When the old familiar is fresh and new

Old familiar friends can surprise you.  Just when you think you know them well, when you think you know just what to expect from them, boom!  They amaze you.

That happened to us last night at Le Café du Commerce, the restaurant just behind our building, just around the corner on the Rue du Commerce.

The upper two levels of Le Café du Commerce.

The current owners, Marie and Etienne Guerraud, took over this historic establishment in 2003.  We vaguely remember the place under the previous ownership.  But what we know well is the restaurant as run by Etienne Guerraud.

Dependably open seven days a week, Le Café du Commerce always offers us a place to have a traditional French dinner prepared correctly, any evening we want it, unless the restaurant is full and we haven't reserved.  That happens occasionally.  So I reserve, even if it is only an hour or two before dinnertime.

I don't remember ever having a bad meal there.  I remember many that were good, and quite a few that were very, very good.

Flamingo on the Radio France building to promote
its web radio, fip.  This includes a jazz station --
something I did not expect from Radio France
(the French version of NPR)!  Cool.

We were only hoping for a good dinner when I picked up the phone to make a reservation.  On the phone, when we walked to the maitre d' stand, and as we were shown to our table, we were made to feel warmly welcomed.  Speaking French helps, no doubt -- plus, we were a little dressed up.  It is no trouble at all for me to put on a dress and pearls, and for Tom to don a blazer.

One blogger, becksposhnosh on Blogspot, wrote in 2004 that this place is full of locals and no tourists.  That is absolutely not true.  In fact, because of its size, Le Café du Commerce is able and willing to host entire tour buses full of tourists.  The maitre d'hotel seats the bus tourists in a big dining room off the main room on the ground floor.  English is spoken and understood in Le Café du Commerce.  And the service is almost always impeccable.

The main room is an atrium, usually open to the sky -- assuming that the big glass ceiling is open, as it was last night because the weather was lovely.  The two levels above the main floor are mezzanines arranged in a block-O above the ground floor.  We were seated at a nice table by the railing on the first floor up from the ground floor.  From there, we could see almost everything in the restaurant (except the kitchen, of course -- click here and scroll down to see videos of the kitchen action, including Marie making desserts and Etienne cutting steaks).

I ordered the special of the day, a tuna steak with roasted fennel and puréed red sweet potatoes with an orange sauce.  Every bite was flavorful and delightful.  The potato purée was velvety and very red -- a colorful splash on the plate.

Tuna steak, red sweet potato purée, and roasted fennel with an orange sauce
at Le Café du Commerce.

The tuna steak was tender and moist; not dry at all.  The entire course was wonderful, and beautiful.

Tom ordered the bass filet from the main menu.  An eggplant fritter and nicely sautéed veggies accompanied the fish.  He was delighted with it all.

Sea bass filet with sautéed veggies and an eggplant fritter.

A couple scoops of top-notch ice cream finished the feast for Tom, and for me it was a bit of Calvados.

We had a great Sunday dinner, not just a merely good dinner, thanks to our old friend, Le Café du Commerce.  Quelle surprise!