French Pastry Café

The first thing you notice when stepping into the French Pastry Café is sweet pleasure. Two pastry cases, illuminated from within, beckon with tempting tarts, mousse, cakes, and pies. Flaky croissants and alluring Danishes line the top shelf, a row of quiches and savory tarts sit to one side. Behind a counter, plump, fresh boules and baguettes seem to burst with starchy, airy dough. Before even thinking about a meal it seems time for dessert.

The second thing you notice, however, is just how charmingly suited the café is to a meal. The dining room begins before the pastry shop ends, creating a unique sense of casual formality. Diners relax at comfortably spaced linened tables, while customers walk in and out toting parcels of fresh loves, cakes, and treats. The atmosphere is open and friendly, the type of place equally suited to coffee and croissants in the morning and elegant dinner as night falls. Both are possible, although while the French Pastry Café serves breakfast and lunch daily, dinner is a rare treat. Thursday through Saturday evenings, the space transforms into Leana Bistro at the French Pastry Café, where an air of casual sophistication accompanies a menu of traditional French fare.

Arriving just before dinner hour, we casually peruse the pastry cases—making mental notes of what to save room for—and explore the newly redecorated space. While the Pastry Shop has been a Bird Rock institution since 1978, it has a new, fresh face, thanks to its new owner, Veronique Bokaie. Aiming to bring a piece of Europe to Bird Rock, the French-born Bokaie has swathed the cafe in bold, lively tones of maroon, dark orange, and pale yellow. The floor-to-ceiling windows are elegantly draped with red curtains, softening their bold forms. An indoor wine bar is new (wine tastings are held on Fridays), accented with Paduk wood and African masks that lend a hint of wild charm to the serene setting. An outdoor patio, decorated with lush plants and elegant tea lights and sheltered from the sidewalk by glass windows, beckons. The peaceful, whimsical setting seems somehow different amid the traditional, as if it doesn’t belong in La Jolla but instead in some far-off city. Indeed, that is the idea, Veronique explains: “to allow people to travel, even if they are just traveling across the street."

As with the setting, the concept of the Leana Bistro menu is unique and original. But while the setting is transporting, the food is perfectly suited to home. Believing that the food must fit the place, Veronique has put together a rotating menu of French classics that, rather than hailing from a particular region in France, are all suited to the climate and culture of La Jolla. In the late-summer season, the menu features light, summery dishes cooked through dry heat, relying on innate flavor rather than heavy sauces, and showcasing fresh vegetables and seafood.

A smartly short wine list accompanies the menu, with a small-but-solid selection of French and American wines by the bottle and the glass. More than a third of the list is devoted to Bordeaux Grand Crus, and it is refreshing to see so many good wines included in such a small selection—especially at reasonable prices. While most Bordeaux wines are offered by the bottle only, there is a solid array offered by the glass, including a Chateau Hauts Cabroles 2005 Merlot and a Vieilles Vignes 2005 Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley, which my date and I order, respectively.

We begin with Acrae de Morue, a traditional dish of Réunion, a French-owned island off the coast of Madagascar. Twelve tiny balls, glistening in crisp, fried shells arrive on a plate of lettuce, accompanied by thin slices of lemon. A faint aroma reminds us of freshly fried seafood and shore-side meals. Each piece is delicate, both in size and flavor, with a hard shell that breaks to reveal a concoction of mashed potato, salted cod, and fresh chives. The filling is slightly creamy, salty, and comforting, the lemon’s acidic tang cutting through the rich texture.

The Goat Cheese Quiche arrives in a perfect triangle, innocently resting aside a bed of lightly dressed mixed greens. The form is perfect—a pale yellow, perfectly firm filling hugged between a lightly browned top and a thin, delicate (and of course house-made) crust. The goat cheese commands its own layer within the quiche, a subtle ribbon of creamy white between two fluffy layers of yellow. The texture is classic—firm yet pillowy, creamy yet solid. The taste is subtle, evocative, and evasive all at once, and I close my eyes, shutting out all but this glorious forkful of fluffy egg.

