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| - Wow. I'm not that familiar with the Cleveland dining scene, but coming from Chicago, L'Albatros would be a welcome addition of heaven in any Chicago neighborhood. Admittedly, I don't venture out for French food as often as other cuisines (mostly out of courtesy to my waistline), but when I do, I have to throw all thoughts of calories out the window and let loose. And that's exactly the best way to enjoy a fantastic French establishment like L'Albatros.
I enjoyed L'Albatros with two friends a week ago on a random Thursday night while in town for a couple days. The restaurant ambiance is perfect for a cozy but modern French restaurant. Intimate but not quiet. Quaint but also elegant. There's an open kitchen that you see right upon entering but it's not visible from most tables. There's also a cute bar just before entering the main dining room. This could easily be a local neighborhood eatery in any French town.
We were seated immediately for our reservation and started with a delicious bottle of Sancerre. Our server was extremely helpful in guiding us through the menu, making recommendations, and also politely suggesting we might want to wait and see if we were still hungry after the first 7 items we ordered before adding more. The menu is massive, so the good news is there is something for everyone. The bad news is you want to try everything.
We began the night with escargot, French toast, oysters on a half shell, and the arugula and radicchio salad.
Wow. What a start. The oysters were perfect, fresh and with a delicious mignonette.
The escargot was buttery and garlicky just as it should be. They will gladly bring you as much bread as you want to use to dip and soak up all the heavenly garlic butter. Don't be shy. We might have asked for refills at least 3 times. Ok, 4 times.
The French Toast was an interesting concept with egg soaked bread topped with mushroom heaven, balsamic, and arugula. I will never be able to eat mushrooms any other way again.
The arugula salad was a nice fresh and light contrast to make us feel like we weren't total gluttons.
Despite being totally full after the starters, our two entrees came next - the cassoulet and the trout with a side of the crispy breaded cauliflower. All were excellent but heavy (even the trout was a little extra buttery). The cassoulet is super meaty with a variety of animals tossed in a skillet of heavenly flavors. The trout was moist and delicious. And the cauliflower was a perfect side. We easily could have ordered 3 fewer items and have been totally full. (But we needed more food to go with the second bottle of wine...)
All in all, it was a wonderful night out for 3 friends who don't see each other often. The restaurant was bumping at 7:30 when we got there and totally empty at 10:15 when we left. But that's expected for a school night.
Can't recommend this restaurant enough for anyone looking for a fun night out or a great date spot.
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