Le Cake Chateau on 7th Avenue in downtown San Diego is located half a block from Copely Symphony Hall. It’s a great spot for pre-symphony dinner as well as post-performance happy hour, often frequented by performers. The Rosas family runs this French bakery, serving breakfast and lunch daily and now offering a full dinner menu with international wine list on Fridays and Saturdays. Le Cake Chateau offers a casual yet upbeat urban atmosphere serving rustic French bistro fare including Coq au Vin, Rack of Lamb, Filet Mignon with Gorgonzola, Ratatouille with pasta.
Read More ...Le Cake Chateau is a petite French bakery located on 7th Avenue in downtown San Diego. A couple of doors down from Lucky’s Tatoos and half a block from Copley Symphony Hall, the bakery sits at an interesting intersection of upscale urban culture and neighborhood family charm. This area of downtown is enjoying a renaissance, which includes Le Cake Chateau’s recent decision to open for dinner on Friday and Saturday nights. Look for the red awning and the black granite-topped tables on the sidewalk out front and you’ll know you’ve come to the right place. If you don’t find an open on-street parking spot, there are many parking lots and garages in the area.
How did a family of Mexican chefs come to run a French Bakery and Bistro? Mom, Maggie Rosas, paired up with a French pastry chef, of course! After operating Le Cake Chateau as a bakery, offering breakfast and lunch for three years, the Rosas’ brought in chef Dana Straub and wine merchant Gina Roiban in January 2008 to begin offering dinner to the symphony-going crowd as well as the neighborhood locals.
The clientele on the Saturday night I visited seemed to be mostly pre-performance symphony goers, nicely dressed in San Diego’s relatively casual chic, with lots of salt-and-pepper grey hair. The place was packed and I was glad I’d made a reservation, since my table was the only one left. Even though it was busy, my table beside the pastry cases was a cozy spot for dining solo. Jazz vocals provided the soundtrack under the cacophony of conversation. Tables were adorned with white tablecloths and vases, each containing a single orange daisy in sprightly, urban bistro style. There were some outdoor sidewalk tables, although when I visited, the weather was too cool to sit outside comfortably.
Le Cake Chateau’s dinner menu items are a la carte, listed in French and English. They include traditional French entrees such as Coq au Vin along with Italian dishes like pasta Carbonara and California favorites like Blackened Ahi Tuna. The family’s Mexican heritage also sneaks into dishes like Poulet au Feu or “Chicken on Fire” which is seasoned with a spicy chipotle cream sauce.
A basket of sliced French baguettes arrived first to the table with a ramekin of salty chive butter and I was reminded that the bread and everything else on the menu is made fresh, on site, from scratch.
I chose the Langoustine appetizer, four langoustines (a variety of lobster resembling a monster shrimp) served chilled and arranged in a pool of sweet red chili sauce with a nest of fresh chiffonade greens. The lobster meat was mild, firm and tender and the chili sauce gave this dish a colorful zing while the fresh greens cooled it back down.
The Shrimp Bisque was in high demand, which I assume means it’s really good, since they had run out by the time I ordered. My salad course was Maggie’s Pear Salad, a large serving of mild leafy greens and endives, punctuated with tangy gorgonzola cheese bits and sweet candied walnuts, with fresh pear slices and dressed with a refined honey vinaigrette. It was light and satisfying as an introduction to the entrées yet to come.
Tournedos Gorgonzola was recommended by my server and proved its value as a favorite. I enjoyed filet mignon perfectly cooked rare, very tender with a rich gorgonzola cream sauce poured over the top and robust portions of buttery herbed mashed potatoes and steamed zucchini, yellow squash, red and yellow bell peppers.
Rack of Lamb came equally well cooked, tender and flavorful, mild-tasting and not gamey, with a red wine reduction sauce and the side dishes mentioned above. The portions were generous; the rich potatoes complimented the more astringent vegetables, leading one to eat more than intended since it was all so delicious! I’d characterize this as continental comfort food, hearty and flavorful. If I were to use a musical metaphor here, it might be a Mahler symphony – bold and satisfying, inspired by different genres whose flavors come together creating a richly fulfilling experience.
The wine accompanying my dinner was the 2003 Chateau Reserve de Mouton from Bordeaux, France. It proved to be an excellent complement to the hearty fare, a full-bodied, nicely balanced dinner wine, rich and fruity as it is described on the wine list with blackberry and raspberry liquor aromas.
For dessert, of course there was an array of cakes and pastries. I chose chocolate mousse. It arrived with a raspberry coulis and dark chocolate sauce drizzled on the plate and consisted of layers of rich chocolate mousse alternating with chocolate cake, topped with whipped cream, chocolate shavings and the time-honored red cherry on top. A full, handed cup of blood orange herbal tea, tart and sweet, finished off my meal.
During the course of the evening, early dinner patrons left for their symphony performance and a younger clientele came in lending an urban neighborhood buzz to the relaxed yet stylish bistro ambience. Le Cake Chateau also caters pastries and cookies for Copley Symphony Hall, so racks of goodies paraded across the street in time for intermission. And I’m told that they also host a post-performance happy hour for Copley performers.
This little bistro serves the local community non-stop, delivering breakfasts and coffee break goodies to businesses in the area, serving lunch and now serving a fine dinner to locals and visitors alike. It speaks well of the family’s passion for their food and their neighborhood that you’ll find the owner and the wine supplier waiting tables and the dinner chef also baking cakes first thing in the morning.
If you’re looking for a little bistro with urban neighborhood charm and great food, this is your dinner spot. It’s a great place to meet friends for lively conversation over a satisfying meal with a respectable glass of wine. It’s perfect for dinner before the symphony. Or, how about an espresso or cup of tea (two dozen varieties of tea adorn the shelves above pastry cases) and dessert after the show? Chef Dana Straub is just getting started with the dinner offerings and anticipates that the menu will change over time. The owners are aware that they have a few kinks to work out of the system in order to live up to the true potential of their dining establishment. I look forward to enjoying the creative culinary evolution of Le Cake Chateau and its talented chef and staff.
In addition to bakery and dining options, Le Cake Chateau also collaborates with Roiban Wines for catering parties and special events. Contact owner, Humberto Rosas, for more information at 619-325-0977.
Copyright © Restaurant Agent Inc.
Le Cake Chateau
