Tomatoes and saffron also flavored 50 West's lobster bisque and, most especially, its Provençal fish stew, a recent entree special.
Served alongside the panoramic scene are the inventive creations of Gwendal Le Ruyet, like an intensely flavored lettuce velouté, with chunks of garlicky escargots and aromatic tarragon foam, costing 275 koruna; a recent entree of skate in a light green crab sauce was 590 koruna.
On my most recent visit, entrees were uniformly first-rate, from seared magret, with sweet potato purée and braised greens, to fork-tender braised Angus short ribs with mashed potatoes, morel mushroom ragout and chanterelle mushroom jus.
On a recent visit most entrees were accompanied by all-star scalloped potatoes, zucchini and crunchy carrots.
One recent night the entrees included a sautéed mackerel fillet with tarragon and shaved radish; simmered potatoes and puréed lovage topped with melted Stinking Bishop (an evocatively named cheese); fallow deer seasoned with powdered burnt barley; and yogurt and sorrel topped with crystals of beet granita.
The cafe's name suggests informality — and it is that, surrounded as it is by greenery and garden accouterments for sale — but the prices are among the highest we have encountered in recent months, with entrees running from $19 to $41, not what comes to mind with the word "cafe".
At a recent meal, top entrees were a grilled sirloin steak with good beefy flavor, pan-seared Nile perch escorted by braised leeks, couscous and shallot-porcini butter and a memorable pasta: linguine tossed with Tuscan beans, tomato concasse and five jumbo shrimp scampi.
"It's something you need to study," said Alex Harvier, the manager at Cache Cache, a French restaurant where entrees on recent Monday night included osso buco and calf's liver, with prices ranging from $30 to $58.
Only 2 of 15 dinner entrees on a recent menu topped $20.
A rich, brightly seasoned bisque with butternut squash, mussels and saffron was $11, while all but one of the entrees on a recent menu were under $30.
