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Bistro du Soleil
120 Washington St.
Norwalk
203-855-9469

By LORRAINE GENGO

Fairfield County Weekly

Published 1/2/2004

It was such a cold, dreary rain that it was nigh impossible to anticipate the glow of the impending holiday, and it made shopping a bitch. So I sought refuge in a little bistro along South Norwalk's restaurant row. Its logo, a glowing sun symbol, was all that was necessary to lure me in, although the laudatory reviews posted in the window signaled that reviewers before me had been well pleased with this bistro's offerings.

Heavy claret-colored drapes separating the dining area from the foyer ensured that the warmth of this little sun stayed inside. The artwork on the walls, by Russian artist Tatyana Eliseeva, emanated light of their own, painted in golds, ambers and reds, as rich as Renaissance tapestries.

The presence of a gallery of fine art is an added bonus to dining at Bistro du Soleil. Executive chef and bistro owner Soledad Del Castillo Blanco, who was a jewelry maker and fashion designer in her native Chile, made a practice of holding regular art exhibits at the original bistro she opened in Rowayton. This enterprising and artful chef soon outgrew the space and with the help of her contractor husband, Bernardo Munoz, they opened the South Norwalk location in the spring of last year with an expanded menu of food and wine, tacking on the moniker "enoteca" or "wine library" to the sunny bistro title. (The exclusive list of wines and fine liquors is crafted for the bistro by Fountainhead Wines of East Norwalk, which won Best Wine Shop in Fairfield County in our 2003 readers' poll.) The art exhibits continue, with the featured artist changing monthly, and a catered reception by the hosts. A nice way to give back to the community.

There's no doubt that Soledad and the two chef who work with her in the bistro's display kitchen--chef Raul Santander and sous chef Antonio Juarez--are artists in their own right. The menu she's crafted can't be squarely placed in any single cuisine category: there's Spanish empanadas and gambas al ajillo , but there's also escargot in Pernod and bouilliabaisse . The common thread seems to me to be food that puts the glow of the sun inside your belly. I especially appreciated the fact that both the lunch and dinner menus delineate the organic products used, most notably the meat and game. It's not often you'll find organic wild boar or beef on a menu, but it makes a huge difference, especially if you make those kinds of choices when you cook for yourself at home.

B istro du Soleil offers the most value during lunch, when this L-shaped restaurant does a bustling business. An exemplary salad Nicoise with fresh tuna ($10) and the requisite haricot vert , olives and hard boiled eggs had me humming a Greg Brown line--"She's got magic in her, you know what I mean/she puts the sun and the rain in with her green beans..."--from a song that celebrates the longing we have for wholesome food prepared with love.

A subsequent dinner with my husband and son ensured that the magic in that salad was not a trick but just a small sampling of the goodness to come. That evening, my son made a meal of two appetizers: Prosciutto de Parma and fresh, sweet cantaloupe ($10) followed by two crab cakes that were all crab, not the usual bready disappointments, mixed with lemon and herbs and served with a housemade tartar sauce ($10). They were up to my son's high standards.

The house salad featured mesclun, imported Gorgonzola, fresh pears and walnuts in a vinaigrette made with walnut oil ($9). Another successful salad. I'm always hesitant to eat raw meat, but this steak tartar was made with organic filet mignon enlivened with a marinade of lemon juice, soy sauce, cilantro, ginger and other spices. It was cleverly served on malanga chips (a tropical tuber fried like a potato chip) and served with chili sauce made from Peruvian yellow rocotto chilies ($10).

My grilled sushi-grade tuna arrived rare, as requested, and was accompanied by arugula and a mango-jicama relish ($22). Immaculately fresh ingredients, very clean flavors--just the way I prefer to eat. It's nice to see a kitchen that understands that less is more.

The bouilliabaisse was a cornucopia of seafood: scallops, shrimp, mussels, clams, calamari and tuna in a saffrony stew ($20) served with a crouton.

We ended this meal with espresso and a poached pear with a dollop of Chantilly cream ($6), the muted sweetness of the pear sounding just the right grace note to a meal that left us feeling satisfied but not overly stuffed. All we longed for now was a sunny spot in which to curl up for a mid-winter snooze.

"Let those December winds bellow and blow/

I'm as warm as a July tomato/

Peaches on the shelf, potatoes in the bin/

Supper's ready, everybody come on in/

Taste a little of the summer/

Taste a little of the summer/

You can taste a little of the summer/

My grandmother put it all in jars..."

Hours: Lunch & Dinner Tue.-Thu., 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Brunch Sun., 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Dinner Sun., 5 p.m.-8 p.m.

Extras:

Cuisine Mediterranean, So. American, Bistro Meals Served Lunch, Dinner Payment Method Visa, MasterCard Price Range Moderate Reservations Recommended Services Catering, Private Parties, Carry Out Spirits Full Bar Website http://www.bistrodusoleilsono.com/ Wheelchair Access entrance & restrooms