The restaurant is positioned in a small, unassuming shopping
center, which resembles the houses in a small French Town, made of dark wood,
with bright lights inviting you inside. There is plenty of free parking right
outside.
When we stepped inside, there was a charming man who greeted
us in French (I assume the restaurant manager), and then another lady who sat
us. The restaurant is split into two with a wall, on the right a bar area and
some seating, and to the left the main dining area. We were taken to through
the main dining area, passing the lit, wood-burning fireplace, and seated at
our cozy table to two. The restaurant is decorated with dark wood, cream walls,
and deep red accents, with cute rustic décor. The antique windows with
mismatched marble tables combine to make it a very inviting setting! It is a
decently sized restaurant, and it was packed on Saturday evening!
The menu is short and sweet, and entirely French! No chicken
tenders and burgers here. But it all adds to the appeal, no? It is divided into
hors d’oeuvres (appetizers), principaux (entrees), and suppléments (side
dishes), all with their traditional French name, with a “dumbed-down” explanation
in English right next to it (thank goodness! French, unfortunately, is not one
of the 4 languages I know!). The wine list is 5 times longer than the dinner
menu, though the ‘per glass’ menu is one page.
Our waitress, Beverly, came and greeted us in French as well
and explained the daily specials, which all sounded exquisite! And then, we
were left to our decision! For hors d’oeuvres, after debating between the
marinated beets, butternut squash puree, crispy eggplant napoleon, and Louis’
Famous onion soup (sorry, neither Vasili nor I like escargot!) we decided on
the later two to share. In addition, I ordered the house white wine, Bordeaux, Château Reynon “Cuvée de Louis” 2010. Choosing the house wine of the
restaurant has never let me down, especially since I am not a wine aficionado.
It was crisp and perfectly acidic to cleanse my palate after the foods and
complement the many flavors! Let me note that there is a wine specialist there
that serves you your wine and offers any recommendations you may want. He is a
jolly older man that walks around with a smile (I would too if I spent my day
with wine J
).
Our apps came and the presentation was amazing! The SOUPE à
L’OIGNON GRATINÉE: Louis’ Famous Onion Soup was covered in cheese and housed a
large round crouton on top as well. The soup was delicious! Most French Onion
Soups tend to be too salty, but this one was perfect! The onions were sweet and
everything combined was delicious! The AUBERGINES CROQUANTES: Crispy Eggplant
Napoléon, Tomato, Chêvre, was the complete opposite in flavors! It was fresh
and the flavors were bold, each layer interesting in its own, yet combined to
form a taste bud party! Aside from the eggplant, tomato and chevre (goat
cheese), there was also and olive tapenade and a pesto. Amazing!
For principaux (entrees), I chose one of the nightly
specials, braised short ribs, which were topped with mustard and breaded,
served with mashed potatoes and a wine reduction. Vasili wanted to be
adventurous and chose the MAGRET de CANARD Duck Breast, Local Squash Gratin,
Cider Reduction. We didn’t wait long after appetizers. My dish was delicious! I
didn’t expect the mustard to pair as nicely as it did with the warm, hearty
braised ribs. It was sweet, salty, spicy, creamy all at the same time! Vasili,
unfortunately, was not rewarded for being adventurous. The duck ended up being
too gamey for his taste buds (and mine, after a tiny sample). He did enjoy the
squash gratin, but could not swallow the medium-rare duck. This is not saying
it wasn’t good… it just wasn’t his preference.
But here is where we stood to be amazed. Beverly came by and
asked how our entrees were. I replied with excitement that mine was delicious,
but Vasili remained silent. I guess she could tell that he didn’t like it, and
offered him another choice. She explained that she would rather enjoy his meal
than leave unsatisfied. She said that she had done so herself when she came to
dine and should would much rather him pick something else! After a few minutes
of her trying to convince him, Vasili chose the STEAK FRITES New York Strip,
Beurre Maître d’Hôtel, Pommes Frites. So she took his unsatisfying dish away,
and 10 minutes later, it was replaced with one that Vasili could not get enough
of! The steak was deliciously marinated and cooked perfectly! The fries were
freshly and thinly cut and also delicious with the mustard. Two happy stomachs
at the end of a great meal!
When our empty plates were taken, another gentleman came and
asked if we wanted cheese (I assume this is a French tradition) or if we wanted
to go straight to dessert. We both agreed on the later. We had many options to
chose from, from chocolate custard, to homemade ice creams, crème brulee,
profiteroles, etc. Vasili chose a crème brulee (he has never had one before!)
and I chose the profiteroles, with my choice of two with vanilla ice cream and
one with lemon brulee ice cream, served in a dark chocolate sauce. Needless to
say, we both finished them completely! The crème brulee is everything it should
be! And the profiteroles were light and fluffy, and the ice creams creamy and
delicious!
Conclusively, Petit Louis was an amazing choice, with great
traditional French food, outstanding service, romantic and inviting setting! I
would definitely go back and have already recommended it to others!
Happy Two Years to Us! Thank you, Petit Louis, for making it
memorable!
Au revoir! (See you later!)
Tasty Bub
Note: This restaurant if great for all occasions and ages.
There were families, couples, kids, friends, etc. of all ages enjoying their
evening here!
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