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A good french restaurant always feels like a stage: you're in the limelight and the food is the best ever. This is just the way Fairfield's Bistro on Fourth Street absorbs you into its intimate ambiance. Outside, a six-foot-tall carved log bear wearing a red cravat around his neck and holding the menu welcomes you into the weathered face of a small wooden cabin. Just inside the entryway, two blue sofas, a long bar-style mirror, and leather upholstered chairs line the waiting room. Dried-flower wreaths in autumn colors frame another doorway into the colorful yellow dining room.
My husband and I show up at 9:00 p.m. on a Friday night without a reservation, on the second weekend the restaurant is open. We're welcomed in a friendly manner and put on a ten-minute waiting list.
Provençal Ambiance
Friends are everywhere and we catch up socially while we wait. The restaurant is located in the Depot area of town (because of the red-brick railroad depot building next to the tracks), but it was originally called "New Chicago." Bistro co-owners Ed Noyes and Greg Leeds have renovated the small structure that houses their restaurant as well as the building next door.
Even though the Bistro generally stops serving dinner by 9:00 p.m., appetizers and drinks are still available, so we order melt-in-your-mouth cilantro and lime crab cakes and portobello mushrooms cooked with a wine-butter sauce.
"It's a casual provençal gourmet dining experience--not fast food--and an opportunity to have a full dinner experience with family and friends," says Jerrie Noyes, Ed's wife and an occasional hostess at the Bistro,
Jerrie designed the menu layout and helped to decorate the interior of the restaurant. Fresh garden flowers, crystalline wine glasses, and white linen sit on every table. Deborah Danaher, of Democratic Design, consulted on the design of the restaurant.
"We had tremendous community support," says Ed Noyes, an attorney and real estate developer, "and this aided enormously in the renovation for opening night." Chef Greg Leeds also did the construction, refurbishing, painting, and built the tables with Ed.
At first they were hesitant about moving to New Chicago, a "Bohemian chic" area of town. "We asked people if they would come here," Greg says. "It was considered a less than desirable area for this caliber of a restaurant, but they said if the food and service was good, they would come."
The location has ended up working in their favor. "We realized that Fourth Street is actually one of the busiest streets in town," says Ed, "and there's a lot of natural character with this building and neighborhood. Besides, it is also the only area that has the original brick streets in Fairfield."
A Restaurant of Their Own
So how did Greg and Ed become partners in this venture? "Our interests were similar," says Ed. "Greg has had a long-standing desire to do a restaurant. His passion to create these new dishes and offer them in a small town seemed perfect for Fairfield--that's the reason I went into business with him. Greg will frequently come into the dining area and talk to the patrons, explain things or customize dishes for them."
Greg, who has been in the restaurant industry since he was a high school senior, was classically trained for five years by a Swiss chef in French cuisine. He developed the concept for six restaurants in Chicago, creating the menus, designing the look, and hiring the construction crew and staff. The Bistro was his chance to develop a restaurant of his own.
"This is what I've wanted to do all my life, and now I'm just getting the chance to do it," says Greg.
Nouvelle Meets Big Bistro
"I realized that not many people offer gourmet cuisine in southeast Iowa--but the Bistro only serves 50 or so people a night, and it's relatively quick service for the highest quality locally grown vegetables and free-range meats," says Greg. "All of our food is also non-genetically altered and seasonally organic," he continues.
Only olive oil is used in cooking. The tomatoes, zucchini, squash, and salad mix are also organic. The Atlantic salmon is never frozen, shipped fresh, and the aged Angus beef is specially cut for the fillet mignon. All of the sauces, bread, and desserts are made fresh daily.
Dolores Ramsey and Deborah Gordon make the desserts, the most popular of which is the Mixed Berry Napoleon, a puff pastry with fresh berries, whipped cream, and a drizzling of chocolate sauce around the edges.
Specials are offered most nights. Wednesday is Wild Game Night, serving stuffed quail, venison, and foie gras. Jack's Famous Duck is available every Thursday night--an ode to Jack Taylor, the retired previous owner of the Off-Broadway Steak and Grill.
"He served duck religiously every week," says Greg, "You had to pre-order over the phone. It was the only place in town that served duck, so I was there every Thursday." The Bistro's version comes with a plum and pomegranate glaze.
Served Friday night is Coq au vin, a slow-cooked chicken in wine with lots of vegetables.
"I can cook anything you want," says Greg, "I have some vegan friends who eat here, and I will cater to vegetarians too."
The Veggie Galette, a popular tart for vegetarians, is a puff pastry with mixed veggies and a goat cheese sauce spooned over the top. Many people like to sample the different sauces on vegetarian items.
"It's our intention to have a separate vegetarian menu at some point, and evolve our menu to satisfy all of the different groups in the community. We serve French cuisine with a progressive American twist."
On the night we visit, Telegroup Account Manager Rich Sims samples the Southwestern Pizza with Smoked Chicken. "The pizza crust is very gourmet and flaky. What I really like about the restaurant is the fine sense of taste throughout the food--the veggie sauté sandwich was nicely seasoned with herbs and olive oil. The flavors are incredibly enticing and the ambiance reminds me of a fine Californian café."
The Bistro currently offers an eclectic selection of twelve wines, and they plan to expand it over time. "We'll also offer a fine wine for wine connoisseurs," Greg says. "The Beaujolais Nouvo Festival is a big deal in France, celebrating the new crop of fruity wine, and we will have a wine tasting party here in November when it's released."
Time to Relax
"The quickest I can get you in and out of here is about 45 minutes, based on average, because of our commitment to quality," says Greg. "But if you're on a tight schedule, call in ahead with your order and I'll have it prepared for you."
The restaurant is located at 408-1/2 North Fourth Street. Call ahead to make a reservation at (641) 469-6068.
