Cest Tout Bistro

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We welcome you to come join us at Cest Tout. A dining experience awaits you unlike any other. A French bistro at heart, Cest Tout will excite all your senses. From the charming atmosphere, to a taste sensation incomparable. Intimate enough for that romantic dinner for two, or the perfect place for that special business lunch. We look forward to the chance to serve you and your family. Come experience the difference.

Step inside C'est Tout and you feel as though you are somewhere in the south of France--from the cheery yellow of the faux plaster walls, the white woodwork, brass railings, tapestried chairs, to the framed posters and paintings, C'est Tout envelopes you in an ambience that is relaxing, glowing with charm and welcome. On a sunny day, the tables on the terrace make a fine perch to watch the world go by. In the evening, the lighting becomes more dramatic and the bar takes on a cosmopolitan feel.

Chef/Proprietor Dominique Fortin wouldn't have it any other way.
Chef Dominique Fortin has hired Bright Ideas Additions to enhance the dining area with a 75-foot custom glass solarium. Patrons will benefit from natural light and an open-air feeling as they dine near the sidewalk, in true European fashion. The solarium will be decorated to blend with existing dcor and be heated and cooled for year round dining. On nice days the windows can be opened to enjoy the natural breezes
"You know, the thing that we do here is a French bistro," Fortin states, an ever-present twinkle in his eye. "Good food, fresh food. At the right price. Our customers like everything we do." Perhaps that's the reason C'est Tout doesn't feature a signature dish. After all, where would you begin the selection process? With the mussels Meuniere with sesame seed? A salad of Belgian endive, beets, and sauted peppered salmon? A pastrami salmon sandwich garnished with horseradish mayonnaise, tomato, red onions, and watercress? Or roasted duck breast with curry crust and lentils?

You must admit, it's a delicious dilemma.
Fortin's lifelong dream of owning and operating his own bistro began when he was a young man in Chartres, France. Starting at Henri IV in Chartres, he began a 20-year odyssey gaining valuable experience at some of the world's finest restaurants - Berlioz in Paris, the Alpine Rose near Stadt, London's Connaught Hotel, LaCremaillere in New York, LeFrancais and Ciel Bleu in Chicago, Gazebo in Boca Raton, Atlanta's Riviera, and Connecticut's La Colline Verte. It was in Connecticut that he met Joseph Reif, who talked Dominique into coming to Dayton to replace Dieter Krug as Executive Chef at L'Auberge.

Along the way, Dominique met and married Sallie, his life and business companion (she keeps the books for the bistro). They are two parts of a triad that makes C'est Tout work. C'est Tout opened its doors on January 21,2003. "As a chef, your dream is always to own a little bistro," Fortin notes. "We have a great system here with Sallie in back to keep the books, a dedicated staff and myself to worry about cooking and tasting. When I have good people to help me, I get to do what l love to do."
Fortin admits he is somewhat demanding. "I'm a pure French guy, now with an American touch. And I am very difficult to please. I expect the best. I want the best. Some people may say that I am difficult to work with, but after they have worked with me a little time, they learn. I'm a teacher. I want to be able to teach them here the same way that I learned in France, to pass on my knowledge.

Look up the word bistro, and you'll find it defined as a small, unpretentious tavern or cafe. Dominique and Sallie are the essence of unpretentiousness. We asked them both to name their favorite foods. Sallie's response? "I like fish. Salmon's probably my favorite, just grilled, the way Dominique does it." But Dominique's response was not at all what we expected. "You don't want to know,' he said, that trademark twinkle in his eyes shining even brighter. "Hamburger on the grill with mashed potatoes. I hate cooking in the kitchen at home. If I cook. I have to cook on the barbecue. Most of the time I fix barbecue on Monday night (their day off) outside regardless how cold it is, even twenty below."

Fortin's goal is to educate his patrons with an experience of Provence. And to please everybody. We are a French-American bistro, but with an international touch. "If you look at our menu as a whole, it really gives you the idea of everything Chef Fortin has experienced. His background reflects itself in his cuisine. Everything on the menu is more than food; it is the result of his life's work."