Jean-Robert de Cavel's beloved French Lunch Tray makes its triumphant return

In the annals of Cincinnati lunchtime history, the French Lunch Tray at Jean-Robert's Table was among the most beloved menu items ever created. Consisting of a four-course meal served all at once on a cafeteria lunch tray, it was available − only at the bar − at Jean-Robert’s Table, which, if memory serves, often led to some rather raucous, French wine-drenched lunches.

The lunch tray went away when Table shuttered in 2020, but de Cavel, who died in December, always missed serving it. Speaking to him in 2021, he told me that it was meant to reflect a more European way of dining.

"In Europe, you would go to a small village (restaurant) and they would offer you a prix fixe with a glass of wine. I always liked that idea and thought it could be perfect for our bar. It became very popular, and it’s something the kitchen team enjoyed doing because they could be so creative with it. It was not expensive but, for lunch, it wasn't cheap, either. People seemed to like that.”

My guess is that a big heavenly smile grew on the Great Chef's face earlier this month when he looked down to see that another one of his restaurants, French Crust Cafe & Bistro, at Findlay Market, has brought it back.

Just like the Table version, the composition of French Crust's tray changes each week but always includes classic bistro fare such as pan-seared chicken thighs over mushroom risotto, spring pea salads, lobster bisque and lemon caneles.

And, just like Table, the tray is only available at the bar. It costs $18 and is worth every single penny.

On the Wednesday afternoon I visited French Crust, the tray included a frisee salad with roasted corn, cherry tomato and sherry vinaigrette. There was also a cup of red-peppery vichyssoise and an entree-sized portion of tender braised beef tips set atop silky Robuchon-style potatoes with a tangle of seasonal sauteed carrots and beech mushrooms and English peas, and sweet and chewy lemon caneles for dessert.

French Crust’s new chef de cuisine, Alana Askew, said the decision to bring the lunch tray back was made by a committee that included herself, the JR Restaurant Group’s executive chef Jordan Brauninger, Marilou Lind – who worked with de Cavel for decades and now serves as front-of-house manager at de Cavel's Le Bar a Boeuf – and de Cavel’s widow, Annette Pfund-de Cavel.

Askew told me the return of the tray has given her the opportunity to look back at de Cavel’s old recipes and come up with new combinations of her own.

The tray's resurrection is part of a larger effort to reinvigorate French Crust and recommit itself to de Cavel’s legacy, manager Gus Nicholas told me. In September, the bistro will also bring back its to-go sandwiches in its rear market.

And Brauninger and Askew plan on bringing back many of de Cavel's old favorites from Table. It's part of an effort to make sure this already great bistro, which always held a special place in the chef's heart, never goes away.

“He always loved being across from Findlay Market,” Askew told me. “It kept him connected to the community.”

The French Lunch Tray ($18) is available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday-Friday at French Crust Cafe & Bistro, 1801 Elm St., Findlay Market, Over-the-Rhine; 513-455-3720, frenchcrustcafe.com.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Jean-Robert de Cavel's French Lunch Tray makes its triumphant return