San Antonio Express News August 31, 2011
French technique meets American cuisine at Le Chat Noir in Castroville, a hop-skip from downtown San Antonio.
As part of her first solo restaurant venture, Lynn Oefinger is calling the shots in the kitchen with sous chef Matthew Juarez and keeping ingredients local and fresh.
“I try to get stuff from around here before I shop elsewhere,” Oefinger says. “Fresh seafood, we stay away from anything frozen. Same with poultry, it helps flavor-wise.”
With one sous chef, one server and one dishwasher, Oefinger is serving from-scratch Caesar salads and upscale sandwiches, while changing the weekend prix-fixe menu on a weekly basis to accommodate seasonal ingredients.
After being open for approximately four months, Oefinger talked about the concept of Le Chat Noir, named after Castroville's many cats, what running her first restaurant is like and her attention to detail.
Tell me about your concept?
I came up with it one day when I was driving by and saw a building that was for rent. It had had a great restaurant in it for 18 years, and the town needed something different. I figured “Why not?” We change the menu every weekend as far as entrées go. It's not straight American new or contemporary, we've added French technique.
How has the restaurant been received so far?
Castroville has received it pretty well so far. We're getting a pretty good response to it. The town is a pretty historic, small town with a lot of small businesses. Most of my business has been coming out of San Antonio. We're getting a lot of local support.
Any challenges so far?
It's been a challenge to me, a personal challenge to be able to come up with new items, keeping creative and from being bored. That's what's hard about working in other restaurants. Everything starts turning into an everyday routine that could get boring. I've been working in the restaurant business since I was 16, so I've gone through every aspect, front of the house, back of the house, other than being a dishwasher. The hardest part is doing the bookwork and what not.
How have you seen the business change in the last 12 years?
I've seen it go from food not being a big deal to people taking a little more care into what they make. The hike in food TV and magazines has put food out there. This has led to people trying a lot more expensive, exciting food. Chefs looking for food that's good to eat, they're tasting all the flavors and making sure everything melds together.
How did you design the menu?
The lunch menu is completely different from dinner. It's designed so people can come in, come out and have lunch. We're doing a more upscale sandwich. We have a shrimp po' boy, a beef tenderloin melt sandwich, a portobello melt. Nicer salads and sandwiches. As far as the sandwiches go, people really like the shrimp po' boy. People have said that they've gone to New Orleans, have them there and ours are way tastier.
Why do you think that is?
I put in a lot of care into how I make things and make sure things come out showing that. After you've been to lots of restaurants you appreciate the small things people won't do because it takes extra time. You notice those small things. If you take time to make it something special, people will appreciate it. When chefs take the time to make something small like Caesar salad dressing, you know there's a lot care put into everything else.
What's the most important lesson you've learned in the last four months?
I've learned it's difficult to make everyone happy. We've learned to offer more personal service because it is a small restaurant.
Le Chat Noir is at 1302 Fiorella, Castroville, 830-538-9347, lechatnoireatery.com.
Jessica Elizarraras
Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/life/food/article/A-Conversation-With-Lynn-Oefinger-Le-Chat-Noir-2141576.php#ixzz1X0hw6JZN
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As part of her first solo restaurant venture, Lynn Oefinger is calling the shots in the kitchen with sous chef Matthew Juarez and keeping ingredients local and fresh.
“I try to get stuff from around here before I shop elsewhere,” Oefinger says. “Fresh seafood, we stay away from anything frozen. Same with poultry, it helps flavor-wise.”
With one sous chef, one server and one dishwasher, Oefinger is serving from-scratch Caesar salads and upscale sandwiches, while changing the weekend prix-fixe menu on a weekly basis to accommodate seasonal ingredients.
After being open for approximately four months, Oefinger talked about the concept of Le Chat Noir, named after Castroville's many cats, what running her first restaurant is like and her attention to detail.
Tell me about your concept?
I came up with it one day when I was driving by and saw a building that was for rent. It had had a great restaurant in it for 18 years, and the town needed something different. I figured “Why not?” We change the menu every weekend as far as entrées go. It's not straight American new or contemporary, we've added French technique.
How has the restaurant been received so far?
