Cafe Mirage

PORT CHESTER

DEVELOPMENT along Port Chester's downtown waterfront has recently tended toward the mammoth with soaring shopping malls and movie theaters lining the major intersection. But a drive north along low-profile Main Street to Cafe Mirage can restore one's sense of scale. Situated along a small-town stretch of road next to the Byram River, the restaurant offers a view of a gentler time: ducks and geese taking a dip in the river.

This homey restaurant is one of a kind: welcoming, laid back, accommodating. The open kitchen adds to the informality. An eclectic menu built on basic bistro fare is full of surprises, adding pungency, peppery heat or fruity sweetness to dishes that have their roots in Asia, France or regional America. The excellent breads served here came from the Kneaded Bread, this cafe's Main Street neighbor, and superior butter was worthy of the bread.

A blackboard menu listed fresh shellfish of the day. The little neck clams proved cold, pristine and delicious. A bowlful of steamed little necks arrived in a broth zesty from the coppery liquor they released. Bangkok mussels were also steamed, in fragrant, mildly spicy coconut milk, which underscored their sweetness.

Spices — from mellow to incendiary — flavored many dishes, and in the case of chilies, diners could specify their preference. A request for medium heat with big, crisp Thai lemon grass shrimp brought a dish a tad on the fiery side of our notion of medium. Served with creamy pinked goat cheese and a bed of greens, unusual smoky duck quesadilla had lots of flavor. Although skewered cubes of beef (Korean bulgogi) were tough, glossy stir-fry noodles (pibimguksu) were satisfying and countered the sharp pungency of kimchi.

A sampler of three soups was worth trying, especially since it gave us a favorite for future visits: elegant, silky lobster bisque. An Asian sampler met with less success: the lobster spring roll needed seasoning, the tuna dumplings were hard, and the crisped noodles wrapping two shrimp were unpleasantly sharp.

Salads, an inventive lot, were fine both for starters and for entrees. Combinations may include citrus, various cheeses, pignoli, avocado, steak or shrimp.

Few places are successful cooking ostrich; the meat is lean and easily overdone. Here this special was as tender and as succulent as the lamb chop paired with it. Grilled andouille sausage, mashed potatoes and fresh, buttery spinach (without a hint of bitterness) shared the plate.

Tender rib eye steak under melted Gorgonzola and shell steak au poivre with pommes frites made other fine choices. Classic and spicy hot Jamaican jerk chicken came with black beans and rice. Although curried shrimp crisped with coconut were mellow, the soba noodles that accompanied them were mingled with almost undetectable julienne jalapeños, a sneaky addition that had us reaching for the water glass, although some diners will find the unexpected jolt delightful.

Brought with chopsticks, sesame-crusted yellowfin tuna with wakame (seaweed) salad was decent, and better than overly sticky seafood-packed gumbo and fresh but dull fried tilapia.

A great bread pudding depends upon great bread, and this kitchen's pudding had star quality, making an also-ran of good, intensely chocolate mousse. Then there is the splendid cheese plate, perfect for a shared ending or a light supper. Ours held generous portions of Brie, Manchego, goat, blue and Cheddar, all appealingly ripe and even better eaten with that outstanding bread.

The limited wine list is adequate, but beer was the best match for the food's assertive flavors. An international selection of more than three dozen brands of beer cools in a refrigerated case covering an entire wall. A bottle of icy cold beer would be just the ticket for a restorative time on the patio next to the Byram River, no longer seen in the dark of a late summer night, but still heard.