Review: Citrus Cafe - Chandler, AZ (w/ photos!)

[Seth Chadwick]

Dad turned 75 and I thought it would be nice to take him out to dinner in honor of the celebration. Since it was his special day, I suggested he pick the restaurant or at least the cuisine. I readied my list of Thai restaurants in the Valley and was set to give him options when he surprised just about everyone by saying that he wanted to try a French restaurant for his birthday.

That was shocking indeed, but even more shocking was the reason why he requested French food. “It will remind me of when I was in Paris during World War II fighting with the Resistance.”

That would have been quite grand except for the fact that if my father had been in Paris during WWII and fighting with the Resistance, he would have been about 11 years old. In fact, I have seen photos of him in the Navy during the Korean War working at Subic Bay in the Philippines. When I confronted him with this fact, he summarily dismissed my facts with a dismissive, “Details!”

So, we headed off to Citrus Cafe in Chandler as I had heard some positive reports regarding the restaurant. We pulled into the strip mall along Alma School Road and parked very close to the entrance. Upon entry, we were seated at a lovely four-top table and told our server would be with us momentarily. I expected at least some menus, but instead, our host brought over a large dry erase board and set it on an easel. The board contained the menu. It was an odd presentation because Dad had to contort himself to see the menu.

While we waited, we were treated to glasses of ice water and a big basket of sliced French bread and herbed butter. Actually, it was a medium-sized loaf of bread with a soft interior and a very chewy crust which was excellent. The herbed butter only made it that much better. Dad and I felt we were off to a good start.

Our server arrived and asked for our drink orders. Dad and I both had Diet Cokes ($2.00 each) and we also ordered our appetizer. Dad and I decided to split an order of the Almond Crusted Brie with Sliced Apples and Roasted Garlic ($8.00). We would then follow it up with a cup of the French Onion Soup ($4.00) for Dad and the Vichyssoise ($4.00) for myself. We then decided to split the French Caesar Salad ($6.00).

After departing, our server returned with our drinks. Dad and I toasted his birthday and we we took in the ambiance while waiting for our brie to arrive. The interior of the restaurant was comfortable with minimal decorations, but comfortable seating and lots of partitions to break up the space making it feel a bit more intimate. We felt very relaxed inside the restaurant.

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About 10 minutes had passed when our Almond Crusted Brie arrived. It looked fabulous with its dark golden color. It almost looked like a slice of cheesecake. Dad and I each cut a piece of the brie, spread it on the bread and topped it with a bit of apple and some of the roasted garlic. It was outstanding. The brie was perfect and the almond crust along with the apples just hit the right note for our appetizer. The roasted garlic was a nice touch, but I found it a bit overpowering for the cheese. Still, Dad and I were quite pleased with our appetizer.

At this point we ordered our entrees. I decided to go with the Pistachio Crusted Chicken Breast ($19.00) and Dad had the Bouillabaisse special ($19.00). We felt we were in for a great meal.

Dad’s French Onion Soup arrived and the billows of steam were rising from the top. The gooey cheese had melted over the top and down the sides and Dad was aching to get at the soup. He broke the top crust and had to wait as the steam indicated the soup was far too hot to eat. When it did cool down, Dad dove in and the big smile on his face told me that he was happy. He said the soup was perfect except for the fact that the broth needed a bit more seasoning. He loved the cheese and the small round of bread hiding underneath.

I only wish my Vichyssoise had been as good as Dad’s soup. While the flavor of the soup was good and the temperature was perfect for a warm night, I absolutely hated the drops of parsley oil used to decorate the top. The oil seemed to dominate the texture and I was scrambling for my napkin after each spoonful to wipe the oily residue off my lips. It struck me as almost being greasy.

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Our French Caesar Salad was presented and I loved how the salad was in a cylindrical form and topped with shreds of crisp bacon. Dad and I each took a bite and found this to be phenomenal. The dressing was rich, the greens fresh and cold, and the bacon a stellar addition. I could have had another two or three servings of this fantastic salad.

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The Bouillabaisse for Dad arrived and the color was stunning. The saffron-colored base for the seafood stew was remarkable and one taste had Dad grabbing for more bread to sop up the stew liquid. His dish came with a mixture of mussels, whitefish and shrimp and he said they were excellently prepared. He raved about the dish and said it was one of the best dishes he had ever had. Considering how much bread he went through to get every drop, I wasn’t surprised by his revelation.

As good as Dad’s was, mine was that much worse. I had a myriad of complaints with my meal starting with the nuclear temperature of the plate. It was ridiculously hot and I burned the side of my hand on the plate when trying to cut part of the chicken. Unfortunately, the searing heat from the plate overcooked the pistachio crust and, due to the excessive heat, the nuts became bitter; so bitter, in fact, I had to scrap the crust off to avoid the taste of the bitterness. The chicken itself was decent, but pretty bland. The Au Jus was decent, but the mashed potatoes and mashed sweet potatoes were clearly afterthoughts. All in all, this dish seemed very rushed.

After we had finished our entrees, I realized how hot the plate was when our server attempted to remove my plate and had to grab a thick cloth to handle it. This was after the plate had sat on the table for a good 20 minutes. Why was the plate heated to that degree anyway?

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Following our meal, Dad wanted dessert so I let him pick. He selected the French Apple Pie ($8.00). We only waited a few minutes before it arrived in a small serving dish with a handle accompanied by a small dish of caramel ice cream. The apple pie was layers of apples and brown sugar encased by pastry dough. The top was flaky and crisp. Unfortunately, the bottom was doughy and wet. After trying a bite, I attempted to move the dish toward Dad and nearly burned my fingertips off. Yet another dish at Citrus Cafe had come from the kiln to the table. I just shook my head. We devoured the pie, except for the bottom dough, as we were content with the apple filling and the top pastry. The highlight, though, was the caramel ice cream, which was sublime. I could have been satisfied with a big goblet of the ice cream.

After finishing up the meal, I requested the bill and the total was $71.88 including tax. Service was good, although we did have a long wait when trying to hunt down our server to request our bill. Dad was enthralled with his meal while I was very disappointed.

Dad thanked me profusely for bringing him to Citrus Cafe and as we drove home, he talked about how much he had enjoyed our meals out. I told him I was having a great time as well. Then I asked him if Citrus Cafe brought back all those memories of World War II and his time with the French Resistance.

“Ah, yes,” he said. “I remember it well.”

Citrus Cafe
2330 North Alma School Road
Chandler, AZ 85224
Dress: Business Casual
Hours: Tuesday through Satruday - 5 PM to Close; Sunday - 11 AM to 3 PM; Closed Mondays.
Alcohol: Full bar.
Notes: Reservations suggested.
Website: www.citruscafe.net

Additional photos can be found at www.feastinginphoenix.com

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Citrus Cafe
2330 North Alma School Rd, Chandler, AZ