The Village Bistro - Hidden Treasures in Fair Oaks

On a recent jaunt out of my normal territory (I need to get out of the grid more, I know) I was invited to dine at The Village Bistro in Fair Oaks. Now as I never usually go that far up Hwy 50 for a meal I was intrigued - and I'd only heard good things, but all at a whisper? 

Almost underground, or just that casual, was the calm and country-isk environment of Old Town Fair Oaks - there are chickens everywhere; I'm serious about this, they have their own Facebook page (my favorite are the silkies) and fine dining it seems. 

The restaurant has a quite and quaint outdoor dining option (not in this heat) that screams of a scene out of a french film and a small 15 table seated restaurant with an open-air kitchen. True to it's comfortable vibe the chef is cooking, his wife is taking orders and making sure all the guests are comfortable and one of his three daughters is running food - a French/ Filipino family restaurant with the most casual of atmospheres - until you taste the quality of the food.

Chicken Piccata - thin slices of breast of chicken, breaded zucchini, served with lemon butter caper sauce

The sauces are what put this chef apart, a creamy soft perfectly acidic lemon butter caper sauce is the thing that makes chicken piccata - and the addition of crispy breaded zucchini had me wishing for more

Tequila Shrimp over herbed  pasta

Salmon Pasta - strips of salmon seared, with sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, spinach and pasta in seafood sauce

The wines brought by my meals patrons were a stellar selection of Ghost Block Cabernet Sauv and Papillon red wine blend were outstanding - although not always my first selection with a chicken dish you couldn't have pried the glass from my hands it was so good, and only accelerated the uniqueness of the meal.

Chef Gerard Robert was raised in the small village of Valence, France and received his formal chef training at the three-star Chez Pik in Valence, France. He is a member of the American Culinary Federation and Les Toques Blanches Internationale. 

His past experiences as chef de cuisine include Chasen’s in Beverly Hills, Maldonado’s in Pasadena, the Los Angeles Athletic Club, Windows on the Water in Morro Bay and his very own restaurant Gerard’s in Valencia. Most recently, he was Executive Chef/partner at the Balcony Bistro, in the historic district of Folsom. 

After 2 years, Gerard was not able to resist the temptation and opportunity of having his own place once more and he took over the helm of the Village Bistro in Fair Oaks.

It still baffles me that his place is so undiscovered, but I think it has more to do with the laid back nature of the business and Fair Oaks - all the customers are locals, everyone is treated as a long-time friend and there is a general lack of tension in the environment - just a soft-spoken local joint where the food is refined, and understated. 

One customer was reading a book outside while enjoying their pasta and watching the chickens cluck around the park across the street...I'll have to check out more of this Fair Oaks place in the future