Call it a cafe or a bistro or just a quirky little French place. Gourmandises is an unlikely find in Suwanee, where fast food and big-box franchises are the norm.
Chef owner Christophe Houy, and his partner, Jennifer Allen, opened the restaurant in Dec. 2007. "We're Suwanee's Christmas gift," Allen says. Since then, they've remained a two-person culinary team — making their own breads and pastries, creating an array of salads, sandwiches and crepes and cooking up daily lunch and dinner specials.
Chez Suwanee
Despite it's location in a generic strip center storefront on Peachtree Industrial Blvd., Gourmandises has a certain mom-and-pop charm.
The bright Provencal yellow walls are decorated with cartoonish art, featuring a cat character named "Frenchy." Lamps on small tables and scattered seating give the space a haphazard but homey feel. Order at the counter, where you'll find either Houy or Allen chatting with customers and explaining the menu or the goodies in the pastry cases. Find a seat and sooner or later one of them will deliver your food.
Classic French
Houy was born in Versailles, where he later attended culinary school. After moving to Atlanta, he worked at Anis Bistro and Au Pied de Cochon, and served as an instructor at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts.
That background shows up at Gourmandises in classic French dishes that could also be called old-fashioned — from escargots baked with herb butter to croque-monsieur.
Recently, the special was coulibiac of sea trout, a delicate layering of fish and spinach wrapped in puff pastry, and surrounded by a light cream.
It was served with mushroom soup spiked with plenty of tarragon and a simple side salad of baby lettuces and balsamic dressing. Other days, the offerings might be filet mignon au poivre, crab cakes or pork loin with scalloped potatoes.
Sandwiches, sweets
Sandwiches are popular at both lunch and dinner. Parisian ham with gruyere, cornichons and butter is a vintage favorite.
The Kobe burger ($13.95) is a gigantic rectangular meat loaf, topped with lettuce, tomato, caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms, blue cheese, avocado, bacon, and spicy mayo, on a chewy housemade baguette.
Served with a mound of seasoned fries, it's really big enough for two.
Gourmandises ("sweets" in French) stays true to its name with a least 20 different treats made by Allen. Look for fruit tarts, decadent chocolate creations, and Danish on the weekends.
At a glance
Where: 686 Peachtree Industrial Blvd. NW, Suite 200, Suwanee, 770-945-6599
Signature dish: Sandwiches and pastries
Entree prices: $6.95-$14.95
Hours: 10 a.m-9 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays
Reservations: No
Credit cards: Yes
Online: www.cafegourmandises.com
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