Café le Jardin

"In France, bistro food is casual, everyday, on-the-way-home-from work or meeting-up-with-friends food. In Philly, bistro food is often elevated to a fancy (and pricey) experience, from the seafood plateau at Parc to the Delmonico steak for two at Royal Boucherie. But savvy Francophiles would be wise to cross the river to sleepy Audubon, NJ, where Café Le Jardin offers classic French bistro food in the way it was intended—casual, relaxed, and affordable (for dinner, they offer a $42, three-course prix fixe, and you can BYOB). Standouts include the Parisian gnocchi and moules frites, but classic French technique throughout the menu means no choice is a bad one. It’s no surprise, since Cafe Le Jardin comes from the team behind June BYOB, one of the best French restaurants in the area. But this one is less white tablecloth and candlelight, more pop-in for a casual brunch with pals or a date night in athleisure after your Jersey gas and liquor store run. Think of it as Parc, with parking. Food Rundown photo credit: Justin Deutsch French Onion Soup A bistro can be judged by the quality of its French onion soup. This one passes the test—abundant silky caramelized onions and real beef stock richly infused with thyme. It’s served in wide, shallow crocks, and everyone knows that more surface area means more cheesy goodness on top. photo credit: Justin Deutsch Parisian Gnocchi Bolognese We see a lot of Parisian gnocchi on menus, but few places get it right. Unlike the hearty flour and potato base of Italian gnocchi, Parisian gnocchi use the same dough used to make gougères, cream puffs and profiteroles, which makes the gnocchi especially light. The key is to make them firm enough to hold their shape and take on a good sear, but still melt in your mouth. This is proper. The aromatic sauce, using wagyu trim from the sister restaurant, makes it one of the best deals around. photo credit: Justin Deutsch Moules-Frites When the mussels are finished and you and your companions use the empty shells to do parsley-garlic-butter broth shots, it’s a good day. Dover Sole Sole meuniere, a delicate filet of sole sauteed in butter, and then finished with a simple sauce of brown butter, lemon, and parsley, is a staple on bistro menus. This one is perfectly cooked, but needs more of everything: brown butter, lemon, and salt. Our enthusiastic server recommended the beef bourguignon. Try that instead. photo credit: Justin Deutsch Chocolate Pot de Crème While it’s more a mousse piped into a pot than a classic pot de crème, it’s a chocolate mousse you’ll want to take home to enjoy with some candlelight and smooth jazz." - Jonathan Deutsch