Recently in French Category

After hearing about Mr. Baguette for over a year, I finally got to taste one of the sandwich shop's creations.

I thought there was only a Mr. Baguette in Rosemead and I hardly ever go through the city let alone stop somewhere there to eat.

But by chance, I happened to be driving north on Atlantic Blvd. in Monterey Park one Saturday afternoon, spotted this location on the right side and knew I had to take a detour from my original destination.

When I first perused the displayed menu, I was surprised by the variety of cuisines offered at what I thought was a mainly French-inspired sandwich shop. There are Vietnamese inspired sandwiches and new to the shop are the beef and chicken fajitas sandwich.

The new addition looks to combine Mexican cuisine with the signature French baguette bread. The sandwiches come with beef or chicken finely chopped fajitas, in-house salsa sauce, and Monterey Jack cheese.

They even offer Jarritos, a line of fruit-flavored sodas that are a favorite in Mexico.

Though sandwiches do take over the menu, you can start off with pate chaud or pork or chicken meat pies, a ham and cheese roll, or a bowl of clam chowder or chicken curry.

Sandwich selections vary from classic French baguette sandwiches to Vietnamese-French combinations.

There is the classic brioche in a variety of meat or veggie options in a smaller-size French roll bread. There is a variety of croissant sandwiches or just get them plain.

Contemporary sandwiches come with mayonnaise spread, lettuce, tomatoes and American cheese with your choice of meats like grilled beef, roast beef or tuna.

The condiments can be substituted with the house special salad of carrots, daikon and chili peppers.

The Classic sandwiches are served with the house salad and come in varieties such as pork meat loaf, pate pork meat loaf, chicken, meatball, veggie or a combination of meats.

I craved a Vietnamese style sandwich that comes with carrots and chili peppers so I went simply with a grilled pork classic. 

My sister and adventure companion decided to try the Saigon probably more for the name. The Saigon comes with a combination of hot Vietnamese-style bacon and pork meat loaf.

She forewent adding the house salad topping which comes on the side in a small bag when ordered to go. Even though the pork in her sandwich looked different than we're used to seeing, she said it was a tasty combination of meats and devoured it in less than 10 minutes.

I had to add the house salad to my sandwich, especially the chili peppers to give it a nice kick. I have been to some Vietnamese restaurants that serve these types of sandwiches, known there as banh mi, and most of the time the peppers are spicy.

Mr. Baguette was no exception but it was a great balance to the nicely sliced carrots and daikon, which is a type of radish. The grilled pork was nicely seasoned and grilled to a nice tenderness.

The final touch that made the sandwich deliciously scrumptious was the baguette. A nice warm toasty on the outside and soft on the inside.

What I love even more about Mr. Baguette are the prices. You can get a simple sandwich for under $3. Our sandwiches were less than $4 for a good size.

Having such a variety of beverages as sandwiches, my sister and I had to try something from that menu as well.

I went with the boba thai iced tea for $2.50 and my sister gave the mango smoothie a try for $3.85 and 35 cents extra for boba.   

The thai tea had a nice taste and the boba balls were larger than I've had in other boba drinks but I didn't find anything much special in their tastes. They just added some texture.

My sister felt the same way about the boba but enjoyed her fresh-tasting smoothie just the same.

Mr. Baguette is open daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and has three locations in the San Gabriel Valley located at:

• 400 S. Atlantic Blvd., #288 in Monterey Park, (626) 282-9966
• 8702 E. Valley Blvd. in Rosemead, (626) 288-9166
• 9661 E. Garvey Ave., #101 in South El Monte, (626) 575-8632

By Stacey Wang

I've had bagels on the brains every Friday for the last two weeks due to the downtime "bagels or donuts?" discussion in the office.

As if Casual Friday didn't already make my day, I finally decided to satisfy my craving for those complex carbs.

In San Dimas lies Cafe Bagelry, a family-owned shop that has an extensive menu to satisfy bagel eaters of all kinds.

From cream cheese bagels to bagel sandwiches, the cafe has menu items ranging from $0.85 to $5.69, before tax.

I ordered a Californian - a cafe-proclaimed favorite tuna sandwich with Swiss cheese, avocado, tomatoes and sprouts on a toasted wheat bagel.

The generous portions of the sandwich alone were enough to fill me up, but the cafe offers a meal deal every Friday. Customers can order any bagel menu item, chips and a fountain drink for $6.

