Culinary Quandary

And now for the latest installment of Ventura County’s favorite culinary soap opera, “As the Rotisserie Turns” or “Now You See the Chef, Now You Don’t.”

It wasn’t that long ago--at the beginning of March, actually--that Claire Adams, owner of the former Ash Street Coffee House in Ventura, teamed up with well-established Ventura County chef Gael Lecolley to transform the establishment into a rather gourmet Ash Street Cafe.

Unfortunately, the grand idea didn’t quite work out. Lecolley left just a few months after he arrived, and the restaurant has since shut its doors.

What will happen to the Ash Street location?

Well, Pete Ransom, owner of Pete’s Breakfast House and Cucina d’Italia in Ventura, was contacted about possibly moving the Cucina into the Ash Street digs. Ransom said he’s giving it some thought, but that’s about it right now.

“We looked at it and it really needs a lot of work,” Ransom said of the property, which is being overseen by Intercontinental Realty of Ventura. “We haven’t signed anything yet.”

Ransom said until he was contacted by the realty firm, he hadn’t considered relocating the cucina from its Thompson Street address. He has since received an additional inquiry from an owner of a Victorian property on California Street.

“Our place on Thompson doesn’t get a lot of walk-by traffic,” Ransom said. “When these two people asked me about relocating, I began to think, ‘Maybe there is something to this downtown redevelopment.’ I’d say we’re passively looking. We would be interested in moving downtown if it was economically feasible.”

And where did Lecolley land?

The former executive chef at Wheeler Hot Springs was hired as chef du cuisine at Saddle Peak Lodge in Calabasas.

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The folks at Cafe Provencal in Thousand Oaks are nearing the end of their culinary version of the Tour de France. Unlike the grueling annual bicycle race of the same name, the Provencal tour has provided more of a workout for the stomach than the body.

At the start of summer, husband and wife restaurant owners Florence and Serge Bonet began a series of four multi-course dinners, each concentrating on the cuisine of a different French geographical region. The tour will come to a close Sept. 15, with a tribute to the foods and wine of southwest France.

“One thing about this region is that it is one of the most gourmet regions of France and where you have the best wines,” Florence Bonet said. “It is very gourmet. It is rich food and very, very rich wine.”

The menu will open with three pates (herb and vegetable, seafood and sweet and sour meat) topped with three varieties of coulis. For the second course, Cafe Provencal will honor the influence that Basque culture has had on the foods of southwest France, by serving monkfish prepared with bell peppers, tomatoes and onions.

Tournedos will be served for the main courses. And dessert will be flan prepared with honey, cinnamon and lemon zest.

“People love to eat in the southwest region--there’s a lot of meat, a lot of game,” Florence Bonet said. “It’s very different from the southeast region of France. In Provence they eat light, use a little bit of olive oil. It’s very much influenced by the Mediterranean countries, whereas the southwest is near the Basque area.”

Dinner will be served from 5 to 9 p.m. Cost is $45. The restaurant is at 2310 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. For reservations, call 496-7121.