THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Cafe Bizou Awards

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Cafe Bizou Restaurant Review:

Chef/owner Neil Rogers’ original Sherman Oaks location of Café Bizou was such a hit from the day it opened that expansion was just a matter of time. The Old Pasadena branch is a bit more stylish than the original, and its muted booths and banquettes, worn brick or buttercup walls, and French beverage posters provide an enjoyable backdrop for the eminently affordable, modern French cooking. Ample proportioned starters like lobster and salmon ravioli in lobster sauce, escargots persillade, and sweetbreads in balsamic reduction are offered, as is a snappy caper-studded tuna tartare. Reliable entrées include sesame-coated salmon on velvety potato pancakes in red wine sauce, and steak au poivre in a pleasant but mild brandy cream sauce. And for a buck, a salad or soup can be added to the entrée. The wine list is insufficient, but wine buffs take full advantage of the rock-bottom $2 corkage fee. Also located at 14016 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, 818-788-3536.