Sour night at Lemon Tree Café

For a few years now, the Lemon Tree Café in Coconut Creek has been a popular daytime eatery for breakfast and lunch.

A year ago, Herve “Eddie” Simiand and two partners bought the place, and Simiand decided to expand the dinner menu and hours, elevating the diner fare with chicken and pasta dishes, smoked meats, pizzas and the like. Simiand, a French native, has changed some of the sauces around, attempting something slightly more sophisticated for the 152-seat restaurant.

Some of it is successful. Some of it needs more tweaking and, one imagines, more time.

Our appetizers worked. We are not so naive as to think our onion rings ($6.95) were handmade on the spot, but getting the fry just right is a tricky thing to pull off, and Lemon Tree’s kitchen did just that. The onion ring appetizer had a nice, ungreasy crunch. And while the fried pickles ($5.95) and stuffed mushrooms ($7.95) were just fine, the poutine ($7.95), a specialty of the house, was one of those guilty pleasures that had hands reaching across the table for more nibbles long after the main courses had arrived.

It’s hard to break down exactly why the poutine was such a winner, especially since the dish can easily come off as a goopy, viscous mess to those unfamiliar with the FrenchCanadian comfort food popular in pubs. But here, the mix of fries, mozzarella cheese curds and brown gravy managed to retain a brightness, which one would not expect by looking at the heaping pile of cholesterol.

Our entrees varied from middling to good grief. The jumbo shrimp scampi and a summer shrimp special (both $16.95) were competently prepared with lots of lemon flavoring. Conversely, there was very little discernible lemon in the Lemon Tree chicken ($13.95), a cordon bleu variant of boneless breast stuffed with artichoke and ricotta cheese. The proportion was off, with not nearly enough stuffing.

And yet none of those quibbles prepared us for the inedible center-cut pork chop ($14.95). Served with mixed vegetables, apple sauce (which was left off ) and a choice of soup, salad or potato, the pork chop delivered to our table had turned, tasting sour and off-putting. We regretted not trying one of the pizzas ($10.95 to $14.95) instead.

The pecan pie ($4.95) was also a train wreck, mushy in texture and with perhaps two pecans, if that. The rubbery and flavorless Belgian waffle, with fruit and two scoops of ice cream ($8.95), seemed to be leftover from the breakfast service. While some people might appreciate the unconventional pairing of strawberries and cantaloupe on the waffle, we did not. Out of the desserts, only the blueberry pie ($4.95) made anyone at the table smile, and it was a thin smile.

Aside from a loyal daytime following, the Lemon Tree Café has going for it a congenial and attentive wait staff and a sunny, pristine ambience. But Simiand and company have their work cut out for them in boosting the ho-hum dinner menu.