French Fare, Plain and Simple

Micheline Hebert, who was owner and chef at Chez Helene in Beverly Hills, has a knack for finding restaurant spaces with charm and character. No standard-issue storefronts for her. Chez Helene occupied an enchanting brick cottage twined with roses where silhouettes of cats peered out from the mullioned windows, a fire crackled in the hearth and regulars returned again and again for lemon-scented roast chicken and cassoulet. That is, until two years ago, when Hebert got an offer she couldn’t refuse and sold the sweet little French Canadian restaurant she had run with such dedication for 22 years. (It’s now Bistro K.)

Hebert had barely begun her retirement and work on a cookbook when another equally captivating space in Santa Monica became available, tempting her back to the stoves. Chez Helene had been named after the original owner, so this time, Hebert named the restaurant after herself: It’s called Chez Mimi.

Behind an ornate iron gate is a rambling series of diminutive brick buildings and courtyards (the site of the former Camelions) that Hebert has transformed into a near-perfect evocation of a French country auberge. The kitchen is housed in one building and, through the open door, you can frequently glimpse Hebert behind her cluttered desk, taking reservations over the phone while keeping a close eye on the cooking. Across the courtyard, in two other buildings, are the three dining rooms, each with a working fireplace. The decor is spare: small-paned windows, smoky mirrors, candle sconces, antique coat hooks and an occasional vintage French print. When the fireplaces are burning, the rooms take on a romantic glow. At the back of yet another courtyard scattered with French garden chairs is the “country room,” which has its own fireplace and may be reserved for small parties.

The menu here, like the one at Hebert’s old place, is a nod to the simple French country cooking she grew up with in Quebec. Reading it is like leafing through a beloved old-fashioned French cookbook: chilled cucumber soup, house pate, escargots de Bourgogne, mussels with shallots and cream, truite aux amandes (trout with almonds), steak au poivre, gigot d’agneau (roast leg of lamb) and gateau au chocolat (chocolate cake). In short, liberties are not taken with the classics.

In fact, that little house salad is a delightful way to begin a meal at Chez Mimi. Fresh greens that include baby romaine are dressed with just the right balance of oil to vinegar. Another good starter is a special salad of finely sliced fennel, walnuts and fresh mushrooms in a piquant vinaigrette. Or you can have steamed asparagus with a handmade mayonnaise intensely flavored with fresh tarragon.

Until I had a recent meal at Chez Mimi, I’d forgotten how soothing vichyssoise, a smooth chilled puree of potatoes and leeks strewn with snipped chives, can be. Escargots arrive, trailing a garlic-scented cloud of steam. The house pate, more like a chicken liver mousse, is perfectly fine. But the bread could be better, given all the good bakeries in L.A. now.

Often the list of specials is so long that it’s hard to take them all in as they’re recited by a waiter with a heavy French accent. Listen closely for mussels: They’re the glossy black ones from Prince Edward Island, steamed in the shell with white wine and lots of shallots. The sauce is finished with a swirl of cream. Tasty fresh sand dabs cooked in butter and lemon, another special, would be perfect if they hadn’t been drenched in butter and just slightly overcooked.

Hebert’s poulet Chez Helene, redolent of lemon and herbs, is as good as it was at her old place (and you get your choice of white or dark meat). Gigot d’agneau, leg of lamb perfumed with Provenal herbs and garlic, is cooked to a rosy pink and served sliced with a splash of the natural juices--the kind of dish you just don’t find in restaurants anymore. Sauteed calf’s liver comes with a heap of excellent frites, and the grilled pork chop is excellent, thick and juicy, piled with tart sauteed apple. I like the chewy steak au poivre, too, sharp with cracked Tellicherry peppercorns in a sauce made from the pan juices and cream (a steal at lunch for $13). Most main courses are served with delicious green beans and, unfortunately, those pretty but tasteless stubby carrots you find packaged in supermarkets. It’s a shame, too, that Hebert garnishes plates, even in mid-winter, with a cherry tomato and a sprig of curly parsley.

Cassoulet is a bit of a disappointment. Laced with sausage and duck, it comes to the table steaming in a tall porcelain dish. It’s not bad, just too soupy and tomatoey for my taste. It could use a bit more of the traditional browned topping of bread crumbs, parsley and goose fat that soaks up the flavors of the mingled juices.

The wine list is a mix of French and California selections, with wines from southern France and the Central Coast dominating. Many have one- or two-sentence descriptions and are matched with dishes from the menu. I wish, though, that it provided the vintage for all wines, not just the few featured on a special sheet. For after-dinner drinking, try a glass of honeyed Muscat de Beaumes de Venise from the Rhone or Pineau des Charentes, another fortified dessert wine, this one from southwest France.

Service is generally exemplary. Bread, water, wineglasses and menus all arrive just when you want them. Food is served promptly, without much fuss, and the fact that nothing has been languishing under the warming lights may be one reason everything tastes so fresh and good.

Save room for the comforting home-style desserts. The creme brulee’s custard is too sweet to contrast lusciously with the glassy caramelized sugar on top. But I love the caramel chomeur, a sort of bread pudding drizzled with buttery caramel sauce. (The raspberry version isn’t nearly as good.) The smooth, custardy lemon pie accented with lemon zest is nice and tart with a fine short crust. And the gateau au chocolat is a respectable version of the ubiquitous flourless chocolate cake. Order it with vanilla bean ice cream.

Hebert is not a fancy cook, but there’s virtue in her plain, honest French food. It’s a throwback to less pretentious times--and pleasant relief from the belabored creations of other chefs intent on making a spectacular impression. At Chez Mimi, the menu wishes diners “Bon appetit!” That’s a wish Hebert knows how to fulfill.

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Chez Mimi

CUISINE: French-Quebeoise. AMBIENCE: Three small cottage dining rooms, each with fireplace, and courtyard in front. BEST DISHES: Vichyssoise, mushroom and fennel salad, steamed mussels, poulet Chez Helene, calf’s liver, grilled pork chop, gigot d’agneau, steak au poivre, caramel chomeur, lemon pie. WINE PICKS: 1994 Rosenthal Cabernet Sauvignon “Malibu Estate,” Southern California; 1996 Georges Duboeuf Chateau des Deduits Fleurie, Beaujolais. FACTS: 246 26th St., Santa Monica; (310) 393-0558. Lunch Tuesday through Saturday. Dinner Tuesday through Sunday. Dinner appetizers, $4 to $14; main courses, $13 to $24. Corkage $15. Street parking.