Casual, Cozy and French? La Chatelaine Challenges a Stereotype

I, of all people, should know that French food doesn't have to be fancy. After all, I make French food for my family most nights, and there certainly is nothing fancy about roast chicken or pork roasts. But for some reason, French restaurants became synonymous with expensive elaborate dinners, the types of meals where I need to wear a skirt, and even maybe put on some hose.

When we moved to the Columbus area, I kept driving past this French restaurant called La Chatelaine, and I kept saying to myself, "we'll have to go there for a special occasion." And of course, as special occasions are few and far between, I never step foot beyond its doors beneath the jaunty flying French and American flags.

Until one night when Steve and I were out on a date, which meant that we were somewhat more dressed up than usual (eg. I was out of my workout clothes, and he was wearing a stain-free sweater on top of his t-shirt) and we decided on a whim to take a peek inside La Chatelaine.

It was 9:30 and the kitchen had already stopped serving (such is the life in the suburbs of Columbus) so we didn't get to eat, but we took a few minutes to look around and discard our preconceived notions about the place. Because La Chatelaine was the furthest thing from snobby and pretentious. It was homey, casual, and the dishes on the menu seemed exactly like those I grew up with.

La Chatelaine is a concept nothing short of brilliant: a casual French restaurant, a place you can bring the entire family for lunch, brunch or dinner. The ambiance is that of a French country manor and the smells of fresh bread and French sauces waft enticingly to your nose as soon as you walk through the doors. They have checkers and board games, fireplaces in various nooks and crannies, and the type of bar you want to linger at for drinks.

There is a delicious bakery which has the flakiest croissants I've had in America. I don't say this lightly. I take my croissants seriously. These are buttery without being greasy and flaky without being stale. They are perfection this side of the Atlantic, as are their other patisseries like their pains au chocolat, pains aux raisins, and chocolate eclairs.

Lunch is served cafeteria style, with trays that slide along in front of their delicious soups (they feature a different cream soup every day, as well as vegetable soup and onion soup), quiches, and sandwiches. If you order other dishes from their menu that are not in the lunch buffet, they will be brought to your table.

Dinner is served tableside by ordering off the full menu which is filled with traditional dishes I grew up with like cassoulet, steak frites with bearnaise, and boeuf bourguignon. The portions are reasonable and the food is honest, cooking that you would find in a home kitchen in France. For those with a lighter appetite, La Chatelaine offers a good selection of salads and Alsacian flatbreads.

In addition to the Dublin location (627 High Street), there are two others in Upper Arlington (1550 West Lane Avenue) and in Worthington (627 N. High Street).