When Pif, David Ansill’s diminutive but delish French BYOB, closed back in July, it was a sad adieu for the restaurant’s many fans. The chef’s second restaurant, Ansill (shown), provided some consolation, but with no escargot special or Edith Piaf soundtrack, it wasn’t the same at all. So to appease those brokenhearted Pif fans, Ansill cooked up Pif night.

Every Sunday, a special prix fixe menu of Pif favorites is offered for $40. Feeling nostalgic for the old Bella Vista spot, I stopped by recently and was delighted by the bistro fare. The endive Roquefort salad was a fresh tangle of shoestring-sliced lettuce and apple. The half rack of lamb, seared to a flavorful crisp on the exterior and a savory medium-rare on the interior, came with roasted brussels sprouts and buttery fingerling potatoes. I chose a trio of cheeses as my third course — I never met a cheese I didn’t like, but the piquant and cumin-scented Muenster Gerome is still on my mind. Pif’s tender escargot were conspicuously absent from the menu, but a server told me to call the chef a few days ahead next time and he’ll be sure to put them on.

Photo, Jason Varney

This entry was posted on Friday, February 29th, 2008 at 6:00 am and is filed under Dining News, Events. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Posted by Joy Manning on 2/29/08 in Dining News, Events