Chardonnay Nouveau

As we entered this lovely French restaurant, we walked past women seated in St. John knits and men in Kelly green and salmon sports coats, and Tom began to regret his informality.
"Should I be wearing a jacket?" he asked general manager Christopher Sliter, a 40-year restaurant veteran.

"Not at all," Christopher replied. "You should be comfortable while dining out. I’m the only one who is allowed to be stuffy and pretentious!" We shared a laugh, instantly disarmed, and relaxed into our plush chairs.

Soon, our server, Kyle Lenahan, had us sipping two excellent glasses of wine, a Grenache Cotes du Rhone Ch. St. Cosme "Little James Basket Press" ’05 ($7 glass) and an unusual Bordeaux titled Vieux Ch. St. Andre St. Emilion ’04 ($12 glass).

"Have you ever noticed how close the names of wines can be to the official names of show dogs?" I asked Tom. "Best in Show at the AKC 2005, a bloodhound called Ch. Saint Cosme Little James Basket, or ‘Biff’ to his friends …"

"Are you drunk?" Tom asked. "Off three sips of wine?"
"Boy," I said, with a giggle. "Wouldn’t that be something? First, you enter without a sports coat, and then the missus gets tipsy off three sips of vino …"

Thankfully, Kyle redirected our attention to the menu, a sumptuous and well-organized affair neatly divided into two camps: Classique and Nouveau. My palate leaned towards the Classique offerings, so Kyle strongly recommended that we sample the Diver Sea Scallop Provençal appetizer, with "U-10" jumbo scallops sautéed with garden fresh tomato, torn basil and garlic ($13), and the fricassee d’escargots a la senteur d’ail, snails in a creamy garlic sauce ($12). The Provençal sauce on the scallops could make me forget every other tomato sauce on the planet. I rejoiced to hear my beloved, who usually retreats at the sign of snails, make the following statement:

"They have forever changed my mind about eating land mollusks."

Tom and I were so delighted by these dishes that we could happily have stopped there. Yet as soon as the lobster ravioli ($20) arrived, I was glad that we had suppressed the impulse to make love to the appetizers all night long. Snubbing this entrée would have been a genuine mistake.

"The sauces here are remarkable," I murmured to the waiter.

"That’s our executive chef’s specialty," Kyle informed us. "His name is Claude Chauvin, and he is a saucier."

"Sorcerer, more like," I whispered to Tom.

"You’re right," Tom said. "These sauces are magic."

By 7:30, every table in our corner of the restaurant was filled, and teams of waiters and managers were racing about, ensuring everyone’s satisfaction. We sampled the Dover sole a la Meunière, with steamed rice and vegetables ($35), which dazzled Tom, and the special 10-ounce prime rib with horseradish sauce ($26). While these dishes were very good, I remained loyal to the lobster ravioli.

Kyle brought us a harlequin soufflé—a blend of the chocolate, raspberry and Grand Marnier soufflés ($12 each)—for dessert. Although it was light as the breath for which it was named, I found that I couldn’t finish my portion.

"Would you like to finish mine?" I asked Tom. Before the question had escaped my lips, Tom had consumed the last of my soufflé.

I had gotten so cozy at Chardonnay Nouveau that I hadn’t even bothered to look at the dessert menu for myself, and just let Kyle decide for us. It wasn’t until I began to write this review that I realized I had somehow managed to miss a confection called the hot apple tart brushed with lavender honey and paired with cinnamon-infused vanilla ice cream ($12).

I will make Tom bring me back some chilly evening in the not-too-distant future. Perhaps we will try something off the light bar menu, and venture out of the Classique and into the Nouveau. The good people of Chardonnay Nouveau will see that Tom looks especially dashing in a sports coat.

Chardonnay Nouveau, 2331 Ninth St. N., Naples; (239) 261-3111 or www.chardonnaynouveau.com. Dinner Monday–Saturday, 5–10 p.m. Reservations strongly recommended. Valet and self parking available. Credit cards accepted. Handicapped accessible.

Reviewed: February 2008