Fresh Treats From Le Cafe Market

The word for today is moist . Moist boneless breast of chicken, moist salmon, moist pate, moist rare roast beef. . . . Get the picture? Le Cafe Market in Sherman Oaks features good quality raw materials plus everything freshly made.

While there are cases full of appetizers, pates, salads and pastries to pick up on the spur of the moment, the heart and soul of the place are the Box Meal Menus (nine entrees, seven appetizer boxes, numerous salads and accouterments) that you order 24 hours in advance. The people at Le Cafe Market seem delighted to help you plan a picnic--and make it easy to do. (“Have a great time,” the counterman said as he tucked a pair of homemade tamales into my bag. “I’m going to the Bowl tomorrow night.”)

We steamed those rich (yes, moist) $1.25 beef and vegetable tamales at home and had everything else cold, starting with a delicious three-part country pate of pork, liver and veal.

A tricolor red pepper, spinach, turnip and carrot vegetable mousse was eggy, airy and fresh, and the chicken liver terrine was justly bold. The smokey, sweet, lean country ham was delicious too--and $8.95 per pound. (Prices, on the whole, are reasonable.)

Each entree comes with one or two salads and a jazzy little pastry (or fruit dessert), each element securely packed. Nothing was dry, nothing was unpleasant, not a single thing was overcooked. And a couple of dinners were superb.

A boneless breast of grilled lime chicken was wonderfully tender and had that citrus-soaked, grilled, summer taste; the perky tomatillo salsa and apple jicama salads were just right. The broccoli salad nicely hit the mark between too-raw and too-cooked.

An ample portion of tender cold poached king salmon had been prepared in a sweet, oniony court bouillon and came with a homemade mayonnaise my food-wise companion and I quibbled about.

“Quite nice,” he kept saying as he dipped into it. “Too much like tartar sauce,” I replied.

We discussed the caviar and smoked salmon plate too.

“Is it worth $18.50 for one-half ounce of Sevruga and three slivers of smoked salmon?” I said. He was too busy devouring the distinctively smoked salmon and those swell little glossy gray pearls.

“I will concede,” he said, coming up for air, “that these are not what I’d call lavish condiments.” That’s what the menu had said. There were a couple of slices of cucumber, two cornichons, pairs of pearl onions and cherry tomatoes, two green olives, two tulip-cut radishes, a slim ring of onion, and a small round of sour cream. Not lavish or interesting in the least--but the Sevruga and salmon were great.

Several other meals were carefully made but needed more of a kick: chicken roasted with herbes de provence was tender, juicy and very plain (and came with a mushy potato salad--pass). A Thai beef salad showered with ground peanuts had a “spicy dressing” that was scarcely spicy at all.

The lemony cold artichoke was just fine by itself, it’s accompanying dressing too acidic. Homemade stuffed grape leaves were large dense bullets of lamb. A brilliantly colored, peanut-strewn curried cabbage salad was essentially one long crunchy note.

My friends devoured the beautiful creme anglaise -filled fruit tarts (they held up well after several hours out of the fridge). Personally, I preferred the simple fruit salad; to my taste, many of the desserts are simply too sweet. Puit d’amour tasted like a nursery custard surrounded by a popover dough.

Le Cafe Market has a good selection of chilled wines and offers to rent picnic baskets, real flatware, thermoses and all the linen and china you’ll need.

Le Cafe Market, 14633 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks. (818) 990-6678. Open daily. Monday-Saturday, 7:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday, 8:30 a.m.-9 p.m. All major credit cards. Order meals by phone 24 hours ahead. Parking lot. Entree boxes (includes 2 salads and dessert): $8.75-$15.25.