Rendez-vous in Albany

I went with the photo of the daube, since it turned out the best in the low lighting at Rendez-Vous Cafe-Bistro, our newest favorite restaurant in Albany, CA, but all four of the dishes we tasted this time were outstanding. If you live in the greater Bay area, you gotta try this place!

We ordered the French-style deviled eggs (four halves to a plate), rich with green onion and garlic, for our shared appetizer; I don't know how they made them but if there was mayo in there, it was very, very minimal. They were served on a curving leaf of Boston lettuce with Niçoise olives and cherry tomato wedges on the plate. If you have a more ladylike appetite than I, the eggs alone would make a nice meal.

My Beloved chose the daube, a killer slow-cooked beef stew, topped with crispy onions and mashed potatoes. I ordered the lamb stew, equally deep in flavors; fork-tender lamb mixed with big chunks of hearty fall veggies in an unctuous sauce. My bowl of stew was so generous that I brought home half. Pal Sari had a Croque Monsieur slathered in béchamel sauce. We all tasted all four dishes and they all were pleasure groan-producing, table-pounding, eye-rolling delicious.

Dessert was also wonderful. My Beloved enjoyed his apple crepes with caramel sauce and Sari ordered profiteroles with vanilla ice cream and butterscotch sauce. All three of us sampled these, too, and pronounced them fit for a king and two queens. Add prompt and responsive service by a personable and charming wait staff and reasonable prices, and you have a treat of the first magnitude.

I might also mention that the owner is a tall, handsome, charming Frenchman with a smile capable of making this old gal's heart flutter a bit, a small but distinct bonus. Even Sari, who is more dignified than I in the presence of gorgeous guys, had a rather starstruck look on her face after he visited our table.

After dinner, we strolled up Solano Avenue, settling our dinners before settling in to our seats at the Albany Twin Cinema next door to Rendez-Vous for a showing of "Paris," the new Juliette Binoche movie, which is a feast of a different sort.