Castroville has received it pretty well so far. We're getting a pretty good response to it. The town is a pretty historic, small town with a lot of small businesses. Most of my business has been coming out of San Antonio. We're getting a lot of local support.
Any challenges so far?
It's been a challenge to me, a personal challenge to be able to come up with new items, keeping creative and from being bored. That's what's hard about working in other restaurants. Everything starts turning into an everyday routine that could get boring. I've been working in the restaurant business since I was 16, so I've gone through every aspect, front of the house, back of the house, other than being a dishwasher. The hardest part is doing the bookwork and what not.
How have you seen the business change in the last 12 years?
I've seen it go from food not being a big deal to people taking a little more care into what they make. The hike in food TV and magazines has put food out there. This has led to people trying a lot more expensive, exciting food. Chefs looking for food that's good to eat, they're tasting all the flavors and making sure everything melds together.
How did you design the menu?
The lunch menu is completely different from dinner. It's designed so people can come in, come out and have lunch. We're doing a more upscale sandwich. We have a shrimp po' boy, a beef tenderloin melt sandwich, a portobello melt. Nicer salads and sandwiches. As far as the sandwiches go, people really like the shrimp po' boy. People have said that they've gone to New Orleans, have them there and ours are way tastier.
Why do you think that is?
I put in a lot of care into how I make things and make sure things come out showing that. After you've been to lots of restaurants you appreciate the small things people won't do because it takes extra time. You notice those small things. If you take time to make it something special, people will appreciate it. When chefs take the time to make something small like Caesar salad dressing, you know there's a lot care put into everything else.
What's the most important lesson you've learned in the last four months?
I've learned it's difficult to make everyone happy. We've learned to offer more personal service because it is a small restaurant.
Le Chat Noir is at 1302 Fiorella, Castroville, 830-538-9347, lechatnoireatery.com.
Jessica Elizarraras
Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/life/food/article/A-Conversation-With-Lynn-Oefinger-Le-Chat-Noir-2141576.php#ixzz1X0hw6JZN
View Link
San Antonio Express News July 12, 2011
CASTROVILLE — Leave it to Le Chat Noir, a small, quaint place about 20-30 minutes from downtown San Antonio to reclaim the glory of the maligned Caesar salad. Here, every aspect of the salad is correct and exactly what it should be.
Far too often, the ubiquitous dish is an afterthought on restaurant menus. Years of cooks not caring whether they put effort into it and customers letting mediocrity slide have resulted in far too many versions coming out in a soggy mess of undistinguished lettuce and uninspired dressing with little rocks that look like croutons.
Not here. Instead, the texture and flavor of crisp romaine balance with the garlicky, lemony and creamy dressing that still allows the undertones of anchovies to come through. A Parmesan tuile (a crisp) served on top as a garnish just makes everything even happier. Everybody does a Caesar salad; few do it this well.
This restaurant's name means “The Black Cat,” in French. If this place were in San Antonio, it would likely be a neighborhood favorite that attracts fans from all over the city. Instead, it's more than worth the drive. Its menu of familiar dishes, quaint setting and friendly, yet ever-so-slightly formal service, all come together to provide an outstanding dining experience.
Chef and owner Lynn Oefinger calls her fare French/American. The dishes themselves are more along the lines of slightly upscale but comfortable American restaurant offerings. The French part comes from the solid culinary technique that's rooted in classical training. Regardless of the nomenclature, it's all very good.
But, if this place were in the city, she'd undoubtedly have to raise the prices to cover the higher rent. Dinner is prix fixe: Choose a salad, main dish and dessert; prices for the three-course dinners are in the $25 range, give or take a few bucks. Lunch prices are more of what's typical for this type of cuisine in the city, with sandwiches in the $10 range.
The menu here changes regularly, depending on what ingredients are in season. If the country-fried Cornish hen is available at dinner, snag it. The coarsely ground cornmeal crust locks in the moisture of the tender, well-seasoned meat, and the result is impressive. A creamy and cheesy side of Yukon Gold mashed potatoes has so much richness that it felt more like a potato mousseline.
