Counter culture: Mirabelle tempts with every course
Allen Pierleoni, The Sacramento Bee – California – KRTBN
Published: Mar 16, 2007

So what’s wrong with having a heaping plate of high-end pastries for
lunch? Where is it written that you can’t do that? Other than in "The
Book of Common Sense"? Which is in dire need of revision, anyway.

In the end, though, we were conscientious diners. Instead of eating a
heaping plate of fancy pastries for lunch, we had a more traditional
lunch before we ate the heaping plate of fancy pastries. It made sense
to us at the time, and we left feeling quite virtuous. And as stuffed
as Thanksgiving turkeys.

But let’s back up: Lunch pals Sally, Mary and Ann-Michele and I had
met at a fairly remote outpost in Fair Oaks called Mirabelle European
Pastry Cafe. It’s situated near residential neighborhoods, but
word-of-mouth is spreading. I was the only guy in the place. The
tables were occupied by women who kept rolling their eyes in
appreciation of the delicacies set before them.

We looked at the lengthy lunch menu posted on a wall. Well, we looked
at it after we cruised the cold case filled with various bakery
delights, all handcrafted on site: cream puffs in the shape of swans,
fragile baked meringues topped with glazed fresh strawberries, creamy
tiramisu and crAme brAlee, eclairs and napoleons, baklava and fruit
tarts, moist cakes topped with nuts, pies oozing fruit, cookies and
croissants, pierogis and artisan breads. We nearly swooned. And look
at that — life-size chocolate mice with little eyes and ears. The
fudgelike cake beneath the chocolate coating was so rich that all I
could manage to eat was part of a head.

Back to the menu board: There’s a nice selection of salads (eight of
them), "small bites" (hot wings, shrimp with avocado, calamari),
sandwiches (six of them, plus burgers), soups and entrees (quiche,
lamb chops, ravioli, fish, chicken). Pastry prices range from 75 cents
to $2.50 per piece; lunch-dinner plates are $4.50 to $19.50.

We ordered a bowl of extraordinary chicken vegetable soup, expertly
seasoned and chunky with pieces of tender breast meat and al dente
veggies. "I like it because it’s not salty," Sally said. I liked it
because it was probably the best I’ve ever tasted.

The big wedge of ham quiche was moist and creamy, so overflowing with
flavor and texture that each bite was a revelation. "I’ve never had
better quiche," said Mary, a world traveler and no stranger to the
table.

The burger was a handful — two meaty patties with melted imported
cheese and fresh condiments on a fresh bun, with OK fries on the side.

The salmon salad was heaped on a plate that could have been roomier,
given all the ingredients: grilled dill-glazed salmon (a bit
overcooked), feta cheese, yellow bell pepper, tomato, crunchy pickle
slices, fresh cucumber and bright field greens, dampened with tangy
vinaigrette dressing.

Ann-Michele is a vegetarian, so she got a mix of egg salad and al
dente potato salad on house-baked bread. The bread was the real deal
— dark, thick and substantial, with actual flavor. "I like the
egg-potato salad because it’s not squishy," she said.

We also sampled a scoop of remarkable chicken salad — cold and
crunchy and chunky. Next time, I’ll get a pint to go.

On the phone a few days later, co-owner (with her brother and parents)
Leana Aivazian said that her family came from Armenia about 16 years
ago, where they were involved in similarly themed restaurant-bakeries.

"My philosophy is I want to make sure everything is perfect," she
said. "These are all family recipes. I wrote the recipes for the
(breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes), my parents wrote the recipes for
the pastries and desserts, and the bread recipes are from my uncle."

One last thing: "Mirabelle" is the French word for a type of plum used
to make a unique brandy in Alsace, a grape-growing region in
northeastern France.

But in this case, explained Aivazian, a mirabelle is the house
specialty pastry, constructed of white spongecake, fresh fruit,
custard cream and whipped cream. Uh, we saved those for later.

Mirabelle European Pastry Cafe

WHERE: 7318 Winding Way, Fair Oaks.

One way to get there: Take I-80 east to the Madison Avenue exit and
turn right at the light. Take Madison to Manzanita and turn
right. Take Manzanita to Winding Way and turn left. Look for the
restaurant on the right. If you dead-end into San Juan Avenue, you’ve
passed it.

HOURS: 6 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays Fridays; 9 a.m.-9 p.m. weekends

FOOD: 4 stars

AMBIENCE: 4 stars

HOW MUCH: $-$$

INFORMATION: (916) 535-0100