First look: la Madeleine, a new French cafe opening next month, isn’t trying to be the next Amelie’s
La Madeleine Country French Café is not trying to be the new Amélie’s French Bakery. Kyle Hakim, the 23-year-old vice president of R. Hakim Corp. and franchisee who’s in charge of opening the café here, said he actually has yet to try Amélie’s, with its quirky decor, artsy vibe and notoriously killer salted caramel brownies. He’s planning to.
But he has his hands full, with la Madeleine opening Monday, Dec. 5 by Northlake Mall with an all-day grand opening celebration starting at 6:30 a.m. He also lives in Atlanta, but has been traveling to Charlotte to bring the new place to life.
Back to the Dec. 5 opening. The first 100 people in line get a free loaf of freshly baked bread each month for a year. All guests get to break bread, or “rompre le pain,” and enjoy a complimentary spread of coffee, jam and, yep, bread.
Even if you miss out on the bread, here are five things to expect from the new concept overall:
So. Much. Space.
The 7,500-square-foot café (with three main rooms, a signature double-sided gas fireplace, and a patio with heaters) will be open daily from 6:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Its opening will bring about 70 jobs to Charlotte (you can apply here).
A quick and casual experience
This is a café-style, fast-casual restaurant where you place an entree order with the hostess, then walk up to the line at the counter for soup, salad, or a hot plate item while your entree is being prepared. You pay at the end of the line, then take a seat at your table, where your entree will be served.
A vast menu selection
The menu features 76 items that are made from scratch daily to cover breakfast, lunch and dinner (catering is also offered). Items range from the Quiche Florentine (egg, spinach and Swiss custard baked in pie crust), to the Pesto Pasta (bow-tie pasta in pesto cream sauce), to the Chicken Crepe Riviera (rosemary roasted chicken with steamed broccoli and diced tomatoes in an herb crepe). On the lighter side are items like the Cranberry & Pecan Wild Field salad (cranberries, toasted pecans and field greens) and the Tomato Basil soup.
“Anyone that hasn’t tried French food before, they’ll enjoy it here,” Hakim said.
Sweets and drinks
As for the pastries, the case is labeled for apple turnovers, almond croissants, coconut cream cakes and more. The pastries and bread (baguette, sourdough, country wheat and seven grain) will be baked fresh in the in-house patisserie every morning.
Coffees range from peppermint mochas to espressos. A wine selection and mimosas will be offered — no beer. But don’t freak out, beer lovers: “We want to make sure it fits in with our brand before we just serve any type of beer,” Hakim said. “It has to fit in with the French country feel.”
A hint of history
La Madeleine was created in Dallas in 1983 by Patrick Esquerré, who was inspired by his mother’s cooking to bring classic French country fare to the U.S. The restaurant was named for a church in Paris, La Madeleine, honoring St. Mary Magdalene.
Fast forward to now: Hakim’s family is a franchise owner for la Madeleine in Georgia and North Carolina. He grew up eating at one of the locations every week in San Antonio.
“It’s my mom’s favorite restaurant,” he said. “She’d take me and my little sister every Saturday. I’d get the Chicken Caesar Salade and the Chicken Friand and the fruit tart.”
His family is signed to open 19 restaurants between North Carolina and Georgia, spread out evenly among Charlotte, Raleigh and Atlanta. Over the next few years, the expectation is to open eight locations around Charlotte alone.
Visit:
la Madeleine: 10224 Perimeter Pkwy.
This story was originally published November 29, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "First look: la Madeleine, a new French cafe opening next month, isn’t trying to be the next Amelie’s."