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by Manos Angelakis
1 West 67th Street, New York City, USA
 Located off Central Park West, in a residential property famous for its illustrious tenants, the Café des Artistes is a restaurant steeped in tradition; the tradition of excellent food, expertly prepared, made from market fresh ingredients, reminicent of a French Sunday dinner. The handsome dinning room, decorated with exquisite Howard Chandler Christy murals and live plants in the windows, is a haven for anyone who loves “good conversation, honest wines and food that satisfies”.
During our most recent visit we found the staff helpful, patient, knowledgeable and attentive. Some of our fellow co-diners came and went within an hour, while we enjoyed our lunch for over three.
We perused the menu while sipping Pinot de Charente, an apéritif rarely found in an American bar. There was a seasonal section with Asparagus based dishes, various preparations including plump stalks served with delicate sauces, a refreshing asparagus-yogurt soup, stalks wrapped in a choice of gravlax, smoked salmon, prosciutto, or smoked pork loin and an asparagus risotto made with smoked salmon or Black Forest ham.
We decided on a more traditional approach so we ordered hors-d'oeuvres of Long Island oysters, the pâté de campagne, the mussels and Manila clams, and the lobster Bisque. The oysters came as ordered, small and velvety accompanied by a remarkable raspbery-wine vinaigrette, a creamy horseradish sauce and, our least favorite, a traditional American cocktail sauce (though the kitchen had tried to make it distinguishable from the standard bottled variety). The country pâté, properly coarse cut chunks, was served with toasted walnuts, cornichon and, a personal favorite, pickled caper fruit (as opposed to the standard caper buds); something I learned to appreciate during a recent trip to Cyprus. The mussels and clams came in a deep plate, with a cream and wine enhanced fumet blanc, very much like a loose sauce Bercy, an excellent base for the seafood.
We ordered a bottle of 1996 Juliénas, a light and fruity Beaujolais perfect for lunch, that my table-mates enjoyed. The wine list was quite good and surprisingly reasonable, well balanced between French and California wines with a few Italian and Australian selections. An indication of a knowledgeable cellar master. I would have personally preferred one of the better Chilean wines, now available in the United States, that accompany so well the solid cuisine bourgeois that the Café so masterfully offers.
The main courses were as good as the appetizers. My Bourride, a Provençal fish and seafood casserole, brought to mind my years of peregrination in Europe, redolent with aíoli and saffron. My companion, ever mindful of her weight, chose the lobster salad, a 1lb. steamed crustacean on a bed of greens with a smoked pepper and tomato dipping sauce, drizzled with lemon-rosemary olive oil. The other couple ordered the sautéed herb crusted tuna and the “salmon four ways” a dish of smoked, poached, tartare and gravlax salmon. The tuna came perfectly cooked, medium-well as requested without any pink showing, was moist and flavorful almost like a blackened tuna but without the harsh burned taste of the “Creole” variety that other restaurants serve.
Coffee and dessert time came. A pot of coffee came cool; the waitress replaced it immediately with a fresh, steaming pot. The long-stemmed Driscoll strawberries, freshly dipped in dark chocolate, were excellent and the chocolate raspberry cake could have come from the best Viennese pâtisserie.
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