Returning home from a driving trip East, we stopped for lunch in Richmond, IN, just this side of the Ohio line. On the ground floor of a rehabbed factory, brick walls showing the patina of age, Ghyslain Maurais, a Quebecois chef who married an Indiana girl, is serving lunch (and dinner Friday and Saturday) and selling exquisite pastries and chocolates in a sparkling, tasteful, tasty operation under the eponymous name, Ghyslain.
While lunch was very good, especially a tender quiche lorraine with a fine crust and first-class French bread served with small cubes of sweet butter and a salt dish with fleur de sel, Hawaiian red salt and black lava salt, it was the desserts that sent us off reeling.
Sorbet and gelato, made in house, came in flavors like a creamy and powerful rum raisin, a delicate pineapple gelato, one of the richest coconut sorbets we've enjoyed, and a mango sorbet so dense it was almost chewy. All terrific.
And then there were the pastries. Gorgeous. Makes one remember why the French chef Careme considered architecture one of the fine arts, its main branch being pastry. And good? We're here to tell you, yes, indeedy. A tall, square chocolate caramel cup involved layers of very moist chocolate cake, ganache, mousse, and buttery caramel, the whole thing looking almost like inlaid stone under a striped chocolate top. It was one of the most intensely chocolate desserts we've had in a long time, a great melange of textures and flavors, and far from the oversweetness that detracts from good chocolate.
The Soleil Levant, however, nudged past its striped cousin to take our grand prize. The glowing yellow dome rises over the edge of the tart's crust; when viewed in profile (minus the chocolate garnish), it does look like the rising sun–thus its name. The tender tart shell holds a layer of yuzu custard, yuzu being the chic and wonderfully tart citrus from Japan. The custard's texture was perfect, neither runny nor rubbery. Atop that was a dome of mango mousse, which was covered lightly with a yuzu glaze. Chocolate ornaments add a bit of contrast.The mango and yuzu worked perfectly together, a marvelous treat for those of us who love tart desserts. One of the patissiers told us they'd made a thousand of them for a party at the Kentucky Derby in May. . Lucky guests.
Lots of folks having lunch here, but our favorites were three elderly women, their white lawn caps almost invisible over their white hair, quietly chatting away over coffee from a French press (which the house serves with a timer, so one knows when to push down the press), and admiring the goodies in the cases before they moved on, the tallest one with a long stride that made one think of a school principal patrolling the halls. Ghyslain also has two other locations, another bistro in Zionsville, IN, and their plant, with a dessert cafe, in Union City, IN. More details on the website, including possibilities for tours.
To find Ghyslain, leave I-70 at Exit 151, and go south about 2 1 /2 miles on US 27. The highway goes over an overpass; within inches of its southern end, turn left on North D Street. The building will be directly ahead, with lots of parking. The name of the restaurant is painted clearly on it, along with those of a few other tenants. As the Miuchelin Guide might say, "Worth a detour."
Ghyslain Bistro
416 N. 10th St. at N. D St., Richmond, IN
765-966-3344
Lunch Tues.-Sat, Dinner Fri.-Sat
Credit cards: Yes
Wheelchair access: Good
Smoking: No
Entrees (lunch): $6-$12