When it debuted two years ago, with a lustworthy mix of sweet and savory crêpes that incorporated nearly everything but the kitchen sink—plus incroyable salads, sandwiches and quiches, to boot—Café Gourmand quickly rose to prominence in local food circles.
It’s no wonder the family who own it, considering their roots in the hospitality industry in France, have quietly started offering dinner service on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The move is permanent, with the 5-9 p.m. evening hours to last all summer and beyond, including a 5-6 p.m. early bird three-course prix fixe for $31. (The obvious exception will be when the restaurant takes its yearly off-season close in September.)
A thyme-perfumed salad with logs of melted goat cheese makes the cut from lunch to dinner, but the rest for when the white table cloths are unfurled come from owner Bernadette Georges’ canon of experience growing up in a restaurant family in Belgium and owning and running a bed and breakfast for 26 years in the bay of Saint Tropez. She relocated with her daughter, son-in-law and a friend (all of whom had restaurant experience) to Naples to open their latest venture. From coquilles Saint Jacques, seared scallops resting on a bed of risotto erupting with shallots and cream, to an orange duck, rosemary-inflected lamb chops, steak tartare and more, they’ve given plenty of reason to consider a nighttime voyage to North Naples for a taste of the south of France.
