French Food Returns To The Miracle Mile

 Once upon a time, West Lovers Lane between the Tollway and Inwood was home to the finest French restaurants in town. There was the superb pepper steak, frites, and fried parsley at Ewald’s, the loveliest rack of lamb I ever seen or tasted at Mr. Peppe, and the unforgettable beef Wellington, the specialty of the house at Marcel’s. Then along came the nouvelle cuisine, the evil food trend with it’s “no-butter-no-cream” theme and all the tiny chef-driven French joints went au revoir. Well, tra la la la. Today comes word that Hedda Gioia Dowd, creative manager and owner of Antique Harvest, Mark Maguire, operational manager and owner of Maguire’s restaurant in Dallas, and chef Cherif Brahmi, executive chef and partner of Maguire’s are teaming together and debuting Rise n°1, a 92-seat “salon de soufflé” and wine bar in Inwood Village. Set to open in early December, the menu will feature French onion soup, salad nicoise, and soufflés, including savory varieties like ham and Gruyere, spinach and goat cheese. There will also be a wide selection of sweet ones like chocolate, raspberry, caramel, and apricot. It’s all authentically French except for the prices—entrees range from $4 to $14. Cela est que je parle de! (Or something like that.)