Le Petit Paris | Breckenridge
For those who like to overindulge in French food—or just go hard on relaxing, hearty food and drink—there’s nothing like Le Petit Paris, Summit County’s only French restaurant, located just a half block east of Breckenridge’s historic Main Street. It’s got the warm and friendly atmosphere of an old-fashioned bistro, with mouthwatering aromas wafting from the kitchen.
Plus you get the adorable sister act of Arielle and her sibling Marie Jo.
Arielle greets you upon entering the restaurant. Proudly in her 70s, she’ll readily explain that she came from France to New York in 2000 and worked in restaurants around Manhattan, then discovered Breckenridge and the Colorado mountains while on vacation. She opened Le Petit Paris in 2007.
On a recent visit, Arielle was her sweet, friendly self, dressed in a cotton print top and blue jeans (her waitstaff was professionally attired). And I found myself noting: this lady smells good.
She immediately sized up me and my wife and seated us at the “holding hands” table, located in a corner of the dining room—and then put us in the hands of Chef Josh Hall, a graduate of the New England Culinary School. When he joined Le Petit Paris Bistrot, Arielle sent him to Paris to immerse himself in the French atmosphere.
A ski buddy had tipped us off to Hall’s rich Velouté de Châtaigne et Champignon— a creamy soup of sweet chestnuts and mushrooms—and what he called “the best bouillabaisse this side of Provence.” Both indulgences however, had apparently departed with the winter menu, so we started with Soupe à l’oignon—French Onion Soup to non-Francophones— which was a revelation. Chef Hall’s secret? Veal stock and brandy. Escargots Petit Paris had to be on the menu. Yes, snails carry a lot of baggage for newbies, and they can look, um, mucoid when presentation is done badly. That’s not the case with Chef Josh, who takes the plump protein, which has absorbed herbs, and then slowly heats it in a garlicky butter mixture on the stovetop.
Meli Melo is Chef Josh’s selection of half charcuterie, and half assortment of cheeses and honey. The former featured a pâté de champagne, but the moist pork garlic sausage stole the show; the latter included Gruyère, Roquefort and Dauphinoise (a member of the Brie family, creamier and more potent).
Of the entrées, we enjoyed Cotelettes d’agneau—a grilled locally raised lamb chop, with polenta and a rich mushroom ragout melded with oh-so-tender braised lamb. The French concocted the classic Boeuf Bourguignon to turn tough beef chunks into a delicious dish; Chef John upgrades it with braised short ribs, still made with nicely browned vegetables and deglazed with red wine.
Then it was Marie Jo’s turn. Arielle brought her from Paris to work alongside her as her pastry chef, and she spends each afternoon creating fresh, scrumptious desserts, which are listed on the main menu, reflecting her disdain for a separate dessert menu brought after the meal. “Women look at dessert first,” she explained. “Then they say, ‘I’ll have a salad, a little chicken…and a big dessert!’” The Profiteroles were sublime, and the Crème brûlée shamed other cooks who cut their heavy cream with milk. Marie Jo’s signature dessert is Fondant au Chocolat, a molten chocolate cake with crème anglaise. She uses only Belgian chocolate, just a tablespoon of flour, and I would walk on broken glass to eat it again.
The service from Katie was superb—I’ve always found the smart-funny-pretty combo in a waitress to be irresistible. Her recommendation of a Côtes du Rhone Domaine de Pierredon, 50% Grenache and 50% Mourvedre—not as dry as the grenache and syrah blend we were leaning toward—was spot-on.
Everything at La Petit Paris is a transportive experience à la française. My wife even raved about the cute women’s bathroom. My favorite touch was the weird French 1980s MTV clips playing on the television above the bar, ranging from arcane musical theater numbers to Teletubbies knockoffs…and suddenly, Plastic Bertrand’s “Ça Plane Pour Moi”! Tout est bien qui finit bien…
161 E. Adams Ave. Breckenridge;
970-547-5335; lepetitparisbistro.com
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