Maison Cafe and Market
24501 Del Prado Avenue
Dana Point, CA 92629
I promise this will be the last of my birthday posts. My in-laws are always so busy, whether it's watching their grandkids, visiting their family up in Burbank, or escaping all the family drama and jetting off to Vegas to lose at video poker while drinking their weight in bloody Marys, we finally found time to have my birthday dinner three weeks after my birthday. I'm not mad because I cherish hanging out with them, and they let me choose where I wanted to celebrate.
I picked Maison Cafe and Market in Dana Point for my birthday dinner. This place was on my radar after I read a restaurant review in the OC Register in 2019. Yes, I really do have restaurants on my list that have been on there for six years or more. The reviewer of that article really loved their sausage with pasta and the apple pie. Much has changed in the six years Maison has sat on my restaurant wishlist.
For one, Maison moved locations four years ago. During the pandemic, they had a well-publicized disagreement with their landlord over outside dining, but this must have been settled amicably because, while Maison moved a mile away, Chef/Owner Danielle Kuhn operates one of her three restaurants, Doheny Cafe, at the former Maison site. Her other restaurant is Giana Bakery and Provisions, a block from Maison.
With all the critical praise and a 4.7-star rating on Yelp, Maison Cafe is one of the biggest restaurant hits of the Lantern District, which is saying something because there are plenty of great places to eat in this area of Dana Point. Looking at the photos from Yelp, I see that breakfast seems more popular here, but when we arrived at Maison on a Friday at 6pm, we were met by a busy and lively restaurant. Luckily, Katie's parents had made a reservation beforehand, so we were seated immediately.
Maison is described as a mix of French and Italian dishes that they hope will satisfy your hunger, support your health, and leave you satisfied. This mantra is posted on their website. Their dinner menu includes starters, salads, entrees, and sides. When we visited, they had nine entree options, priced between $22 to $30, while the starters and salads go anywhere from $9 to $26. Very reasonable for this area. Let's move on to what we had this particular evening.
It seems like forever since I reviewed a restaurant that starts each table with a complimentary bread basket. I looked back, and it's been seven months since I shared a complimentary bread basket with you all, and that one was from the nearby Bonjour Cafe. I'm unsure if that's because restaurants are trying to cut expenses or if I have been trying to save money by reviewing more affordable places to eat. This one at Maison was freshly made and came with oil and vinegar. I'll never be disappointed with something I've been given for free; this bread was no exception.
Truthfully, I was running late for my birthday dinner as the parking gods were not with me this evening. Katie and her parents were apparently hungry, so they ordered this Roasted Goat Cheese Dip ($15) before I made my grand entrance. I would have gotten their hummus or clams as my choice, but this might teach me to be more punctual. Even though I'm not the biggest fan of goat cheese, this is pretty tasty, although rich. The goat cheese was tempered a bit with the addition of a garlic confit and the use of parmesan cheese. The same toast in the bread basket was used here as the dipping agent. Pretty solid and a must for people who love goat cheese, like Katie's mom.
Katie was not content with just the goat cheese dip; before our entrees arrived, she also tried the Petit Salad ($9). This dinner salad featured mixed greens, tomatoes, and cucumbers dressed in a sherry vinaigrette. Although listed as petit, it was good-sized, featured fresh produce, and had an on-point vinaigrette.
My father-in-law loves the standards or what some people would call old-school dishes. Out of everything on the Maison menu, Chicken Pot Pie ($28) is the best example of this. This football-shaped pot pie had plenty of shredded chicken, peas, carrots, mushrooms, and potatoes, all enclosed in this buttery crust. This came out scaldingly hot and steamed for quite a while after cracking the crust. The inside did not have a very heavy sauce, which allowed the natural flavors of the inside ingredients to shine. There was not much left, which is a sure sign that Katie's dad really enjoyed this.
Katie selected the Cavatelli Pasta ($22). This very comforting dish utilized the rarely seen hollow pasta with some housemade sausage, broccoli rabe, and a pecorino cream sauce, which was so good that I almost asked if they could line up some shots for me to guzzle down. Katie was equally enthusiastic about her meal. She loved the sausage and the perfect way that the pasta was cooked. She felt this was a very rich dish, which filled her up rather quickly, which allowed me to enjoy her leftovers the next day. They were excellent even after being in the fridge overnight.
Since almost everyone who knows her would say she's a special lady, it's no surprise that Katie's mom, Lynn, would get the Halibut Special ($30). Looking at the pictures from Yelp, this special must be featured quite often, but the kind of fish used is rotated. On this evening, the buttery halibut was perched on top of some beautiful pesto risotto and asparagus, with some roasted tomatoes adding even more color to the plate. Lynn was generous enough to allow me a bite of the halibut, which was nicely done and went well with the pesto risotto. A great pairing.
Not something that I get every day, I ordered the Beef Bourguignon ($30) and a side of Parmesan Risotto ($12) for my birthday feast. The bourguignon was a very hearty stew with a ton of beef, potatoes, carrots, pearl onions, and mushrooms, all in a red wine sauce that ties things together wonderfully. Enough for two people; only a few bites of the beef were on the dry side, but a few dunks into the sauce remedied that. The veggies were about the same size, ensuring they were all equally tender. I'm a sucker for risotto, and this one was unique. They paired the parmesan with a bit of lemon zest, which kept me from being overwhelmed by the richness that risotto is known for.
I was pretty full when this birthday dessert arrived, and unfortunately, I did not jot down what it was. I know, rookie mistake. It was good, and I liked that they included plenty of ice cream on top. You'd think that after doing this blog for fifteen-plus years, I would be better about my note-taking, but it was my birthday, so maybe I'm starting to show my age.
There was not really too much to critique about the dinner we had this evening. Everything was delicious, the service was warm and friendly, and I did not feel that the prices here were too outrageous. If I had to be pressed to say something bad about this restaurant, it would be that they don't have their own parking lot, and if they did, I could have made it here on time. Okay, I know, that's not their fault; it's mine for not leaving earlier. We older people drive way too slowly.
Out of five lanterns (because many of the streets in Dana Point are named after colored lanterns to signal to ships where they were stationed), five being best to zero being worst, Maison Cafe and Market gets 3.5 lanterns.
For more information about Maison Cafe and Market, head to their website by clicking here: https://maisondanapoint.com/
