Le Français Don Yamauchi had a big toque to fill at Wheeling's famed French restaurant. So far, he's delivered a stunning part deux. By Nancy Ross Ryan Food photography: Laurie Proffitt Interior photography: Stuart-Rodgers Photography

Chef-partner Don Yamauchi

Don Yamauchi, Le Français' new chef and partner since March 8, 2001, is giving an absolutely stunning performance center stage at this legendary restaurant in northern suburban Wheeling. Founding chef Jean Banchet is a hard act to follow. When he opened Le Français in 1973 he pioneered French haute cuisine in the Midwest and, arguably, the country at large. In the course of his long tenure as Le Français' chef-proprietor (1973 to 2000, minus a 10-year hiatus to open two restaurants in Atlanta), Banchet won enough fine dining stars to start his own galaxy. He was born in France and apprenticed with such chefs as the Troisgros brothers and Paul Bocuse, and he trained at La Pyramid in Vienne (when it was the most famous restaurant in the world). After chef's positions in Monte Carlo, the French Riviera, and London, he came to the Midwest to help Hugh Hefner open the Playboy Club in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin -- where he introduced Americans to such French delicacies as salmon en croute. At the Playboy Club he met Henri Coudrier, a countryman, and the two opened Le Français. Poor health forced Coudrier to leave the restaurant after 15 months, but Banchet spent the next 17 years working in Le Français' kitchen 18 hours a day to make it the international fine-dining destination it became. Although the restaurant was billed as "Classic French Cuisine," Banchet did not build an international reputation by standing still. From the first time I dined there in the early 1980s until just before Banchet retired, the restaurant and the cuisine underwent continual growth and change -- as did Banchet. From an ultra formal atmosphere and service -- where waiters rolled huge domed silver carts to the table to preview each haute cuisine course in a show-and-tell format -- to the more contemporary cuisine of Roland and Mary Beth Liccioni during their 10-year lease of Le Français during Banchet's absence in Atlanta, Le Français succeeded brilliantly because it kept one or two paces ahead of the times. And, in addition to a great chef it had a great business partner-manager in Banchet's wife Doris. When Banchet and Doris returned in 1999 to resume command, the restaurant underwent a $1.2 million renovation and the cuisine was Banchet at his lightest and most contemporary best. (The chef himself had shed 80 pounds of avoirdupois, and his cooking reflected his more healthful but still ultimately French cooking style.) Taking over Le Français must be psychologically daunting, somewhat like stepping onstage in the middle of an opera and picking up on a Pavarotti aria in mid note. But neither partner Phil Mott or chef-partner Don Yamauchi show any signs of stage fright. Mott, who has a restaurant and business background (an MBA currently consulting partner in North Pond Cafe and Jackson Harbor Grill), is a polished an attentive presence in the dining room. And Yamauchi looks as if he has been steering Le Français' kitchen for years. But as recently as December, 2000, both were involved in a River North restaurant project designed by Mott to showcase Yamauchi's talent -- until the chance came to purchase Le Français. Yamauchi is something of a wunderkind: He was a concert-level violinist by 14, earned his black belt in karate in just four years and at 19 placed third in the U.S. National Karate Championships. He became a chef de cuisine by the age of 23 and was picked by Food & Wine magazine as a rising star and by the James Beard Foundation as one of the Top Five Rising Chefs in America. After graduating from The Culinary School of Kendall College, Evanston, Yamauchi spent nine years at Carlos' in Highland Park: three with chef Gabriel Viti, three with chef Roland Liccioni, and three as chef de cuisine. His subsequent experience includes cooking at Le Mikado in Chicago, as chef at his own restaurant Bistro in Highwood, as chef de cuisine at Patrick & James in 2000, and as Gordon Sinclair's last chef at Gordon. With subtlety but certainty Yamauchi has brought his culinary style and sensibilities to Le Français' menu. The restaurant's card previously declared "classic French Cuisine," which Yamuchi now describes as "modern French cuisine." In homage to Banchet the menu still offers the famous double duck consomme ($11), as crystal clear and intense as ever; also the lobster ravioli ($20), a large, warm tender pasta pouch bursting with sweet, succulent lobster meat and fresh green spinach, surrounded by a rosy, creamy lobster stock and topped with caviar. But the emphasis seems to have shifted a bit in favor of a little more spice, a few more Asian nuances, and more adventurous combinations. My best guess is that the adventuresome combinations will grow as fast as the diners' palates can welcome change. The best example I have experienced is the Roquefort Cheese with Milk Chocolate -- the penultimate course one evening on a seven-course Tasting Menu ($100). Surprisingly, the pungent but creamy cheese was mellowed and complemented by the sweet but creamy chocolate -- who would have thought? I asked the chef where this combination came from? "I got the idea one night when I was making a terrine of Roquefort and eating a milk chocolate Easter bunny. I still had Roquefort on my hands when I ate it." The current menu is much more traditional than that example would suggest. And everything I have ordered has been flawlessly prepared and