RESTAURANT REVIEW: La Madeleine's? Oui, oui!

La Mads has been la madhouse.

Which is to say that the much-anticipated Little Rock branch of La Madeleine Country French Cafe, a beloved Dallas-based fast-casual chain, has been bustling and keeping the beret-wearing, bonjour-speaking staff busy.

I had never been to any of the 70 or so locations of La Madeleine, revered for its quiche, tasty tomato basil soup (sold by the cup, bowl and even take-home jar) and bakery. I suggested that we make a girls' night of it. That was before I saw the long counter line, noticed we'd have to seat ourselves at wooden cafe or pub tables and fetch our own napkins and drink refills, and -- most importantly -- realized there was no "vin" (although wine is expected to be available in the future). We bailed to find a more, well, spirited spot.

"La Madeleine" I interpreted to be French for "Panera."

I was wrong, I'd realize with my first bite of an incredible crepe on the pleasant Paris-by-way-of-West-Markham patio. Though fast-casual and serving soups, sandwiches and salads -- pardon, "salades" -- La Madeleine, which also offers French entrees, "savoury" crepes, cafe "classiques," a la carte sides, coffee drinks, full breakfasts and a Le Children's Menu, is in a class by itself.

But it would take a while before I'd understand that -- after we waited in a long line at the post-church brunch hour on Sunday. And after we finally got to the register only to be told the kitchen was out of items we wanted (this would happen a second time). And after it took ages for our food to finally be delivered, though the serve-yourself complimentary mixed breads and strawberry rhubarb and blackberry jams helped soothe a case of the hangries.

All was forgotten at the impressive presentation of my Custom Crepe -- scrambled eggs with bacon, bell peppers and brie ($7.99 for three ingredients, 89 cents each additional), all cloaked in a creamy Gruyere sauce and nesting in a delicious thin crepe that doubled as a bowl liner. As a side, I ordered Potato Galette ($2.99), an herb-y and heavenly mashed potato cake; regular ol' hash browns might be ruined for me forever.

While my companion craved the unavailable Parisien Eggs Benedict ($8.29), the Country French Breakfast ($7.99), featuring two eggs (he selected over easy), a Potato Galette, two sausage patties (bacon is another option), sliced tomato and a flaky butter croissant, was a satisfying substitute.

We'd return for deja-vu-esque patio dinner on a weeknight. Again, we'd wait in a long line. Again, a first choice (the Beef Bourguignon, $12.99) was not available. (La Mads Lesson No. 1: Have a backup selection ready, at least during these opening weeks.) Again, we'd wait a while for our food, but that was partially our fault. (La Mads Lesson No. 2: Make sure to place the issued high-tech table tracker on the table disk that clearly says "Place tracker here s'il vous plait." Oops.)

The Chicken la Madeleine ($9.59) featured a chicken breast marinated in balsamic vinegar, roasted, sliced and covered with a creamy wild mushroom sauce. It was adequate, but it was not the Burgundy beef and side of parmesan mashed potatoes my taste buds had prepared for. And the chicken's sides -- plain steamed broccoli and an unmemorable Rice Provencal -- detracted from, rather than enhanced, the meal. But leaving them on the plate meant more room for bites of my date's meal.

The mighty, melty Croque Monsieur ($8.59), the signature oven-baked sandwich of smoked ham and Swiss with garlic cream sauce on wheatberry bread, tasted as over-the-top magnifique as it looked. Instead of selecting one of the included sides, a Caesar Salade, Tomato Basil Pesto Pasta Salade or bagged Kettle brand salt-and-pepper chips, my date chose a cup of soup (99 cents upgrade; fruit is another choice), the flavorful White Bean & Vegetable.

Navigating the single main entrance and the tiny main parking lot (there's more parking nearby) is tricky. So for a third visit -- the evening of Mother's Day -- we took advantage of call-ahead ordering and a close designated carryout spot. While the scene was chaotic, we were able to get and pay for our carefully packaged (in cute paper boxes, sturdy plastic containers and logo shopping totes) food in about 10 minutes.

The French Dip ($8.59) of roast beef, sauteed but not-quite-caramelized onions, melted provolone with horseradish on sourdough bread was a hearty delight, even without a dunk in the provided au jus (we have soggy bread issues). The pasta salad, though a hint dry, had lively sun-dried tomato and basil notes.

Not only was the nice piece of Roasted Salmon ($12.89) served with a creamy herb sauce, plated prettily with a lemon slice and extra dill, it came with roasted asparagus, as well as a scoop of rich mashed potatoes we swapped for the aforementioned uninspiring rice.

The Sampler ($8.69) is a way to try three small salade portions. In the future, we'd gladly order larger portions of all three we tested: The sweet-salty-sour Strawberry & Bacon Spinach Salade with balsamic vinaigrette; the plush, comforting Chicken Salade; and the Strawberries Romanoff, ripe, red berries made luxurious with a brandy-sour-cream sauce.

Tempting treats, available in individual and whole portions, fill La Madeleine's glass display cases. We found the indulgent Strawberry Napoleon ($4.79), massive Chocolate Chunk and Oatmeal Raisin Pecan Cookies ($1.99) and dreamy Blackberry and Cream Cheese Croissant ($2.99) all worthy of the diet wreckage.

As we prefer cream-cheesy American frosting to whipped-creamy European, the Coconut Cream Cake ($4.29) was the only La Madeleine's dessert we were less than mad about.

Weekend on 05/12/2016