Regardless of the season, Bistro Elan on Birch Street in Palo Alto is a hidden Peninsula gem deeply rooted in the smart casual French bistro genre with a distinct California personality. It just feels like a place that knows how to use a ripe tomato in late summer and stir together a parmesan risotto for start of fall.

Not only did a pair of duck confit and scallops dishes recently prove to be executed perfectly, but both also spoke strongly of this transitional time of year. As we shift from tomato salads to risotto, the restaurant straddled both seasons beautifully.

The sea scallops from Massachusetts ($28) came plump and meaty, looking handsome with that distinct bronze caramelized crown that shows careful searing. Countering the white and brown colors of the scallops were the vibrant displays of bright red cherry tomatoes in their prime, slivered cucumbers, radishes, and avocados tossed lightly with a tarragon and olive oil. This time last year the corn element of the dish were corn cakes as a platform for the scallops to sit on. Now the kitchen has one-upped that by going less complicated with a bed of corn kernels given just enough butter to give that corn even sweeter notes without feeling like cloying creamed corn. Somehow the corn acts as the sauce, the starch, and a salad element. It’s such a fresh, beautiful dish that makes you want September to never end.

But alas, the winds (and hopefully rains!) of October arrive next week. And just like how the scallops achieved that coveted sear, the Sonoma duck leg confit ($29) followed suit with ideal crisp skin and no hints of uncured fat, offset by fork-tender meat on the bone. A chanterelle mushroom and Parmesan risotto covers one side of the plate as a hearty side that avoided being overly dry and sticky by achieving the right creamy texture where each grain can still be detected. A classic, slightly fruity, thick red wine reduction covered the rest of the plate.

Depending on who you talk to, the restaurant is either called “Bistro Elan,” “Birch Street,” or “Bistro Elan on Birch Street.” Bistro Elan has been around since 1995 at its nearby location on California Avenue but moved to this smaller and less formal space three years ago because of a rise in rent.

This also isn’t a traditional French bistro. It’s much like the “gastro bistros” trending in Paris now, doing to French standards what gastropubs do for bar food. You won’t find any steak tartare, croque monsieurs, or even baguettes (the bread is Acme sourdough). No Edith Piaf on the speakers or a menu using French terms like “entrées” for starters. It’s the details that remind me of France, like the compact menu, the postage stamp-sized space complete with an open kitchen housing one chef, an ardoise (blackboard) on the wall listing a few daily specials, and the approachable portion sizes. This is actually the rare restaurant that still follows the Francophone tradition of making a three course meal possible for normal-sized appetites.

Lunchtime is especially popular with the many nearby tech workers and professors (get the open-faced smoked salmon sandwich when available). Literally half the seating is on the sidewalk, so you can soak up the sun mostly blocked by trees. Even if the Palo Alto people watching might not quite be Paris grand boulevard level, the duck confit and scallops show the best of when France and California meet. 

2363a Birch, Palo Alto; (650) 327-0284.

---

Follow @sfoodie