A three-piece jazz band commences, the sounds of steel guitar, upright bass, and muted trumpet filling the air. We are lured by our server Shelby’s description of the café’s nearly-famous French Onion Soup, and eagerly greet the white porcelain bowls covered with an ivory crust of bubbly, melted Swiss. The cheese gently gives to reveal a surprisingly thick slice of fresh bread, which has already begun to soak up the deep, bewitching beef broth. Steam rises, reminding us of the sweet, thinly sliced caramelized onions waiting to be discovered. While the soup itself is a glorious rendition of the classic— entirely living up to its reputation—I am wooed by one particular element: the bread. Freshly made that morning by head baker Vianney de Gruson, it takes on a character of its own, almost doubling in size, transforming into a velvety form that melts on the tongue, resonating with the bewitching flavor of beef and onions.

The Beef and Chicken Brochette Provençale, a traditional grilled dish from the south of France, is a perfect example of a dish that suits the café’s Southern California location. The light, summery dish is wholesome and light, filled with flavor without relying on heavy sauces. Thick cubes of chicken and thin strips of NY steak are interlaced with onions and peppers on two large skewers. The crowded skewers tower above a plate of starchy mashed potatoes and enticingly fresh squash, asparagus, carrots, and cherry tomatoes. A light, slightly tart and buttery Provençale sauce is swirled around the edges, seeping into the mashed potatoes and lightly coating the vegetables. The chicken is perfectly moist, the beef succulent, each piece’s crisp, slightly browned exterior giving way to a tender center. The dry heat of a charcoal grill has imparted a smoky flavor that is balanced by the crisp and slightly buttery accompanying vegetables. It is simple and stunning.

The Atlantic Salmon with Pomme Paille Sauce Choron is an impressive sight. A generous portion of salmon sits commandingly atop a nest of stunningly thin shoestring potatoes, its towering pink form covered by a matching pink, creamy Choron sauce. A dainty cousin of pomme frites, the fries are matchstick-thin, making each bite entirely crisp and salty, gloriously devoid of any soggy center. The salmon is equally well-executed, its pale pink flesh pulling apart, each bite creamy and flavorful. The sauce—a tomato hollandaise—is luxurious and fresh, with vibrant diced tomatoes peeking out from amid the pink cream. A medley of fresh vegetables sits to the side, along with a porcelain bowl of zucchini galette—mandolin-thin slivers of zucchini bathed in a rich, silky cream sauce—which is the most luxurious component of the meal; its richness reminds us there is still a sweet conclusion to follow.

Surrendering our forks, we declare ourselves unable to finish the large portions, eagerly anticipating the restaurant's namesake. Shelby brings a tray of pastries to our table, presenting rows of gorgeous concoctions, each more stunning than the next. Pastry Chef François Grosjean, who hails from northern France and trained at the Ritz in London, is a master of his craft, a fact evident in presentation alone. Colorful mousse sits in picturesque rectangular forms; perfect slivers of fruit seem to burst from the center of glistening round tarts; decadent cakes reveal delicately thin layers of temptation. Carefully, as if the decision is the most important one we must make all day, we select two.

The Citron Craquelin is an instant delight: seven thin layers of sponge cake and lemon custard topped with house-made nougatine candy that crackles on our tongues. The dessert is so light and bursting with flavor that we savor each bite, letting the creamy texture completely dissolve on our tongues before swallowing. The Rum Baba, a traditional sponge cake soaked in rum and sugar and topped with a trio of fruits and fresh cream, is decadent and devious, innocent sweet fruit mingling with the unmistakably mischievous taste of rum.

It is the only time in my life where two desserts are not enough—I return the following week to take home several more (the bakery counter sells treats to go). The White Chocolate Passionfruit is a favorite—layers of sponge cake, white chocolate cream, and passionfruit mousse combine Chef Grossjean’s signature blend of tart and creamy flavors. The White Chocolate, Vanilla, and Red Fruit Mousse is a close second, stimulating the palate in ways unimagined. And the Light and Dark Chocolate Mousse is beyond decadence, laden with flavor yet ethereal in texture. All are stunning—perfect in form and flavor. I have been convinced to keep my eyes open—the French Pastry Café supplies fresh pastries to many of the area’s fine dining restaurants, and next time I recognize a French Pastry Café dessert (and they are eminently recognizable), it will be ordered. In the mean time, I will certainly be returning here—Leana’s Bistro at the French Pastry Café is a slice of sweet heaven.