Those potatoes served as a side for a pair of well-rendered steak dishes. Both the bacon-wrapped fillet and the spice-rubbed rib-eye were cooked exactly as ordered. This is one of those times when skill and caring elevate familiar items.
The braised Berkshire pork shank, called pork “osso bucco” (their quotation marks, since the classic version comes from veal shank), included cannellini beans and a lightly sautéed green onion. The result was braised comfort food that's worth ordering even in the middle of summer.
All four of the desserts that evening — vanilla crème brûlée, chocolate crème brûlée, coconut cheesecake and Key lime pie — succeeded, especially the pucker-inducing pie in all its lime-rich tartness.
The lunch menu focuses on sandwiches, but the dishes still show how much Oefinger cares about food. It's hard to decide which was a favorite sandwich, because they all worked well.
The shrimp po' boy featured beautifully cooked shrimp, tender, plump and full of flavor. A red onion tartar sauce added to the goodness.
A portabello sandwich included slices of roasted red pepper, a spread of goat cheese, some red onion and an herbed mayo, and it all just worked. It's not like the portabello was trying to substitute for a piece of meat; everything just came together.
The Caprese and prosciutto sandwich featured the usual mozzarella, tomato and basil on the sandwich, along with some thin slices of prosciutto. It looked gorgeous, too.
The sandwiches, by the way, all came with a tasty mix of julienned and fried potatoes and sweet potatoes.
This building formerly housed La Normandie, an outstanding family-run Alsatian restaurant that radiated Old World charm until it closed several years ago.
This new place has opened up the small rooms of the old place; the white painted walls emphasize the wood tone of the ceiling beams. The result is contemporary, classic and nearly timeless. Just like Oefinger's dishes.
Naturally, there's room for improvement. During the lunch visit, our group tried an individual chocolate cake with chocolate sauce. Clearly, it had been made from scratch, but it came out a little dry, even with the sauce.
Alas, the other misstep came at dinner from mixed greens, an ingredient that bedevils much lesser restaurants. It was in the house salad, which added grape tomatoes, crescents of cucumbers with a white balsamic vinaigrette. The only problem was that a few of the greens were slimy. The rest of the salad was excellent, so it's something that Oefinger and her staff need to watch.
In the future, it would be great to see her feature some local ingredients, perhaps some Medina County beef, corn or peanuts? At that point, this place would elevate from a quaint place to an important one. The potential is there.
Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/life/food/article/Review-Le-Chat-Noir-1466579.php#ixzz1X0haREBN
View Link
Far too often, the ubiquitous dish is an afterthought on restaurant menus. Years of cooks not caring whether they put effort into it and customers letting mediocrity slide have resulted in far too many versions coming out in a soggy mess of undistinguished lettuce and uninspired dressing with little rocks that look like croutons.
Not here. Instead, the texture and flavor of crisp romaine balance with the garlicky, lemony and creamy dressing that still allows the undertones of anchovies to come through. A Parmesan tuile (a crisp) served on top as a garnish just makes everything even happier. Everybody does a Caesar salad; few do it this well.
This restaurant's name means “The Black Cat,” in French. If this place were in San Antonio, it would likely be a neighborhood favorite that attracts fans from all over the city. Instead, it's more than worth the drive. Its menu of familiar dishes, quaint setting and friendly, yet ever-so-slightly formal service, all come together to provide an outstanding dining experience.
Chef and owner Lynn Oefinger calls her fare French/American. The dishes themselves are more along the lines of slightly upscale but comfortable American restaurant offerings. The French part comes from the solid culinary technique that's rooted in classical training. Regardless of the nomenclature, it's all very good.
But, if this place were in the city, she'd undoubtedly have to raise the prices to cover the higher rent. Dinner is prix fixe: Choose a salad, main dish and dessert; prices for the three-course dinners are in the $25 range, give or take a few bucks. Lunch prices are more of what's typical for this type of cuisine in the city, with sandwiches in the $10 range.
The menu here changes regularly, depending on what ingredients are in season. If the country-fried Cornish hen is available at dinner, snag it. The coarsely ground cornmeal crust locks in the moisture of the tender, well-seasoned meat, and the result is impressive. A creamy and cheesy side of Yukon Gold mashed potatoes has so much richness that it felt more like a potato mousseline.
