Taste bud tour

Muldoon bakery has worldly selections of dishes and desserts

By Riza Parsons
Daily News correspondent

Published: May 15th, 2009 12:01 AM
Last Modified: May 15th, 2009 09:34 AM

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ERIK HILL / Anchorage Daily News

All pastries are made from scratch at Paris Bakery & Cafe in Muldoon.

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I have a soft spot for restaurants in strip malls, the ones ensconced in between Laundromats and video stores. The Paris Bakery & Café opened in November 2008 and fits perfectly into the genre, occupying a space on Muldoon Road.

The neighborhood has a predilection toward change. Ethnic restaurants, world markets and Fashion Cities sweep in and out of the storefronts like a crazy whirlpool of cross-cultural consumerism.

A friend and I pulled into the parking lot on a recent gray, gritty Thursday. The chill in the air had us scurrying to an entrance marked with "sticky door, pull hard." A firm tug revealed a charming scene: a warm, beckoning fire, dark green banquettes and French pop music playing in the background. The place was empty.

The server brought us menus while we tried to adjust our voices to the strange silence. I couldn't remember the last time I had eaten in a restaurant devoid of other diners. I expected really, really good service.

The menu was a bewildering array of options. It was as if the restaurant had embraced all the ghosts of restaurants past and was honoring them with its menu. There was food from Italy, Greece, Polynesia, Japan and America all mingling with French dishes. I could choose between a Greek salad, a Mediterranean salad or a plain green salad with ranch dressing. I could jump over to Italy for a fettuccine Alfredo entree or enjoy Japan with the chicken katsu. There was also a kalua pork dish which I surmised was left over from the cafe's predecessor, a Hawaiian restaurant. For those afraid to leave home, the New York steak and bacon cheeseburger beckoned.

I ordered the chicken fettuccine ($14.95) and my dining partner chose the scallops ($17.95). The dinners come with a choice of soup du jour or salad, with bread brought out with your entrees. We asked for, and received, a basket of bread before dinner, a tasty little loaf of buttery, Parmesan goodness. We ate it all and asked for another. The side salads were standard but my hopes hinged on our entrees. Was there a reason the restaurant was empty?

Our plates arrived decoratively arranged and looking delicious. Good-sized scallops ringed a mound of rice and delicate vegetables. The scallops were cooked until tender and just right -- not an exercise in chewing rubber bands.

My pasta was the clear winner though. A generous portion of fresh pasta with julienned ribbons of zucchini, red pepper and onions. Chunky mushrooms and chicken provided a textural counterpoint.

The sauce was the standout; it was not too cloying and not too rich, a difficult thing to achieve with cheese, cream and butter. It was satiny and flavorful. Usually only good in small doses, this pasta Alfredo encouraged me to eat more with each bite. Our server came to check on us and I expressed my delight with the meal.

"Everything is made from scratch. Soups, breads, cakes. We make the crepes, make everything that goes into them. We use organic when we can and stay away from artificial flavors," she told us, obviously enthusiastic.

We felt compelled to order dessert, with a bakery case full of plump pastries. This is where the Paris Bakery & Café lives up to its promise. We chose a pear bourdaloue ($3.95), a coffee éclair ($2.95) and a mille-feuille napoleon ($3.95) after much deliberation. The bourdaloue was a lacquered jewel of a tart and contained pear halves dusted with spices and sugar. The eclair's soft exterior gave way to a creamy mocha filling, perfect with a cup of coffee. The napoleon was a many-layered beauty that shattered under my fork and tasted like buttery pastry and sweet custard. Tres bien.

My next visit allowed me to use my normal speaking voice. It was a pleasure to walk in and hear the din of a lunch rush. People sat in every booth of the restaurant's perimeter.

The cafe caters to a more casual crowd. Families shared mozzarella sticks and couples munched on Reubens ($10.95) as two servers worked the room.

I ordered the kalua pork and chicken katsu combination ($12.95). This time the bread was devoid of butter and cheese, disappointing, but easily overlooked because I did not need it.

My lunch plate was a huge portion of five breaded chicken pieces, a tangle of sauteed cabbage and shredded pork, and rice. The katsu sauce looked suspiciously like ketchup, but tasted good anyway. I was underwhelmed by the pork, which needed more salt and seasonings, but the chicken and rice was a meal in itself.

Paris Bakery & Café is a representative map of world flavors, much like Muldoon itself. There is something for everyone here. The strip mall savoir-faire lives on.

Paris Bakery & Café 500 Muldoon Road, Suite 6

*** $$$

Hours: Breakfast: 8 a.m.-11 a.m. Monday-Friday (until noon on Saturdays); Lunch: 11 a.m.-6p.m. Monday-Wednesday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 12 p.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays; Dinner: 6 p.m.-9 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 5 p.m.-9 p.m. Saturdays. Closed Sundays

Phone: 337-2575

Options: Dine in, catering and takeout

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