Dining Out: Marie-Michelle's is an attractice oasis with fine French fare

By L.G. GORDON, lggordon@naplesnews.com

March 5, 2004

Marie-Michelle's is a French restaurant of the old school — which is not to say the chef doesn't sometimes tweak a recipe in unexpected ways or flex his creative muscle by adding distinctive daily specials to the standard bill of fare.

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Marie-Michelle's Restaurant on the Bay; 4236 Gulf Shore Blvd. N.; Venetian Village; 263-0900 Hours: Lunch from 11: 30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily; dinner from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. daily. Food: Mediterranean with an emphasis on French classics. Service: Welcoming, attentive and spontaneous. When our waiter couldn't locate a bag for my take-out order, he ran next door to H.T. Chittum & Co. and got one. Atmosphere: There really is a Marie-Michelle and her woman's touch shows. The restaurant is comfortable, decorated with charm, and the outside terraces offer one of the best water views in town. Prices (from lunch menu): Starters and sandwiches from $6 to $15; salads and entrees from $12 to $17. (Dinner entrees are in the $20 to $30 range.) Beverages: Full bar service. Credit Cards: All major. Value: For most of us, a meal here is in the splurge category. But ooh la la, you're sure to have an exceptional dining experience. Our rating: * * * * (* - Good. * * - Very Good. * * * - Excellent. * * * * - Extraordinary.)

The aromatic beef/barley/lentil soup du jour ($6) I savored on a recent Sunday afternoon is a case in point.

It was so delicious, exploding with flavor, that I ate two bowls. My late grandmother's thick and hearty version, which I loved as a child, seemed like peasant fare in comparison.

On the other hand, the kitchen wisely sticks with a classic recipe when it comes to its French onion soup ($7). One of my guests, who makes it from scratch at home, was anxious to make a comparison so she ordered a ramekin.

Guess which one won?

"This is perfect," she said between spoonfuls, "rich and dark with just the right amount of sweet, caramelized onions, sherry and gooey Gruyere cheese. I have to admit it's much better than mine."

While two of us sipped the excellent soups, our companion munched the warm, crusty house bread and enjoyed a salad nicoise ($14), another French classic. The well-dressed salad brimmed with baby string beans, red potatoes, onions, plum tomatoes, black olives, sweet red peppers, onions, tuna and hard-boiled egg atop a bed of lettuce. (It's large enough to share.)

We were definitely off to a good start, with main courses yet to come. The relaxed, waterside setting filled us with joie de vivre, making good food taste even better.

My guests and I had scored a table in a sunny/shady section of Marie-Michelle's flower-festooned multi-tired terraces. As we dined, pretty little boats bobbed on Venetian Bay and elegant birds floated through the sky.

It occurred to us that in other parts of the country, people were shoveling snow and navigating icy walkways. Marie-Michelle's was not just serving us a wonderful lunch but reminding us of the pleasures of our adopted city.

We toasted Naples with Evian and dug into Coupe de Crevettes Roses Sauce Louis ($15) and Salade de Crabe Frais ($16). Both were outstanding picks, much less complicated than their names suggest.

The first couldn't have been simpler or more elegant: four jumbo shrimp were gently tossed with a standard Louis dressing made with mayonnaise, chili sauce, cream, scallions, lemon juice and seasonings. Horseradish added a touch of sharpness.

This is the ideal sauce for any cold seafood dish and I think I noticed a hint of it in my guest's Salade de Crabe Frais. Reportedly the restaurant's most popular salad, this dish consisted of sweet, delicate lump blue crab (and a little not-so-lump blue crab) perched on a tangle of crisp, mixed greens. It deserves the rave reviews.

Diners not into seafood have plenty of options, too. Skewered beef tenderloin with grilled veggies and Dijon mustard sauce is a fine pick, as is the roasted pork tenderloin over baby spinach and greens with Granny Smith apple, walnuts and currants in a light curry vinaigrette.

Diced chicken breast sautéed with fresh vegetables in a roasted garlic and mushroom sauce is yet another possibility.

In the sandwich department, selections range from sliced breast of chicken on a warm roll to turkey or baked ham and gruyere cheese on a croissant. The restaurant's burger is a cut above most: a combination of veal and wild mushrooms.

Desserts are homemade and hit the French classics as well as that Southwest Florida classic, Key lime pie. Or, in this case, tart ($6.50). It turned out to be unexpectedly delicious, not at all ho-hum. The touch of sharpness was beautifully balanced by sweet whipped cream and an intense raspberry sauce.

Marie-Michelle's Restaurant on the Bay continues to serve up memorable meals after all these years, and service is always flawless, with never an ounce of the haughtiness often found in high-end French establishments.

Note: This is also one of the most romantic dining spots in town.