A plate of escargots, a bowl of mussels, without driving east of I-95 or spending a fortune: that is the new pitch from Maison Brunch, the family-run French café in Sandalfoot Plaza in west Boca Raton. The café, which built its following on croissants and croque-madames, is now open for dinner, with a French bistro menu served Tuesday through Saturday from 5 to 8:30 p.m., according to its own dinner menu.

What is on the dinner menu

The evening card is split in two. One side is the bistro food most people picture when they think of a night out in Paris. Boeuf bourguignon, slow-braised in red wine and served over house-made Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, is the priciest plate at $28.95. Steak frites with maître d'hôtel butter is $25.95, a roasted half chicken with a house gratin dauphinois is $22.95, and moules marinières, mussels in white wine with shallots and parsley, come with fries for $21.95. Starters are classic: six escargots in garlic and parsley butter for $13.95 and a French onion soup under a lid of melted cheese, also $13.95.

The other side carries over the café's daytime strengths. There are three quiches, including the Lorraine with bacon and Emmental at $16.95, a croque-monsieur, a croque-madame with a fried egg and a croque salmon with cream and Emmental at $19.95. For the purist, there is oeufs mayonnaise, hard-boiled eggs with house-made mayonnaise and chives, at $9.95, a bistro staple.

Dessert is short and very French: crème brûlée, an éclair or a tarte Tatin at $6.50 each, or a single macaron for $2.50.

The hour for the sweet tooth

Between 5 and 6:30 p.m. the café runs what it calls a French Sweet Hour, with croissants, sweet crêpes and waffles alongside coffee, cappuccino and hot chocolate. It is effectively an after-school or after-work stop, and a gentler way in for anyone who just wants a crêpe and an espresso on the way home.

Who is behind it

The café tells its own story as a family one. On its About page, Maison Brunch traces its recipes to the home cooking of a small village in the Vendée, the region on France's Atlantic coast south of Brittany, and sums up its approach as French taste with an American style. The daytime menu covers croissants, tartines, omelettes, pancakes and bagels in the morning, and quiches, salads and a French-style burger at lunch, plus baked camembert, pâté lorrain and charcuterie and cheese boards.

Where to find it

Maison Brunch is at 23064 Sandalfoot Plaza Drive, in Sandalfoot Plaza off State Road 7. Reservations and online orders run through the café's website, and the phone is (561) 409-2923.

Why it matters out west

West Boca has no shortage of places to eat, but a proper French bistro dinner has often meant a drive to Mizner Park, East Atlantic in Delray or Clematis Street. Most of these plates come in under $25, in a neighborhood strip center with easy parking, five nights a week. If you live off Sandalfoot, Glades or Lyons, this is the new answer to the question of where to go on a Tuesday when nobody wants to cook and everybody wants something a little nicer than takeout. Order the bourguignon, save room for the tarte Tatin, and remember it closes at 8:30.