Click here to visit website:  www.cafedeparis.us

                                     Bon Appétit!

               Bistro Brings Affordable French Cuisine to Birmingham

Owners: Serge Pambo and Jean Evens Estinfort

You don’t have to travel far to experience a bit of France.  Just stroll over to Café De Paris located at 2801 Seventh Ave South in Lakeview, just down from Sol Y Luna.  Cousins Jean Evens Estinfort and Serge Pambo opened the restaurant in December and serve French cuisine at very reasonable prices.  Both men are natives of France and attended cooking school in Paris.  After living in the city for over 20 years, Pambo moved to Birmingham four years ago and Estinfort followed him only a couple of years later.  Estinfort had worked at Five Points Grill and Lakeview Oyster House while Pambo previously worked at Bottega.  It was then they began saving their money with the dream of opening their own restaurant.  Estinfort says the purpose of their restaurant is to bring something different to Birmingham.  “We want to share our culture with the city,” remarks Estinfort, “when you are here, you will feel like you are in France.”  Cozy yet authentic, each table in the bistro is draped with a crisp white tablecloth and decorated with a single red rose in a glass vase.  While eating, customers can casually gaze at photographs and paintings of French landmarks and scenery adorning the walls.  During nice weather, tables and chairs are placed outside for customers who want to just sip coffee and nibble on appetizers.  On their lunch menu, you will find a selection of stuffed crepes and omelets.  There is a traditional quiche of the day offered as well as soups, salads and sandwiches.  These dishes generally run between a $9.00-$10.00 price range.  The dinner menu is more extensive and features appetizers such as baked goat cheese salad, beef Carpaccio with Parmesan cheese, and seafood spring rolls with marinara sauce.  With bits of cooked shrimp combined with fresh chopped vegetables, the spring rolls are softened with butter but cooked to perfection to give it a nice crunchy texture.  Entrees include American cuisine served with a French flair such as grilled pork chops, pan seared salmon, grilled gulf shrimp, and grilled beef filet tenderloin.  Entrees are served with daily sides like hand cut French fries or fresh veggies.  If you have room for dessert, your sweet tooth will crave a vanilla Crème Brulee or the White and Black Chocolate Mousse with fresh mint as a garnish.  Not overly sweet, the smooth flavors of dark chocolate and whipped cream is a pleasurable sensation for your taste buds and stomach.  Estinfort says they want everyone to be able to enjoy their cuisine and understand that with today’s economy, there is a need to make their prices fit what people can afford on a regular basis.  “We want people to keep coming back in a couple of weeks rather than only being able to afford us at the most once a month” says Estinfort.  Pambo & Estinfort also comb through Alabama’s farmer markets to bring fresh ingredients back to their restaurant.  “We take time to choose our vegetables very carefully.  We ask questions, examine each vegetable to find the highest quality and freshness,” says Pambo.  The restaurant is open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11a.m. to 2p.m. and for dinner from 5 to 10p.m.  On Fridays and Saturdays dinner is served from 5 to 11p.m.  The restaurant also serves brunch on Sundays from 10a.m. to 3p.m.  For more information or to make reservations call 205-202-4024 or visit their website 

Click here to visit website: www.cafedeparis.us