What’s Cookin’ at the Bakery?

When did bakeries evolve into cafes? They used to be the places to pick up cookies or cakes to take out. Now they are adding sidewalk tables and umbrellas, longer menus and an alarming number of coffee and tea possibilities--all to get you to stick around, consume a lot of calories and spend more money. I smell a conspiracy. And it smells pretty darn good.

The Champagne French Bakery Cafe in Irvine joins a growing list of trendy, bakery-style cafes drawing big crowds. Like the Corner Bakery chains or Haute Cakes in Newport Beach, Champagne French Bakery features buttery rich pastries, fruit tarts, homemade breads, salads and sandwiches.

What sets Champagne apart, however, is a real French sensibility. Custom-blended French beans are used for cafe au lait and other coffee drinks; brie can be found in several dishes; crepes and a croque monsieur are lunch options and the French onion soup is served with freshly baked baguettes.

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The Champagne French Bakery chain began in 1987 in San Diego County, then spread to Santa Barbara. The Irvine location opened in 1998, its popularity spawning a sister cafe in Newport Beach last May. Another Champagne French Bakery is under construction on Irvine Boulevard in Tustin. The conspiracy plot thickens. (Question for trend watchers: Are bakeries outpacing salad bars? Could calories be hotter than carrot juice?)

I’ve been a fan of this bakery for a long time. The raspberry tart with luscious green frosting leaves, the brioche with custard, the chocolate croissants and the whimsical cakes and cookies delight the senses.

Not only are its products made with top ingredients--always good quality butter, never shortening in the icing--but the small sidewalk tables with green umbrellas are a civilized addition to this popular gathering place.

The bakery’s Barranca Parkway location, next to the Barnes & Noble and across from lakeside jogging trails make it an unofficial hub of Irvine.

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For brunch, we ordered eggs Florentine, poached eggs on toast with tasty creamed spinach, which came with roasted potatoes; eggs Benedict, the usual ham with hollandaise on English muffin combination, also served with potatoes; a mushroom quiche and two salads.

The salmon salad was excellent, made with fish that was paradoxically crispy on the outside and moist on the inside, served on delicious salad greens with almonds in a vinaigrette. The Caesar salad was garlicky and well-made with plenty of Parmesan cheese, but loses points for lacking anchovies.

The mushroom quiche (other varieties include spinach, vegetarian, chicken and broccoli, French onion or Lorraine) was full of flavor and made with a smooth, silky custard rather than the chunky cheese filling often found in this dish.

Hot sandwiches are especially good and served on freshly baked baguettes with a green salad. The options are vegetarian, made with ratatouille and Swiss cheese; chicken, topped with lettuce and tomatoes and Swiss cheese; and the croque monsieur, a grilled ham-and-cheese sandwich topped with a light cream sauce.

Everything is ordered from a counter, where the pastries and cakes are displayed, then brought to your table.

The good thing about this kind of casual dining is you can order in stages, as your diet or appetite dictates. Start with the double cafe mocha with quiche Lorraine and a chocolate croissant. Move on to the grilled ham-and-cheese in cream sauce or puff pastry filled with chicken in wine sauce. Go back to the counter and order an apple turnover or strawberry cheesecake.

If you’re still looking to put on some pounds, pick up a pecan pie or Black Forest cake for the road. Those French really know how to live.

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Champagne French Bakery Cafe, 4628 Barranca Parkway, Irvine, (949) 653-6828. Also 1120 Irvine Ave., Newport Beach, (949) 646-0520. Open daily, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. One menu all day. Prices run $3.95 for cup of soup to $7.95 for omelets and sandwiches.