Les Petite Canailles Opening

Last night we were lucky enough to attend the soft opening of Chef Julien Asseo’s new restaurant, Les Petite Canailles. Doors opened to a select few for the first time on October 25th so that staff could get into the groove of things. The restaurant is expected to be open officially on November 1st and is located right on Spring Street between 12th and 13th street. Look for the “Enjoy Paso!” mural.

As expected the wine list is incredible. I’ve been told that his list was put together with a heavy hand from Arnaud Fabre, and it shows. You’ll find plenty of first growths, old world treasures, and top tier local wines like TOP, L’Aventure, and Clos Solene. Most impressive is the first page of the wine list – “Family” – is where you can select from a few wineries that Chefs family has been involved with prior to L’Aventure.

You’ll find pictures of Julien, his wife Courtney, and their children along the hallway. Les Petite Canailles means “Little Rascal” and was a nickname that was given to Julien when he was a child. Sometimes you’ll find him wearing his coat with the title “Papa Canailles” these days.

The decor of the restaurant was done by his wife Courtney who shared that if she were decorating their home, this is what it would look like. Covered in photos of their family and a small (but growing) collection of art you can see that a lot of time and care went into putting this place together.

Bar seating will be available in the future as well as a special dining area in the basement for small private events.

Now…onto the food porn.

Here’s what we devoured:

Tarte Flambe $12 – Lardons, Fromage Blanc, Guyere Cheese – Thin, crispy, ooey-gooey cheesiness.

Steak Tartare $17/24 – Hanger Steak, Traditional Condiment, Duck Egg, Horseradish. I don’t like tartare at all but this one was so frecking good I could’ve ate it all myself. It’s available in half or full portion.

Grilled Spanish Octopus Salad $19 – Gigante Beans, Black Garlic, Octopus Chicharron. Octopus cooked perfectly and all the ingredients worked well to make a perfect bite.

Beef Cheek Bourguignon $28 – Celery Root Puree, Thick Lardons, Baby Carrots. Umm…wth. Beef cheek so tender and delicious. Definitely another dish that surprised me in a wonderful way!

Wild Black Cod $33 – Young Fall Vegetables, Artichoke, Sauce Barigoule – delicious fish cooked perfectly.

Steak Frites $32 – 10 oz Hanger Steak, Caramelized Shallots, Sauce Bernaise.

DESSERTS

Grandma’s Creme Brulee $10 – It’s creme brulee and it’s done well. I would only get this if I were in a “mood” because the other two desserts stand out.

Profiterole XXL $10 – They are not kidding when they call it XXL. Biggest profiterole I’ve ever seen, but I’m not complaining. Have any of you had “Beard Papa” cream puffs from LA? If so they have a wonderful cookie cream puff that is very similar. Julien’s is way better of course.

Dark Chocolate and Praline $11 – So good. This was the equivalent of eating a bar of Ferrero Rocher (which is one of my favorite chocolates).