Table for Two Déjà vu
Like Old Times at Chez Fonfon
By Jan Walsh
Our table is back! For many years Kev and I sat in the bar’s window corner of Frank and Pardis Stitt’s Chez Fonfon.. It was “our table.” And to secure it, we arrived early, standing outside the door until it opened. This was back in the day when Fonfon did not take reservations. A few years ago, the café replaced bar window tables with overflow bar seating. Now the bar tables are back. And with reservations accepted we can now request as we reserve our table. Today we are seated at it for the first time in years… So many memories at this frosted window live in my heart, folding onto each other like layers of soft meringue.
In this corner, I also hear echoes from the past… friends’ voices and laughter. Here I shared a last lunch with two special friends at Fonfon. My dear friend, Euthema and I came for lunch, after one of her final cancer treatments. We ordered up and down the menu, giggled like girls, and reminisced over tomato salad, Gulf fish, and blueberry tart. It was her first time here… the last time I would ever see her. Another friend Jim and I also enjoyed lunches here. And when he later became ill, I took Fonfon to him. His eyes lit up seeing the takeout bag before we feasted at his kitchen table. Afterwards, to his delight, I snuck his favorite Pumpkin Cheesecake to him at UAB Hospital. It was his all-time favorite dish and a dying wish.
No one has the promise of tomorrow. So, we must make the most of today. Kev and I toast this moment with a bottle of bubbly. We look over Chez Fonfon’s early autumn menu for the final time, as it turns over to mid-autumn menu next week. Kev starts with the Prime Beef Tartine. And I select Goat Cheese and Caramelized Onion Tart. His scrumptious tartine is a lovely layering of thin slices of tender prime beef, crowned with delicate lettuces, pickled mushrooms, crispy shallots, and blue cheese aioli. If you missed this dish, this tartine is gone. But you may catch the new tartine of smoked salmon. Although I envy his choice, my tart rivals it and remains on the new menu. Generous in size, the tart’s creamy, tangy goat cheese smothers ribbons of intertwining caramelized onions, all enveloped in a French crust.
For our entrées Kev often orders something new for my reviews. But today he is craving his favorite, the café’s comfort food, Croque Madame. And while it is typically the Chaque Jour for me, today’s spècialitè du jour catches my eye… To Kev’s surprise and our server, Nathan’s delight, I opt for the Boeuf à la Gascogne. After a decade off red meat, I recently added it back as part of my new dietary regime to include more protein.
Kev’s sandwich is pronounced “krowk ma·dm.” Croque comes from the French verb “croquer” or ``to bite.'' And the egg Croque resembles a madame’s hat. This knife and fork sandwich is a hearty, toasty melding of ham, cheese, egg, and mornay sauce. It is accompanied by warm, golden pomme frites. Today’s version is not served open faced. So, in our little corner, no one notices if it is handheld.
My rich, tender (braised in red wine, brandy, and orange) beef is presented with lardons and root veggies. Cresting atop a bed of potato puree, it is rounded out with freshly dug, earthy carrots and onions. This fabulous dish whispers fall in a French accent and is well worthy of my Julia Child impersonation…
Fonfon’s menus always include seasonal desserts, such as today’s Pear and Almond Tart and Jim’s favorite, Pumpkin Cheesecake coming on the new menu. Reminiscing of desserts past includes my favorite, Chocolate pot de crème, which we order. Served on a French blue and white underplate and doily, topped with Chantilly cream and petite chocolate biscotti, it is a cool, creamy, chocolaty pot of heaven. Life is short. Take a family member, or friend, to Fonfon. Toast the moment and share dessert.
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