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Bradenton Herald

Review

"Chez Andre"
November 19, 1999
By: Donna Wright, Herald Editorial Associate

Chez Andre, the popular French restaurant in Holmes Beach, has a new owner: Chef Damon J. Presswood, formerly of the Bradenton Country Club, St. Armand’s Cafe Europe and Ivo’s on Longboat Key. 

Those credentials alone are impressive. The fine meals he prepares are even more so. But rest assured, Chez Andre fans, Chef Andre Gotti, the former owner, is still on board, whisk in hand, making his delectable creme caramels and other favorites  And Chef Damon is keeping Chef Andre’s popular menu as well as the restaurant’s signature name. All of your favorites are still available, plus Chef Damon’s specialties, including Eggs Mornay, two poached eggs on a butter croissant topped with asparagus, bacon and mornay sauce for $7.95.

After celebrating their 10th anniversary on Aug. 21, Andre and wife Francois Gotti decided it was time to simplify life. Enter Chef Damon, who will have Chef Andre on hand throughout the season to help with the transition. And that’s good for Chef Damon, because Chef Andre will be a hard act to follow. In an industry where even the brightest stars burn out in a year or two, Chez Andre’s decade of success stands as a fitting tribute to the Gottis’ culinary and management skills. This wonderful little French bistro tucked in a row of businesses at the Island Shopping Center in Holmes Beach has been a longtime favorite of mine. The reasons are many: My favorite breakfast of homemade croissants, Oeufs au plat avec la gicleé de vinaigre (two fried eggs, sunny side up with parmesan cheese, glazed with red wine vinegar), served with potatoes and hot coffee for $5.75 My favorite lunch: A croissant packed with thinly sliced roast beef topped with Boursin cheese, $6.95 and a glass of Cote du Rhone red wine.

If you have visited France, you know the wonderful taste of real French bread and the way real French croissants melt in the mouth. Go to Chez Andre and you can have the same experience at home on Anna Maria Island. In fact, when you walk through the door of this small restaurant with the lace curtains windows, you could almost believe that you entered one of those welcoming Paris bistros where the owner’s family sits at one table doing homework or reading magazines while, the chef, cooks up a storm amid his hanging pots and pans over the grill.

Now there are two chefs to watch at Chez Andre. As good as the breakfasts and lunches are, they are just a prelude to dinner at Chez Andre, especially on special occasions. Such was the case recently when a good friend and I relived past trips to France as we sampled Chef Damon’s Black Truffle Goose Liver Pate, $7.95, served with hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, those wonderful briny French miniature gherkins, onions and crusty French bread. We agreed it was equal to the pate we bought in the quaint town of Sarlat in the Dordogne region of Southwest France. Our appetizer was followed by salad of mixed greens with a fine vinaigrette. For his entree, my friend ordered the Grilled Tuna Dijonnaise with a Beurre Blanc Mustard Sauce, $21.95. My friend said he thought the tuna steak a tad dry, but tasty nonetheless because of the delectable and tangy mustard sauce. I agreed. This was no ordinary Beurre Blanc, but a sinfully rich, satin-smooth white butter sauce bursting with flavor. I ordered the Steak au Poivre Flambe au Cognac, $22.95. It was a cold night, and I was ready for a substantial meal. Chef Damon most certainly did not disappoint me. Tender and juicy, the peppercorn-seasoned steak cut with a fork, and I made sure not to leave a speck of the cognac sauce on my plate. Both entrees were served with Pommes de Terre Dauphinoise, or thin-sliced potatoes baked in a heavy cream and Gruyere cheese sauce, carrots sautéed with honey, mint and butter and tiny, tender asparagus.

 Despite our rich meals, we ended the evening with coffee and dessert. It is impossible to pass up Chef Andre’s creme caramel, a flan-type custard with caramel sauce.

 Chef Damon is continuing Chef Andre’s wonderful tradition of special meals throughout the year. In fact, a Beaujolais Nouveau dinner was held last night to celebrate the first harvest of that magnificent grape. But we expect a creative chef like Presswood will eventually make the restaurant his own. And that’s good, especially since he seems to have an appreciation for fine French food.

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