THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 21, 1995 TAG: 9512200046
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F6 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: A La Carte
SOURCE: Donna Reiss
LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
THE TRELLIS restaurant in Williamsburg recently celebrated its 15th anniversay and the publication of the latest cookbook from chef-owner Marcel Desaulniers, ``Desserts To Die For.''
On the patio at Merchants Square, tented against the chill of a windy fall night, two musicians ignored the draft to play for arriving guests; in a warmer spot near the bar, a jazz duo played.
The half-dozen dining areas had been cleared of tables and chairs for the standing, strolling invitation-only crowd sipping champagne and chardonnay while servers in patterned weskits brought canapes of tuna, salmon, shrimp and beef.
Among desserts, from Desaulniers' cookbook, were an incredible fudge, frosted chocolate peanut bars and an assortment of cookies. My favorite, cranberry crunch bars, apparently were everybody's favorite; the confections were gone halfway through the event.
Desaulniers has become a national celebrity. In the garden room, well-dressed guests with two or three oversized cookbooks in hand stood in line for the author's signature.
The Trellis hasn't neglected the trend toward marketing memorabilia, a familiar sideline in many popular restaurants. Trellis patrons can purchase cookbooks by the chef, T-shirts, mugs and baseball caps.
The cold months - when fewer visitors converge on the Colonial capital - are good for sampling the seasonal menus at the Trellis. Call (804) 229-8610.
French in D.C.
L'Auberge Chez Francois is usually among the top choices when best restaurants are listed in the Washington, D.C., area.
When the Washingtonian magazine's 1995 poll was published last month, there it was again: Favorite French Restaurant. After many years of reading about this restaurant, I decided to see for myself.
Curvy Springvale Road was a little unnerving for a stranger to the Great Falls area one fall evening, but the route is direct and easy from D.C. and northern Virginia. At the end of the road, were an enormous parking and the inn - not the small country cottage I expected but a huge, warm rural retreat with several dining rooms.
Chef-owner Francois Haeringer maintains a prix fixe menu of four courses averaging $32, not a bad price when the number of choices for appetizer and main dish is an astonishing dozen and a half each.
The food was both tasty and bountiful - another reason for the restaurant's popularity, no doubt. A teaser of garlic toast with garlicky cottage cheese was not to my liking, but everything else was, from crusty rolls and thin German-style rye bread to salad with mushrooms, to a plate that almost overflowed with sausages, foie gras, goose and duck confit, pheasant, and sauerkraut.
Grapefruit sorbet was decorated with a crystal violet. The wine list was extensive, the selections by the glass few, and the maitre d' available to recommend matches for the dinners.
The volume of customers did not diminish service. Gracious servers were knowledgeable about the food. The maitre d' checked on patrons periodically and escorted diners to the door as well as to their tables. For reservations, call (703) 759-3800.
Colonial Kitchen
The charming Kitchen at Powhatan Plantation, 3601 Ironbound Road in Williamsburg, offers an autumn a la carte menu with turkey ravioli, sweet potato soup, and Virginia bison plus other southern spe cialties. Christmas Day and New Year's Eve prix fixe dinners are $50 for five special holiday courses, including frog legs with hoppin' John, free-range veal or roasted mallard, seasonal fruits with champagne sabayon, Maine lobster or Texas venison, and plum pudding. For information and reservations - essential at this intimate Colonial-style tavern - call (804) 220-1200. MEMO: Send restaurant news, along with your name and a daytime phone number,
to a la carte, c/o Flavor, The Virginian-Pilot, 150 W. Brambleton Ave.,
Norfolk, Va. 23510, or send e-mail to dreiss(AT)infi.net. by CNB