On any other day, my meal would have cost $7.79. It's not a huge savings, but I don't mind taking what I can get - especially if it's as gratifying as it was.

I also ordered a cafe specialty known as a Peaches 'N Cream bagel for $3.02 purely because it glimmered from its glass encasing with visual appeal.

The pastry was a bagel bread with a light spread of cream cheese. It was topped with peach slices fanned out like a pinwheel and sprinkled with cinnamon, which added a light fruity sweetness to it.

I didn't attempt to finish all of my food in one sitting - I would have cursed bagels until the new year had I tried.

The shop also offers alternatives to bagel items - including muffins, omelettes, wraps, croissants and more - while supplies last.

Some other items include an Early Bird Egg Wrap with egg, herb cream cheese and cheddar cheese at $3.13 and cookies at $0.75, which the menu proclaims is "the best" the cafe has ever tasted.

But don't expect to eat there at night. The place is open from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays.

Cafe Bagelry is at 969 W. Arrow Hwy., San Dimas. Call the shop at (909) 394-9592 for more information.

By Evelyn Barge

There's an erudite Greek term for people like me: turophile, or one who fancies cheese.

No strange epicurean trend has thrilled me more than the growing prevalence of cheese cake - that's not the dessert cheesecake, mind you - towers as an alternative to a traditional wedding cake. If I ever tie the knot, you can bet I'll say "I do" to that option.

So, knowing that about me, it's no wonder that my first dining experience at Valerie's Crepes in Arcadia was such a disappointment.

I stepped up to the free-standing crepe kiosk in the food court of Westfield Santa Anita Shopping Center tempted by the promise of great things. The staff was busy preparing several orders ahead of mine, and the crepe batter was being skillfully poured and thinly spread on the griddle.

Jars of Nutella stacked high behind the glass counter gave me a visual cue to go for a sweet selection, the apple brie crepe ($6.29), which is billed to include apple slices, brie, walnuts and raspberry preserves.

The crepe that I was handed, and for which my receipt shows I was clearly billed, did contain a bunch of fresh apple slices - but that's about it.     

In lieu of the handful of unaccounted-for elements, the preparer had sprinkled on some cinnamon. A healthy dollop of ice cream plopped on top of the folded crepe did very little to combat the overwhelming affect of a dry, powdery mixture.

When planning to eat dinner at any mall, there are few things I expect less than a peaceful mealtime. Obviously, the folks at Valerie's can do little to alter their surroundings - mine involved being sandwiched by a giggling clique of teenage girls and a family with clunky stroller in tow.

But Valerie's staff could at least make an effort to counteract the enveloping chaos by living up to their promise of a "gourmet menu" with "mouthwatering ingredients." (Hint: Ingredients can't cause your mouth to water if they don't exist.)

After slogging through five bites of my apple "brie" crepe, a brilliant solution came to mind. I plucked up and asked for a to-go container and made my escape from the shopping complex.

From there, I proceeded to drive home to my apartment, open up the refrigerator and retrieve the sole thing that could rescue this remainder of crepe from further humiliation: brie, obviously.

Hey, Valerie's, ever heard of it?

Valerie's Crepes is located in the Westfield Santa Anita Shopping Center, 400 S. Baldwin Ave., in Arcadia. Hours are Mon.-Fri., 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For more information, call (626) 821-6504 or visit www.valeriescrepes.com.

I fell in love with banh mi sandwiches after I first tasted them at Xa Vietnamese Grill restaurant in Irwindale.

But sadly, Xa Vietnamese closed months ago and has left me longing for those tasty French Vietnamese sandwiches.

So I scoured the Internet and surveyed colleagues for nearby Vietnamese restaurants that served the baguette sandwiches.

Mr. Baguette in Rosemead was suggested plenty of times but it is not in the coverage area of our weekly community newspapers (I will give them a try later anyway).

After finding many pho spots on the Web, I hit on Pho 2007 in Rowland Heights. Though not really near the office, I thought I would give it a try since it is within our coverage.

As I drove up Colima Road toward a little side street called Otterbein, I knew I found the place when I was greeted with a large "Pho 2007" sign over what used to be a Taco Bell restaurant.  

I was eagerly greeted as soon as I entered and was handed a menu, which varied from spring roll appetizers to banh mi sandwiches, and pho (rice noodle soup) to rice plate entrees, and more.

I took a chance on three original shrimp spring rolls for $4.50, and a banh mi sandwich with grilled pork for $3.25.

