ve never been to the restaurant before. While the specials emerge from a limited range of dishes, they do have a seasonal aspect, and reflect the best ingredients in the kitchen that day. And way down at the bottom of that sheet you’ll find a prix-fixe complete dinner. That not only gives seasonal deliciousness, but is a great bargain. The crowd that dines at Café Degas is hip enough that the kitchen doesn't hesitate to serve offbeat groceries. A great way to begin the meal is to split a board of pates, cheeses, and smoked fish. These cold assortments are very French and lightm, too, served amply enough to almost make a lunch unto themselves. Café Degas makes the definitive escargots bourguignonne. It's the classic style, with more parsley into the garlic butter than most cooks use, creating a fresher flavor. Good soups, including a classy onion soup gratinee. This is the famous version with the dark broth and the cap of cheese melted over the crock. This is a cool-weather dish to my palate, but it’s always welcome. Salads are nicely composed, and if you don't mind the pun that is especially true of the salade Nicoise. That's a standard of French bistro menus: greens with fresh tuna, potatoes, green beans, and olives. Another candidate for a complete light meal. Café Degas was serving hanger steak--known here by its French name onglet--before any other restaurant I know. It’s shaped like a valentine heart, is a little on the chewy side (which is why they always slice it up for you in the kitchen), and has a first-class, assertive flavor. Sweetbreads, when they show up as a special, are really fine here, sauteed with a little brown butter and capers. The weak part of the menu here is fish. I’ve never quite been satisfied by it. However, last week they ran a fish cake in the style of a crab cake--probably made with bits of fish cut off to make fillets. It was very good--and an idea that more chefs ought to use, especially during the months when crabmeat isn’t cheap enough to serve. The dessert list is presented on a marker board, and includes everything you’d expect: creme brulee, crepes, apple bread pudding, tarte tatin. All good, especially that pudding. Café Degas has a long tradition of waiters and waitresses who get very familiar with you, especially if they’ve seen you before. It’s nice, but don’t think that they’ll be perfectly frank about the food because of this. I have had not-so-good stuff here praised to the rafters. The wine list is a lot better than it once was, and includes many choices by the glass. Click here for an index of all restaurant reviews. © 2008 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com.