Year after year, Café Mahjaic places in Style Magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards as one of the region’s top dining destinations. I’d eaten here before, although it was a few years ago, so I decided to write this article through the eyes of another local chef. I asked him and his lovely wife to join me there for dinner and explained I’d be channeling him as I wrote these words. 

First impressions mean a lot and his was good. He found it “quaint,” “rustic” and “contemporary”—all at the same time. The café was busy this Sunday night, as expected, and we decided to go with the fixed price, four-course menu. We started with the prawn appetizer and while my chef-companion noted the portion being merely a small bite, he was instantly taken with the preparation and described the flavor as “excellent.” 

We then moved on to salad and each enjoyed it, with our chef noting “they know how to make a Caesar salad.” As he finished, the plate was clean as a whistle, so I’m thinking he liked it…a lot. 

The selection of main courses ran the gamut from pasta, pork (schnitzel) and fish (halibut) to beef (flat-iron steak) and chicken (coq au vin). I was not surprised when Chef order the steak, as it’s something he doesn’t serve in his own restaurant, and he loves meat. Now this is where the rubber meets the road for him—steak prepared properly is—as he put it—not easily found. He actually snickered, smiled and finished it before speaking again, and when he did, all he could say was “terrific…really terrific.” 

While he absolutely loved the steak, there’s no way he could have loved it more than I loved my coq au vin. My mouth is watering thinking about it. I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying this dish in many cities around the world, including Paris, and while Lotus will never be confused for the City of Light, the food was on par with the best I’ve had there. 

Dessert, the renowned Chocolate Decadence—a flourless chocolate torte with bourbon whipped cream, house-made caramel sauce and a macadamia nut cookie—was a sweet ending for all of us. 

Whether you’ve had the pleasure of dining here before or not, I advise you go; the menu changes, as do the specials, and you’ll no doubt be happy you did.

by Patrick Carter // photos by Dante Fontana © Style Media Group

Café Mahjaic, 1006 Lotus Road, Lotus, 530-622-9587.