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French restaurant Chez Axel boasts an award-winning chef. (Jim Thompson/Journal)
There are restaurants in town that you’ve never visited or patronized long ago that hang around with seemingly little risk of upheaval. Mention the place’s name or drive by their “open” sign and hear the question, “Oh, are they still there?” which does these tenacious businesses an injustice. A long time ago I visited Chez Axel after honing in on its rooftop miniature Eiffel Tower, and had very good food. Years later under its award-winning chef, it is time for an update.
Stefan Springer learned the detailed preparations that comprise Chez Axel’s countryside cuisine, from all-day stews to flaky pastry, before he took over the kitchen in 2004 from the original founders. His skills have only sharpened since then, earning him 2010 Chef of the Year from the New Mexico Restaurant Association.
With such credentials we let him show off the rustic dishes course by course, beginning with an airy Carrot Soup ($5.50) so minimally messed with that the flavor was like a sultry whisper of “hello there, I’m carrot” in my ear. There was little competition from the garlicky Snails a l’Aixoise ($8), even with their lustrous butter sauce.
Our meal was off to a rocky start with a server who mixed up the appetizers, leading to an extremely long wait right off the bat. Eventually it was straightened out with some apologies, but were this a special occasion – anniversary or proposal – the experience was disconcerting. Everyone has an off night from time to time, and I try to keep that in mind before writing off an evening entirely.
When entrées arrived, we had to smile at the aroma from each steaming plate. An order of Beef Bourguignon ($19.75) spread over the plate in a pool of divine gravy, studded with beef and veggies all so tender they barely survived a stab of the fork. The rice pilaf side served to soak up some of the gravy and serve as mellow counterpoint to the dish. As ordinary stew might be like packaged pudding, this Bourguignon was crème brûlée.
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Chez Axel LOCATION: 6209 Montgomery NE near San Pedro, 881-8104, chezaxelrestaurant.com HOURS: Lunch 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays; dinner 5-9 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays BEER AND WINE |
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The French might have a handle on slow-cooked dishes – Chez Axel is also famous for the sausage, duck and lamb Cassoulet – but fish can be expertly handled as well. For that reason pescetarians must order the Trout Almondine ($17.25) for a crispy-skinned buttery filet topped with similarly crunchy almond slices and garnished with sautéed veggies. Tender potato cubes finished the plate. This may sound like an American shortcut but is closer than you might think to traditional French sides, which are often boiled baby potatoes or butter-fried fingerlings.
Our mood had recovered somewhat from the appetizer debacle, leaving us with some dessert longings. We skipped an interesting flaming banana option and went for the Cr̬me Caramel ($5) and a dish of Chocolate Mousse ($4). The better dish really was the custard Рnutmeg infused the eggy and stiff spoonfuls Рbut returning to the mousse was perfect when the custard seemed a little too sweet. You could taste the cocoa powder and feel a hint of graininess, reinforcing the homemade feel to the dish.
