I’m old. I’m not a kid anymore so by now I should know better than to judge everything by its cover. I have learned many times in the past that I have been wrong about many things when I judge without learning, trying to or getting to know. So few months ago when Howard and I walked by what used to be Da Vincenzo, an Italian restaurant, we saw a piece of paper taped up on one of the door. It was the menu for Le P’tit. Yay I love French food. But seeing where it was I didn’t have much high expectations. If you know that area you should know that Prospect Park West isn’t much of a destination for foodies. Though it seems like things are changing with the addition of Double Windsor.

After briefly looking at the menu I thought I’ll give this place a try but I wasn’t in a hurry. Not until I started hearing and reading how frakkin’ good this place was. So it seems the owner of Le P’tit is a real Frenchman and not just some guy that wanted to open a random French restaurant. Sweet!

I met up with Phae, Matt and Chris on a chilly Sunday night. We walked in and were seated by the windows. It was a little quiet in the restaurant on a Sunday night but it was alright for me. Looking at the daily special section of the menu, Matt was hoping to be the Boeuf Bourguignon beef cheek simmered in red wine, mushroom risotto night but sadly that was Saturdays. On Sundays it was Poulet Roti roasted half chicken with french fries. As good as it sounded it wasn’t beef cheek in red wine with risotto. I ended up getting the onion soup, of course, and the coq au vin. Why didn’t I get the duck dish? I have no answer for that. The dish was Demi Canard A La Sangria, Roquette Et Champignons roasted duck breast, sangria sauce, sauteed mushrooms and potatoes duck leg confit, served with arugula salad. That sound pretty awesome right now but that night I went with the coq au vin. Maybe it was the bacon from the chicken dish that grabbed onto me or maybe because I never had a proper coq au vin before.

2 of us got the onion soup while the other 2 got the goat cheese tart. I’m not a too big of a stinky cheese fan but the bite of the goat cheese tart was pretty damn good. The onion soup. Well I think it had stole the spot for being the best damn cup of onion soup ever. I hate to say it but it was even better than the cup I had from Balthazar, my all time favorite French bistro. The problem I have with Balthazar is consistency. The first time I had it was frakkin delicious but the second time it was half-ass. The soup was salty and 3/4 of the cup was cheese. The onion soup from Le P’tit was delicious and had the right ratio of soup, cheese and bread. Go Soup!

Matt and Chris both got the hanger steak, medium rare and Phae got the monkfish special. While staring into his plate, Matt asked “Is the amount of food getting bigger?” Both steaks were perfectly medium rare and the piece of monkfish I had was sooo good. Oh and the monkfish came with a really good wasabi mashed potatoes. Hello!

As for my coq au vin, just 1 word, AMAZING. It was everything that I love in 1 dish. Chicken, bacon, pasta, fat, comfort, strong flavors, and etc. UMAMI! Some people might find the pasta to be tough but I liked it that way. When I took a bite of the hen I was amazed at how strong the flavors from the wine was. Oh I can eat this all Winter long.

Somehow we got into a conversation about Chris loving custard and that his favorite dessert is panna cotta. Oh well no panna cottas at a French restaurant. Instead he got the creme brulee, for a dollar more I got the creme brulee with seasonal fruit, Phae got the poached pear and Matt got the dessert but……….I DON’T REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS UGH! It was an apple something.

As you can see my creme brulee is not the regular kind. The waiter had informed me that this is like a deconstructed creme brulee. Blackberries topped with a cookie and vanilla custard. The vanilla custard is the same from creme brulee. There was also a thin layer of burnt sugar on top so I was able to “crack” the top just like regular creme brulee. Nice touch!

I had a bite of the poached pear. I never had poached pear before because I always go for the heavier desserts. My my but I after that 1 bite I think I’ll start ordering it. It was damn good.

I hope I’m not over hyping this place but it can’t be helped. Everything I ate and the service from Le P’tit was excellent. I seriously hope they do well and be around for a long time. Oh and nothing on the menu was over $20. WIN!

- Le P’tit Paris Bistro 256 Prospect Park West, Brooklyn

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