Chateaubriand and Crepes Suzette

No one can go wrong with Café Ysabel’s Chateaubriand steak and Crepes Suzette. The chateaubriand steak was made famous by Mario’s steak house and later on adopted by other fine dining restaurants. It is served sliced and then placed all on a bed of mixed vegetables with buttered pasta. The sauce is made up of a milder steak sauce (A1) and béarnaise. This is a must-try here in Café Ysabel.

Another worth trying is “Mang Cosme’s” Crepes Suzette. This is not included in the menu but if you are close to the head waiter then you can request his very delicious Crepes Suzette. Crepes Suzette is a very simple crepe, you serve it with cream and chocolate syrup, accompany it with vanilla ice cream. The crepe cooked and folded into a handkerchief style.

Chateaubriand as explained by Wikipedia:

The Chateaubriand steak is a recipe of a particular thick cut from the tenderloin, which, according to Larousse Gastronomique, was created by personal chef, Montmireil, for vicomte François-René de Chateaubriand, (1768–1848), the author and diplomat who served Napoleon as an ambassador and Louis XVIII as Secretary of State for two years. This dish is usually only offered as a serving for two, as there is only enough meat in the center of the average fillet for two portions.

At the time of the Vicomte the steak was cut from the more flavorful, but less tender sirloin and served with a reduced sauce made from white wine and shallots moistened with demi-glace and mixed with butter, tarragon, and lemon juice. An alternative spelling of the statesman-author's name is 'Châteaubriant' and some maintain that the term refers to the quality of the cattle bred around the town of Châteaubriant in the Loire-Atlantique, France.

In a famous scene of the popular spelling bee documentary Spellbound, one little girl is transfixed with horror on hearing that she is to spell "chateaubriand."

Cafe Ysabel

The lone fine-dining restaurant along P. Guevarra st. (near Wilson) has stood the test of time, it underwent several changes in our history and yet it still stands proudly serving long-time customers and new alike. This restaurant has always been a favorite hang-out of my mom and a lot of people who lives in the City of San Juan. It is very cozy, the food is great and the service is wonderful. To top it all off, the head waiter,"Mang Cosme" is very close to mom even in the early years when he was still serving Mario's at that time. Our service is what we called "A Deluxe Service".

I write this blog entry because during my visit here with my mom and my aunt, Mang Cosme told the kitchen to prepare their special dessert. I was going to order Crepes Samurai and request Mang Cosme to prepare but instead he gave me this new and very exciting dessert, itis not included in the menu and it is not served regularly. It is a soft chocolate mousse ice cream with some slices of Sanz Rival. Their Sans Rival isn't quite the usual Sans Rival you can buy out there since it incorporates butter and now with chifon and sponge. Truly, a service deluxe from none other than Mang Cosme himself.

Cafe Ysabel is located at P. Guevarra St. (If you are coming from Ortigas, turn right from Wilson St.)