The Orlando Sentinel

Orlando Magazine

By Scott Joseph

Scott's recommendation: "Cafe' Margaux serves terrific food. It may not be an elegant restaurant, but the food is better than some found in more upscale surroundings. Try the melange of fresh fish for a sampling of the day's catch or try the filet Oscar or chicken Margaux. The chocolate pate is a good dessert."

Cafe' Margaux, a French restaurant in Cocoa, is an odd little place with delicious food. It wants to be an elegant restaurant, but it isn't - at least not like La Coquina or Dux.

Let's just say it's chic on a shoestring. But if the decor is a bit downscale, the food is decidely up, not really classic French, but with French tones that enhance a creative style.

The best of the entrees was the melange of fresh fish ($21.95), offered each evening as a sampler of the three fish specials. When I visited, the chef had prepared poached salmon, snapper with a potato crust and blackened dolphin. My guest liked the dolphin best because the blackening seasonings were perfectly balanced with the mild taste of the fish, giving just a bit of cayenne spiciness. I liked the crispiness of the shredded potato crust on the snapper.

The filet Oscar ($19.95) was another hit. The steak was wonderfully tender, through a tad past the requested medium-rare, and was topped with a heap of lump crab meat under a lemon-tinged hollandaise sauce. An asparagus spear topped it off.

Chicken Margaux ($13.95) featured a rolled chicken breast stuffed with ham and an asparagus spear and wrapped with bacon, then pan-cooked so the bacon was just crispy enough. The rolled concoction was sliced and presented on the plate in a pool of slightly sweet mushroom sherry sauce.

A veal and shrimp dish ($17.95) was supposed to be wrapped in spinach, but instead came topped with the leafy greens along with a tarragon cream sauce flavored with roasted shallots. The pan seared veal could have been a bit more tender, but the shrimp were unusually large and it was all delicious.

My guests and I ordered a sampling of appetizers, which the chef arranged onto one large platter. We chose the snails with basil and wild mushroom polenta ($5.95), lump crabmeat cakes with mango chutney ($7.95) and grilled garlic studded Portobello mushrooms ($5.95).

The mushrooms were as thick as steaks, firm and chewy, and graced with a sauce of roasted tomato. The crab cakes were chock full of sweet crab meat and fried so the outsides had a deliciously crisp crust. The mango chutney was a perfect accompaniment.

The snails were an unusual presentation of big, plump gastropods baked in a cornmeal mush flavored with wild mushrooms and fresh basil. Delicious.

My guests and I couldn't decide who had ordered the best dessert. I liked the chocolate amaretto truffle pate (5.95), which didn't look so great (to put it kindly it looked like a big Tootsie Roll) but was a wonderfully dense and moist chocolate treat. The cheescake ($5.95) was pretty good, with a texture like butter and rich, creamy taste to match. The creme brulee ($5.95) was served warm and had a tasty custard beneath the hard, singed sugar crust.

Dinners included a salad of frilly lettuces and a sweet vinaigrette. Dinner rolls were offered one at a time by the servers.

The servers worked with efficiency and skill, keeping a close eye on each table and making certain everyone was happy.

Beer and wine are available. There is an extensive wine list with several nice wines including some good by-the-glass selections. Handicapped access to the restrooms is diffucult.

You'll find Cafe' Margaux tucked away in a corner down a side courtyard off Brevard Avenue in Cocoa Village shopping district. It is a cramped space of tables covered with white linens topped with a patterned piece of fabric, nicely appointed with flatware and wine glasses. Windows and doorways are dressed with draperies that in some bygone era were probably quite elegant. None of the drapes match - sometimes not even on the same rod.

But with such wonderful food and sincere service, who cares if the drapes don't match.

Scott Joseph dines at least twice - anonymously - at each restaurant he reviews. His reviews can be heard Thursdays at 4:50 p.m. and Fridays at 5:50 pm on 580 AM (WDBO). You can send him e-mail on America Online at josephorl.

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