delicious. There is no bread basket; instead, a fresh hot roll with wonderful texture and crust was served and the bread plate was refilled every time I gobbled one up, desperately reminding myself not to spoil my appetite. The roll was not identifiable with breads from other restaurants around town, many of which come from the Red Hen bakery. (It's regrettable that there are so few good bakeries in Chicago. One result is that you begin to recognize -- and always welcome -- Red Hen breads in bread baskets.) It turns out the roll comes par baked and, I assume, frozen from LaBrea bakery in California and Le Français brushes them with butter and bakes them to order. An appetizer that showcases Yamauchi's skill and direction is the Cold Foie Gras Terrine with Toasted Brioche and Rhubarb Jam, served with Hot Foie Gras with Apples and Oranges Cooked in Vanilla and Cayenne ($22). Not much to add except that the flavors were distinct and yet complementary. But another foie gras first course really knocked my socks off: Hot Foie Gras, Dried Cherries, Mint, Toasted Peanuts and Peanut Cream ($24).The foie gras was perfectly seared, served with toasted brioche, and the textures and flavors of crunchy toasted peanuts, sweet-tart dried cherries and the creamy peanut sauce, along with a glass of Sauternes were superlative. In contrast to that rich, unctuous foie gras is another somewhat exotic first course: Roasted Breast of Squab with Quinoa, Tian of Tomato, Asparagus and Pea Purée, Tarragon Reduction ($21). The squab breast is boneless except for the leg bone and absolutely perfectly cooked: tender, juicy and savory. It was presented on a bed of quinoa with a small tomato flan, fresh asparagus, charred tomatoes that had a rich, meaty flavor, along with a small herb salad. And for traditionalists, what could be more welcome than a Sautéed Crab Cake with a Jumbo Prawn, Pearl Pasta, Herb Salad and a Vanilla Beurre Blanc ($18)? That is to say a perfect round pillow of a crab cake over round Israeli couscous. A lovely soup, the polar opposite of traditional double duck consomme, is Cold Green Pea, Grapefruit, Ginger Soup with Crème Fraîche and Grapefruit Segments ($9). The ginger crème fraîche and the grapefruit segments were surprising, pretty and a refreshing flavor match. How do you like your mashed potatoes? I prefer mine served in a little silver skillet, so smooth and creamy that I wonder if white velvet belongs to the vegetable kingdom. And I definitely like them served with the Beef Tenderloin Confit with marrow, Mushrooms and Mirepoix, Red Wine Essence ($35). The beef is seared, then, according to one of the sous chefs, cooked in duck fat very slowly at a low (about 125°F) temperature. Because the beef has been seared it does not absorb the fat, but, served rare in thin slices, takes on a flavor and texture that is downright seductive. It's served with a marrow bone and -- a cruel joke and one of the few flaws in service -- a spoon that is much too large to get at the marrow. Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb with Roasted Potato, Taro Root Purée with Black Truffles, Asparagus, Artichokes, and Gaufrette Potatoes ($34), marries a traditional meat preparation with an untraditional accompaniment of taro root puree served in a scooped out potato that looks like a bone with bone marrow -- very tasty. Left: Rhode Island bass fillet with peekytoe crab meat, cumin tuiles and orange saffron sauce. Right: Flourless chocolate cake with black truffle ice cream. Seafood ranges from traditional Dover Sole Roulade ($33) to Slow Baked Salmon ($29) to the very contemporary Roasted Grouper with White Beans, Basil Purée, Goat Cheese and Fennel Salad, Black Olives ($32). Although traditional sole fillets are wrapped around vegetables and served with stewed leeks, the fish fumet sauce is infused with tarragon and combined with thinly sliced seedless grapes. The slow baked salmon has a beyond-tender texture from roasting at a super low temperature which cooks but does not cause the fish to flake. And the grouper is firm and meaty and stands up to the Mediterranean accompaniments of bacon-basil flavored white beans and a little side salad of fennel and goat cheese. Sorbets are served as palate refreshers in frosted glass flowers. The lemon-thyme sorbet I found a bit too sweet for my taste. But the desserts in general (all $10), created by pastry chef Caroline Blanc who was pastry chef for Banchet, are divine. Among my favorites are the Blue Cheese-Apple Tart, Pine Nuts and Caramel Sauce, and any and all of the hot soufflés of the evening (especially chocolate) which are worth ordering in advance. They are everything a hot soufflé should be: puffed up, tender, and just waiting for the waiter to part the slightly soft center with spoons and pour in the decadent sauce. I loved Blanc's Strawberry Shortcake with Almond Cream and Basil Ice Cream, but it came as a pastry tower with the layers of ice cream, strawberries and cake not easily approachable by spoon or fork. I made a mess of it. The Lemon Raspberry Crispy Crêpes are another very pretty dessert -- fresh raspberries sandwiched between layers of crisp lacy crêpes -- but I begin to feel I need a course in correct dessert procedure because I brutally demolished that one as well. However, her mignardises -- tiny handcrafted confections that end the meal -- are very easy to eat. For those lucky enough to be within driving distance of Le Français for lunch, don't miss it. For the rest of us it's more than worth the drive from the city for dinner to enjoy the superb cuisine and to watch the restaurant's development. Le Français under Yamauchi has just begun to become.