Charming and sophisticated
Bistro Elan fashions alluring, elegant cuisine with European finesse

by Dale F. Bentson

Bistro Elan, 448 S California Ave., Palo Alto Map location Phone: (650) 327-0284 Hours: Lunch: Tue.-Fri. 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Dinner: Tue.-Sat. 5:30-9:30 p.m. Price code: $$$$ Restaurant Features: Reservations: Yes Credit Cards: Yes Parking: No Alcohol Served: Yes Take Out: No Banquet: No Wheelchair access: Yes Highchairs: No Outdoor seating: Yes Delivery: No Catering: No Noise Level: High Bathroom cleanliness: Above Average

Often, I am asked for a restaurant recommendation in the area. Unless an ethnic-specific cuisine is requested, I almost always suggest Bistro Elan on California Avenue in Palo Alto. For years, the food has been consistently creative, the service gracious and the ambiance at once sophisticated and relaxed.Chef Ambjorn Lindskog and his wife, Andrea Hyde, have owned the restaurant for 13 years. Lindskog, a former nuclear engineer from Sweden, apprenticed in a variety of kitchens from France to New Mexico to California. He worked for nearly a year in the kitchen of Marc Meneau's celebrated restaurant L'Esperance in Vezelay, Burgundy.Bistro Elan's food is the freshest I have tasted in any area restaurant. There is something indefinable about it: The seafood tastes just-reeled-in, while the meats are young and tender, and the produce seems to have been plucked from vines, trees and bushes minutes before preparation. "We buy nearly all of our fresh produce at the Sunday California Avenue farmers market. We stuff our walk-in refrigerator and get supplemental deliveries during the week from some of the farmers," Hyde said. "It's organic, local and the best available. Wonderful quality." The couple took additional steps by planting the perimeter of the garden dining area with herbs and tomatoes, fig and Meyer lemon trees. The garden is a delightful spot for al fresco dining, especially in early evening when the sun has dipped behind the mountains and pink-purple dusk hovers just overhead.Chef Lindskog welcomes diners with an amuse-bouche, an appetizing tidbit, while scanning the menu. On a recent visit, we enjoyed house-made salumi, cheese crackers and olives. Another time, it was a morsel of Oregon bay shrimp, creme fraiche, fresh dill and cucumber. For starters, there were chanterelle and gruyere pancakes with sweet cherry tomato salad ($14.25). The airy cakes were earthy and crisp, and not at all salty, despite the cheese. A salad of shredded Dungeness crab ($12.75) was perched atop a bed of roasted red-and-gold, gem-like, diced beets and thin-sliced avocado. A sprinkle of chopped pistachios added texture and crunch. It was an artistic presentation that tasted as good as it looked. La Quercia Rossa prosciutto and peaches ($13.75) was topped with fresh feta, ancho cress (peppery), olive oil and lemon. La Quercia Rossa is an organic, artisan, cured-meat producer in Iowa. The fresh peaches and ham were ambrosial. Complimented by the feta and oil, the plate was salty, peppery and lemony. Sardine escabeche ($11) were local-caught sardines that had marinated in herbs and olive oil. Delicate and only faintly briny, the succulent, flat, slightly perfumed sardines had a resonant hint of sweetness to them. For main plates, I enjoyed the pan-seared halibut ($29) with delicate corn pancakes topped with a festive relish of corn, green onion, cherry tomatoes, Mediterranean cucumber and fried capers. Despite a growing trend in restaurants to undercook fish, this halibut was, happily, cooked through. It was flaky, fork-tender and downright irresistible. Massachusetts scallops ($25) in balsamic red wine shallot reduction was equally delectable. The scallops were mild and plump, buttery yet firm. Cauliflower puree, spinach and strips of crispy prosciutto added texture and served as counterpoint to the shellfish.Sauteed veal scaloppine ($29) was blanketed with fresh burrata cheese, broccoli rabe, and sauce all'arrabbiata (garlic, tomatoes, basil and red chili, cooked in olive oil). The Italian cheese burrata is made from mozzarella and cream. The veal was melt-in-the-mouth tender, rich and eloquent. The sauce all'arrabbiata, which means "angry style," added a little zing to the subtle veal flavors.The lunch menu is not a scaled-back version of the dinner menu. Rather, the choices are geared toward quicker preparation time allowing diners to get back to work without being pressed. Chilled cucumber soup ($8) with yogurt and dill was simply delightful. The balance was perfect. The cucumber tasted almost of melon, sweet and ripe. The yogurt kept the calories in line and the fresh dill emitted a hint of pepper.Warm chicken salad ($13.75) was a large plate of Napa cabbage, shredded carrots, chopped leeks and the most tender chicken imaginable tossed with creme fraiche, soy and ginger. It was a filling and calorie-conscious selection.Not surprisingly, desserts were delightful at Bistro Elan. All selections were $9. Souffle with lime mango was to die for. The citrusy meringue was soothingly tart, almost sherbet-like. Once the spoon penetrated the light-as-air exterior, fresh mango exploded over the olfactory senses, revealing rich, tropical overtones.Lemon tart possessed a lush lemon curd texture with fresh lemony taste. The meringue was cumulus-cloud fluffy and the fresh raspberries that accompanied were plump and expressive.Whipped cream-cheese cake, a special one evening, had a brown-sugar streusel crust and was dotted with strawberries, blueberries and blackberries. It was beg-for-more good.House-made coconut sorbet with fresh pineapple had a gelato-like richness. I have an aversion to coconut but this interpretation helped me overcome my neurosis. The sorbet came with a snappy coconut tuile. I am thrilled to note that Bistro Elan does not feel it necessary to add a scoop of ice cream to every dessert, a growing and disturbing trend at local restaurants. Portion sizes of everything were sensible as well. If the quality is there, quantity isn't necessary.The wine list offers a broad selection of wines from France and the West Coast. Prices are fair and there are more pinot noirs than cabernets. Yippee. While the magnificent (and too young to drink) Domaine Dujac, 2005, Bonnes-Mares, at $500, was out of my price range, the Vincent Girardin, Volnay, 2005, ($62) and the Calera, 2006, Central Coast Pinot Noir ($42), weren't.I am hard-pressed to think of a more pleasant dining experience than Bistro Elan. Lindskog's and Hyde's ceaseless hard work, dedication and singular vision have kept their restaurant at the pinnacle. I eagerly await the fall harvest when the menu will segue into earthier and more sensual fare. With help from our local farmers, dining at Bistro Elan should be breathtakingly blissful.