The Croc' Madame, Normand, and The Evocative Lunch

There are some places that when you sit down to eat your mind charges and opens up the way for forgotten memories to surface:  The drifting scent of fresh apple pie baking in the oven.  Microscopic mists of hot olive oil, mushrooms, onions,  and searing beef firing on the stove top.  Laughter and banter roaring, with wine gently swirling in one hand, creamy, stinky cheese bits in the other, and half tended cards haphazardly spread on the table.

Cest La Vie is one such place that excites the neuronal pathways and brings fond memories to the surface.  This little cafe and bakery brings the french countryside to main street Sarasota.  The owner and workers at this eatery are fantastic.  They do everything they can to bring a taste and sense of simplistic, rustic, french fare to the plate.  The menu is delicious, the breads and baked goods fresh from the oven daily, and of course the Croc' Madame and Normand have whispered to our taste buds a delightful surge of clean flavor.

The Croc' Madame is a sandwich with a twist.  Delicious ham and creamy cheese nestled in between two pieces of rustic bread, topped with bechamel, quickly broiled to a golden brown on top, and garnished with an over easy egg.  Each bite is addictive and hooks you strong in the mouth.  I would have to say this is one of the best sandwiches I have had in a very long time.

 
 

Mandi ordered Normand.  When Normand came to the table, it was, well, a little underwhelming on the looks.  A house made baguette was buttered on both pieces and adorned with shaved prosciotto, aged swiss cheese, and double cream brie.  The taste of this sandwich was fresh, clean, smooth, and delicious.  I said above that the Croc' Madame was the best sandwich I have had in a long time but that would a bit of a lie.  Both sandwiches were equal in the satisfying category, both brought affectionate memories of wonderful times long past.