Since I have reviewed before, I'm skipping the general details this time around.
This particular visit was in honor of my parents, who came from the east coast for a very quick four day trip to help me with some home repairs. We didn't end up going out to eat any other times during their visit, but, both of my parents made it very clear that they'd really, really, really like to go to Cafe Jacqueline. It made an impression last time they visited. So, literally the moment they booked their flights, I called for a reservation, Saturday night, 5:30pm, right when they opened. I knew the meal would be long, and my parents were on east coast time, so, earlier was better.
Cafe Jacqueline is ... tiny. Along the walls are tables for two, and in the center is tables for 4. I think there are 3 in each row (so, 6 2-tops, 3 4-tops).
The decor is simple. Wooden tables and chairs, sturdy, timeless. White table clothes, white cloth napkins, white plates.
If you take a journey to the bathroom, which I recommend you do, you'll walk through the kitchen, where Jacqueline, the sole chef, is working away whipping up souffles. You'll see her epic bowl of eggs and all her whisks. It is a sight to behold, and she always has a smile to give.
The Savory Food
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| Menu. |
The menu at Cafe Jacqueline has not really changed in the years that I have visited. It starts with two soups, one is always french onion soup (vegetarian), and the other is a vegetable soup that changes daily. Then there are some very basic salads, and three appetizers that I've never seen ordered (caviar, escargot, and figs wrapped in prosciutto).
Most visitors get a soup or salad to entertain themselves while they settle in for the wait for entree souffles, available in a whopping 18 different varieties, ranging from a simple gruyere ($40) to decadent lobster ($60), with many other vegetable and cheese options along the way. Each main souffle is designed to serve two people, so, not a place for solo diners, or those who can't agree on what to share.
The final section of the menu is the dessert souffles, bigger than the entree soufles, and designed to serve 2-4 people (or, uh, 1-2 people in my family. More on that soon).
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| Bread and Butter. |
Unlike some restaurants where table bread is brought out immediately after you order, the bread service at Cafe Jacqueline is like the rest of the meal ... it isn't in any rush.
Eventually, once you have settled in, drank some wine, and really started relaxing, a basket of warm, crusty bread is delivered, with a pat of butter.
I've never found the bread notable in any way. Yes, it is warm, and it is crusty, but, given all the glory that lies ahead, it really isn't worth diving into, no matter how hungry you are, and no matter that it is the only thing in front of you for quite a while.
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| Watercress Salad. $15.00. |
This is the first time we ever ordered a salad. Normally, I see no reason to, but since we were skipping entree souffle, I decided to throw a salad into our order, just to have something else savory.
None of the salads really sounded exciting, but my parents hadn't ever had watercress before, so, I picked that one so they could experience something new. And ... it was a watercress salad. Just watercress, in a light dressing. The greens were fresh and crisp, and the watercress was bitter and peppery, but, that was about all there was to it.
At $15, this seemed very high for a small salad with one ingredient and dressing. I wouldn't get a salad again.
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| Soup De Jour: Leek and Cauliflower Puree. $13. |
The soup of the day is usually one of my absolute favorite dishes at Cafe Jacqueline. And that is saying a lot, given that everything else is souffle!
I've been absolutely stunned by the soup of the day on every prior visit. The soup is always a vegetarian puree (vegan if you leave out the creme fraiche on top), and it always sounds incredibly boring. I think the first one I ever got was "red bell pepper puree", which sounded beyond boring but was incredibly flavorful. Last time I really
enjoyed my tomato puree. So, even though leek and cauliflower puree didn't sound particularly good, I still ordered it.
And ... I really, really didn't like it. It tasted, well, like cauliflower. It is hard to see in this photo (due to the dim lighting), but, it was green from the leek. I didn't taste much leek however, and tasted a lot of cauliflower. Now, I like cauliflower ... roasted, caramelized cauliflower, but, I don't ever really like cauliflower mash or puree. I'm not sure why, since I do like cauliflower flavor and I do usually like mashes.
In the center was a very generous glob of crème fraîche that melted in, and that aspect I did like.
Anyway, I didn't like my soup, and it was most certainly my fault for ordering cauliflower puree. Ojan also opted for this soup, and he devoured his, and repeated several times how good it was. I swapped soup with my mother, and she said this was good, but, she did prefer her original order of the onion soup.