Those potatoes served as a side for a pair of well-rendered steak dishes. Both the bacon-wrapped fillet and the spice-rubbed rib-eye were cooked exactly as ordered. This is one of those times when skill and caring elevate familiar items.
The braised Berkshire pork shank, called pork “osso bucco” (their quotation marks, since the classic version comes from veal shank), included cannellini beans and a lightly sautéed green onion. The result was braised comfort food that's worth ordering even in the middle of summer.
All four of the desserts that evening — vanilla crème brûlée, chocolate crème brûlée, coconut cheesecake and Key lime pie — succeeded, especially the pucker-inducing pie in all its lime-rich tartness.
The lunch menu focuses on sandwiches, but the dishes still show how much Oefinger cares about food. It's hard to decide which was a favorite sandwich, because they all worked well.
The shrimp po' boy featured beautifully cooked shrimp, tender, plump and full of flavor. A red onion tartar sauce added to the goodness.
A portabello sandwich included slices of roasted red pepper, a spread of goat cheese, some red onion and an herbed mayo, and it all just worked. It's not like the portabello was trying to substitute for a piece of meat; everything just came together.
The Caprese and prosciutto sandwich featured the usual mozzarella, tomato and basil on the sandwich, along with some thin slices of prosciutto. It looked gorgeous, too.
The sandwiches, by the way, all came with a tasty mix of julienned and fried potatoes and sweet potatoes.
This building formerly housed La Normandie, an outstanding family-run Alsatian restaurant that radiated Old World charm until it closed several years ago.
This new place has opened up the small rooms of the old place; the white painted walls emphasize the wood tone of the ceiling beams. The result is contemporary, classic and nearly timeless. Just like Oefinger's dishes.
Naturally, there's room for improvement. During the lunch visit, our group tried an individual chocolate cake with chocolate sauce. Clearly, it had been made from scratch, but it came out a little dry, even with the sauce.
Alas, the other misstep came at dinner from mixed greens, an ingredient that bedevils much lesser restaurants. It was in the house salad, which added grape tomatoes, crescents of cucumbers with a white balsamic vinaigrette. The only problem was that a few of the greens were slimy. The rest of the salad was excellent, so it's something that Oefinger and her staff need to watch.
In the future, it would be great to see her feature some local ingredients, perhaps some Medina County beef, corn or peanuts? At that point, this place would elevate from a quaint place to an important one. The potential is there.
Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/life/food/article/Review-Le-Chat-Noir-1466579.php#ixzz1X0haREBN
View Link
Texas Monthly November 2001
New + Noteworthy
By Patrica Sharpe
Le Chat Noir Eatery
Castroville
Castroville’s Alsatian heritage endures in its charming nineteenth-century buildings, one of which now houses a restaurant that’s worth the 25-mile drive from San Antonio. Sizing up their clientele, chef-owner Lynn Oefinger and sous chef Matthew Juarez stick with the basics, such as a good seared ribeye with blue cheese crumbles, an ample filet of beef glazed with balsamic and set atop a red pepper coulis, and rosy pan-seared duck breast cooked in Grand Marnier. Side dishes run to mashed sweet potatoes, golden french fries, and—strangely—green bean casserole. Overall, though, the cooking is precise and the flavors sing.
Read more: http://www.texasmonthly.com/2011-11-01/filterdining.php
By Patrica Sharpe
Le Chat Noir Eatery
Castroville
Castroville’s Alsatian heritage endures in its charming nineteenth-century buildings, one of which now houses a restaurant that’s worth the 25-mile drive from San Antonio. Sizing up their clientele, chef-owner Lynn Oefinger and sous chef Matthew Juarez stick with the basics, such as a good seared ribeye with blue cheese crumbles, an ample filet of beef glazed with balsamic and set atop a red pepper coulis, and rosy pan-seared duck breast cooked in Grand Marnier. Side dishes run to mashed sweet potatoes, golden french fries, and—strangely—green bean casserole. Overall, though, the cooking is precise and the flavors sing.
Read more: http://www.texasmonthly.com/2011-11-01/filterdining.php
