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Paul and Joan Shepherd established an enviable reputation when they operated The Madison Park restaurant, a concept that reached the heights of our area's fine dining establishments. But the original Madison Park closed about 10 years ago, following a fire that destroyed most of the kitchen. Now, they have re-conceptualized The Madison Park, returning to their former roles as general manager (Paul) and chef (Joan) in the context of a casual French café.

Walls are light over dark green, separated by a cream chair rail. Heavy white paper covers tablecloths. An open kitchen provides a view into the preparation of food. Although seating can be a bit close when the restaurant is full, I found the noise level relatively subdued.

Todd Benton, whom readers may remember from his time at The Madison Park, later at Revival Grille (RIP), is wine steward; he serves tables as well. I found his guidance well-grounded. I always find it refreshing when restaurant personnel steer me toward a selection that is cheaper than my original choice, and it turns out to be better, to boot!

I suffered separation anxiety over the loss of The Madison Park Seafood Sampler. I was thus ecstatic to find this on the menu in the new location, at about half the price ($8) of a decade ago. The portion consists of mussels, naturally sweet and subtly smoked; smoked oysters; and large, tender steamed shrimp, marinated in a sweet basil vinaigrette. Minced onions, capers, and a caper aioli accent flavors, accompanied by sliced baguettes.

A serving of Pate Maison ($9) consists of two slices -- one from a blend of pork shoulder and duck with thyme, enclosed in a pastry shell; and Capon Gallentine (a capon is a male chicken who has been made less of a male, making the meat more tender), poached slowly in chicken stock; when chilled, the meat absorbs liquid and flavor from the stock. Both are made in-house.

Chanterelle Duxelle Roulade ($9) encloses chanterelle mushrooms, shallots, and leeks simmered in cream in fresh pasta shells, topped with Saga bleu cheese and pecans and ladled with béchamel sauce, yielding a mellow match between all of those flavors.

Mike, a companion one evening, characterized Veal Sweetbreads ($8) as "amazingly good." Sweetbreads are a staple of this style of French cooking, one of the rare occasions in our area when the richness of organ meats (the thymus gland, in this case) reaches a restaurant table. The kitchen pan sautés them, combined with mixed wild mushrooms, then finishes the preparation with a rich Marsala wine and cream sauce.

Onion Soup ($4) showed deep flavor from the beef stock, without the grease that mars so many renditions of this perennial favorite. The ample portion bore lots of soft-cooked, sweet Vidalia onions, with melted Emmenthaler cheese on top.

Entrée prices do not include salad, but most dishes include vegetables -- sauteed red and green peppers and zucchini, plus a medley of blackeyed peas, pinto beans, white beans, and lima beans -- to create a complete meal.

Poulet de Pot ($12) -- a whimsical name for chicken pot pie -- enclosed pieces of white and dark free range meat, plus fingerling potatoes, pearl onions, carrots, and mushrooms, in a crisp pastry shell. Long Island Duck ($18) is twice-roasted, producing an exceptionally crispy skin, the natural taste of the duck well-complemented by a blackberry coulis.

Veal Blanquet ($15) braises pieces of veal chuck in white wine with mushrooms, yielding a subtle meat flavor, joined by fingerling potatoes. My wife and I chose Beef Bourguignon ($15) on a takeout order. The pieces of brisket were often tough, although the smaller ones were less so. A rich, dark brown red wine and beef stock also hosted fingerling potatoes, carrots, mushrooms and pearl onions, exuding solid depth of flavor. I was especially enamored of Pork Tenderloin Au Poivre ($17) -- lean, tender, and flavorful, pan-seared to a light crust, covered with a peppercorn cream sauce.

Black Flounder Provencale ($17) proved especially pleasant. The North Carolina wild-caught fish had been skinned, then pan-sauteed in lemon butter, joined by Roma tomatoes, garlic, shallots, parsley, lemon juice and white wine. Bouillabaisse ($18) is a classic fish stew. This kitchen prepares it quite well, simmering pieces of several types of white fish, or sometimes salmon, plus chunks of lobster, mussels and clams, along with onions, fingerling potatoes, carrots and celery in fish fume (fish bones steeped in white wine and water).

My wife remarked that she would challenge anyone to look at the dessert cabinet and not order something. At $4, these are a screaming bargain. An Apple Tart was simply exquisite -- lovely to look at and deeply flavored from the fresh apple slices. Pear Tart was topped with slivered almonds - somewhat less fruit flavor, just a little dryish, but still good. Crème Brulee breaks through a dark crust (a little too dark in our serving -- some of it tasted burned) to a pleasant custardy flavor that is not too sweet. Pithiviers encases almond franzipan in puff pastry, surrounded by raspberry swirl and crème Anglaise. The icing on Black Forest Cake is stabilized whipped cream (available only at the end of the week, because this has to be sold while perfectly fresh). Fruit Tart is a classic pastry cream filled with blackberries and strawberries, topped with apricot jam.

Members of the wait staff are seasoned; if you dine out often in the Triad you will probably recognize someone from another restaurant.

Joan and Paul Shepherd both trained in the classical tradition at the original Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. Michael Vaitsas (formerly of Grappa Grille) joins Joan in the kitchen; he is a Johnson and Wales (Rhode Island) graduate. C.I.A. vs. Johnson and Wales represents the culinary equivalent of a Duke-Carolina basketball game. In this case, diners win by a wide margin.

Although new, The Madison Park Café already conveys a sense of casual competence that other places may take years to reach, if they ever get there. A style of cooking that is inherently laden with flavor is also filled with value. This restaurant thus goes on my short list of personal favorites right out of the gate.

John Batchelor is a freelance contributor. You can reach him at P.O. Box 20848, Greensboro, NC 27420 or send e-mail to john.e.batchelor@gmail.com.

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