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| Onion Soup. $15. |
Which brings us to the onion soup. My parents both opted for the onion soup. It is always a stunner, topped off with tons of melted cheese and crispy croutons. It is also always piping hot, with the cheese and bread on top trapping in the heat. I'm pretty sure someone I'm with burns themselves on it every time.
After I didn't like my cauliflower puree, my very generous mother offered to swap with me, so I got this instead, basically untouched since it was still too hot for her to consume. It was fantastic. The depth of flavor in the broth is incredible, particularly given that this is a fully vegetarian soup. The onions are super cooked down, sweet, and just the right level of mushy. But, the winning element is certainly the gruyere, so flavorful, so perfectly melty. Seriously delicious. And tons of cheese, Jacqueline does not skimp.
Everybody at the table agreed that this was the better soup, but, it is a very heavy offering, a meal itself, seriously, so, if you are planning on savory and sweet souffle, the lighter vegetable puree is probably a better choice. Or split a onion soup with someone. Of course, if you are skipping the savory souffle, by all means, dig in to this as your entree!
Dessert Souffle
Dessert is, well, souffle. They don't have anything except souffle on the dessert menu, for good reason. Your choices range from simple citrus (lemon or lime, $35) to boozy Grand Marnier ($50), to favorites like chocolate and seasonal fruit ($40). The desserts take just as long as the savory souffles to make, and are ordered at the start of the meal.
According to the menu, each dessert souffle serves 2-4 people. We were a group of 4. We ordered two ... to start.
When we arrived at Cafe Jacqueline, I had our plan established: we'd get the seasonal fruit souffle, whatever it was, because it is always our favorite. And, we'd try the white chocolate one finally, since none of us are crazy about citrus, and the chocolate always disappoints me.
I was about to eagerly ask what the seasonal fruit was, when the server broke the very bad news. They had no seasonal fruit souffle. Doh. Our group kinda sadly decided to get the Grand Mariner and White Chocolate. They were both fine, but not nearly as good as the seasonal flavors have always been.
Some members of the table somewhat jokingly suggested we order a third one ... AFTER we had finished the previous two. Again, each dessert souffle is supposed to serve 2-4 people. We were all full at this point. And it would take another 45 minutes at least to make another. But, we were all kinda unsatisfied by our dessert souffles, and, when a quick poll was taken, everyone at the table said they wanted the chocolate one (everyone except me ... I just never like the chocolate one). But, 3 votes meant it happened. So we told the server we "had a problem" and "needed another souffle" and he happily obliged. It was the right move, as everyone loved the chocolate souffle and left very happy. As the server said on our way out, "if only all problems in life were so easily solved!"
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| Grand Marnier Souffle. $50. |
The first souffle to arrive was the grand mariner. This was our first time having it at Cafe Jacqueline.
Like all her dessert souffles, it was a beauty. So fluffy, and perfectly risen. Coated on top in confectioner's sugar, which, somehow we did all avoid chocking on, for the first time ever. We are getting to be pros at souffle eating!
Anyway, the souffle. It was light and fluffy as always. It had a subtle orange flavor to it.
I didn't really love it though, since, again, I don't like citrus. I'd pick this over lemon or lime, but, still not for me. My mother, father, and Ojan all preferred this to the white chocolate, but greatly preferred the chocolate. It was my last pick.
At $50, it is the priciest of the dessert souffles, and, honestly, does seem a bit high. But, Jacqueline is a master of her craft, and, I'm willing to pay it.
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| White Chocolate Souffle. $45. |
Moments after the Grand Marnier souffle arrived, the white chocolate followed suit.
Another gorgeous, huge, fluffy souffle, topped with not only powdered sugar, but also disks of white chocolate. I really liked the white chocolate on top, as it melted in quickly when it made contact with the hot souffle, and created a big pocket of melty sweetness.
It was good, and my favorite of the souffles, but, compared to the seasonal fruit ones that we normally get, it just lacked some oomph. It wasn't ... exciting. "It needs fruit!", declared Ojan. "Too sweet for me", said my mom. And thus, we placed the order for the chocolate souffle.
This one was actually a different consistency than the others, the middle was more liquid-y. I actually quite liked the liquidy center, but didn't care for the edges and the rest of it that was cooked normal. It was just ... kinda like chocolate cake. The chocolate flavor wasn't that intense. It made me want whipped cream.
But everyone else loved the chocolate flavor. They were full, and devoured it. They all said over and over that it was their favorite. It was my second favorite, for the liquidy center alone. But none of these souffles quite did it for me. I miss the seasonal fruit one, and, well, I guess I have to go back now.
