Maison Bleue in Cape May Offers Thrilling French Fare

Like many establishments in Cape May, the visuals at Maison Bleue, the hip French bistro that opened just last year, are what hit you first. The exteriors of gorgeous Victorian homes have a way of doing that, even if you have already seen a thousand of them in town. But it’s the interior of Maison Bleue that is most arresting, starting with the elegantly funky aesthetics of its foyer, a space that dazzles without trying too hard, thanks to its striped wallpaper, trendy seating options and striking artwork—any of which can serve as conversation pieces as you wait for your table to be ready.

Executive chef Anthony DePasquale. Photo: Stuart Goldenberg

“My husband’s background is in design,” says Sandy Vizzone, who owns the restaurant with her husband, John Vizzone. “For me, it’s just a passion. Our natural aesthetic is modern, but we didn’t want to change anything in the house, so we decided to do a mix, because we had some modern furniture from our house in Montclair where we live. We decided to see how it would jibe, and it just did.”

Perhaps the biggest news of late for fans of Maison Bleue is that it has already moved locations. The new spot sits in the former home of Jardin, the French restaurant previously housed at the Hugh, a charming bed and breakfast in the heart of town. The move makes sense, as the Vizzones also own the Hugh, so it was simply a matter of swapping out one restaurant for another.

Decor sets the tone for any great restaurant, but if what comes out of the kitchen disappoints, all the style in the world doesn’t matter. Luckily, on both of our visits, the menu—the work of executive chef/partner Anthony DePasquale–delivered a power punch of French-inspired dishes, with just enough recognizable American faves to keep our unadventurous friend at the table from complaining.

The baked South Bay salt oysters served as a fine starter, the mildly sweet, oniony flavor of the leeks tangoing nicely with the brininess of the oysters.

The quirky and creative fisherman’s eggs dish. Photo: Stuart Goldenberg

The fisherman’s eggs inspired an even more enthusiastic response from the table, as the quirky creativity of the dish—which combined a poached hen egg with Prince Edward Island mussels in an exquisite tarragon cream sauce—was trumped only by its remarkable flavor. The accompanying miniature discs of toast served as both a structurally sound base layer on which to pile the main components of the dish, and a suitable means of sopping up the last bits of sauce that remained on the plate.

“It’s kind of an odd combination [of ingredients], but people are loving it,” Vizzone says of the fisherman’s eggs. “They ask a lot of questions about it and are [initially] a bit hesitant, but when they try it, they rave about it!”

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As fabulous as the fisherman’s eggs were, perhaps the single best bite of food I had during my two visits was the duck confit appetizer. A remarkably crispy skin gave a quick smack of salty texture, which served as the gateway to one of the most tender and flavorful duck legs I have had the pleasure of consuming in my 45 years on this planet. Paired with a port wine cherry jam and bits of cippolini onion, my only wish was that they had offered this as a main course. On my second visit, I was heartbroken to see it missing from the menu, but Vizzone reassured me it will return.

Local fluke meunière. Photo: Stuart Goldenberg

For the main courses, we sampled the local fluke meunière, which featured locally caught fluke served in a buttery sauce with a well-placed hint of lemon.

The aforementioned unadventurous eater at our table predictably ordered the Maison burger, but as much as her timid dining style often irks me, I couldn’t find much fault in her order, as this half-pound Wagyu cheeseburger (served with aged cheddar, house pickles, lettuce, tomato, onions, and a black-garlic aioli piled on a brioche bun) was delightful, though obviously not especially inspired by French cuisine.

The only real miss of the night was the steak frites, a 12-ounce center-cut New York strip that appeared to be cooked to a perfect medium rare, but was painfully tough, requiring endless chewing to get through even a single bite. It was complemented with a tasty maître d’ hotel butter, which contained a pleasant mix of lemon, parsley and other herbs, but for $65 a plate, the butter shouldn’t be the star of the show.

Desserts hit their marks nicely, as the luscious crème brûlée and richly decadent chocolate gateau both inspired extensive plate scraping. Yeah, yeah, I know—crème brûlée may seem an obvious and somewhat uninspired choice, but there is a reason this is a signature dessert in France. It’s hard not to love, and in this version, the potential heaviness of the custard was balanced beautifully with a handful of fresh berries—a simple but smart way to draw the meal to a close.

In a town with a culinary scene that doesn’t always take a lot of chances, Maison Bleue is a breath of fresh air. Would I return? Absolutely.

HOW WE REVIEW: Restaurants are chosen for review at the sole discretion of New Jersey Monthly. For our starred reviews of fine-dining restaurants, our critics visit a restaurant at least twice with two diners, always maintaining anonymity to avoid preferential treatment, and the magazine pays for their meals. Stars are assigned by the dining section editor in consultation with the reviewer.

Four stars = extraordinary; three stars = excellent; two stars = very good; one star = good; half a star = fair.

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