The rolls come with about three medium-sized shrimp (cooked and peeled), small pieces of cooked chicken, cilantro leaves, lettuce and vermicelli rice noodles, all tightly wrapped in rice paper.

The rolls were nicely sized for their price (I only finished one) and the accompanying peanut sauce was a great complement.

The first thing I noticed about the sandwich was the size. It was wider than what I was used to. When I unwrapped the paper covering the sandwich, I found out why.

Pho 2007 used a bolillo (a thick and wide Mexican roll) instead of a baguette (long, thin French bread).

This made the sandwich a little difficult to bite into, but I knew my way around a bolillo so I dug into the thick crusty bread. 

I liked that the sandwich had all the banh mi ingredients I was used to - sliced carrots and cucumber, cilantro sprigs, and sliced jalapeno with a light spread of mayonnaise. The sandwich also had a half-round slice of tomato, it was nice but a little too thick so it kept coming out. 

The pork was nicely seasoned with soy sauce and something a little sweet. The pieces were nicely sliced, not very fatty, which you may find with pork, and slightly grilled. 

For the price, I would say the sandwich definitely satisfied my craving for banh mi.

But I can't say how often I will go out of my way from the northwest side of West Covina to the southeast end of San Gabriel Valley just to get to Rowland Heights. That would take up my whole lunch hour.

Of course, those cravings don't go away forever ...

Pho 2007 is at 19208 Colima Road in Rowland Heights and is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. They are closed on Tuesdays.

Be sure to have cash in hand as they do not accept any cards. $5 dollar dine-in specials are offered on Wednesdays. For information and to-go orders, call (626) 839-8100. 

By Lafayette C. Hight Jr.

Things were going so well at Cafe Massilia until I made a terrible mistake.

I chose to visit this fairly new French restaurant in Monrovia early on a Sunday morning, which happened to coincide with the only day the restaurant serves breakfast, but opted to sample dishes from the lunch menu instead.

I decided to begin with the $7 Soupe de la Corniche, the restaurant's onion soup (In a French restaurant, French Onion Soup is simply called onion soup) and it arrived in a ramekin with toasted French bread and parmesan cheese.

This style of soup is one of my favorites and what I generally look for is the right type of cheese, which, for me, is the kind that doesn't turn into a mile-long, unbreakable strand when eating it with a spoon.

Cafe Massilia's version had the right amount of sweetness, and the cheese and French bread.

My lunch companion - the best part about doing reviews like this - chose the vegetable soup of the day, cauliflower soup, which I have to admit was very good.

Now I should probably point out that cauliflower is my second-favorite vegetable. My favorite? Every other one. 

I'm happy to report that this soup was seasoned so well that I wouldn't have had any qualms about ordering a portion for myself on my next visit.

Before I get to the main course, and my grand error, I'll tell you about the restaurant itself. Located near the corner of Myrtle and Lemon avenues, it has occupied the site of another, now-defunct French restaurant for the past six months.

The maitre d'/co-owner Chris Giovanelli keeps French music playing - everything from "La Mer," to the French version of "How Much is that Doggie in the Window," called "Le Chien Dans La Vitrine" - and during the course of the meal played a couple of classic French DVDs to show us, and the other patrons, his homeland and famous French actors.

I found it humorous that the table water was served without ice - exactly the same as my dining experiences in Europe - except that Giovanelli gladly gave us a couple of hi-ball glasses full of the stuff instead of turning his nose up at us and giving us one cube, like they do across the Atlantic.

For my lunch entree, I chose the $11 Baguette Pan Bagnat, a sandwich made with white tuna, a boiled egg and bell pepper, with a Caesar salad.

The Caesar dressing was the best I've ever had. I thought there was a hint of horseradish, or cayenne pepper, because it had a degree of spiciness that I really loved, but after asking the chef, he told me that it was just a very large amount of garlic and anchovies.

I started eating my sandwich, which was made with chopped tuna and was enjoying it until I made the mistake of sampling my fiance's $11 Crepe de la Mer.

It was this cheesy, creamy, buttery mix of smoked salmon and asparagus that was sauteed in white wine which made my sandwich pale in comparison.

And unfortunately I could only finagle a couple of forkfulls, so I'm going to be itching to go back and get my own crepe.

Cafe Massilia is located at 110 E. Lemon Ave., Monrovia, (626) 471-3588 or visit www.cafemassilia.com.