You don’t need a passport to visit the newest French hotspot in town, but you may need a reservation. Little Frenchie Bistro and Bar a Vin– the newest creation from Blue Bridge Hospitality—is opening up 5pm tomorrow, May 24 at the old digs of West Pac Noodle Bar.
I was lucky enough to slip in with the staff training and enjoy a long, lingering lunch that delighted my palate and quelled my thirst for a dry, sparkling rose.
Evoking all the charm and refinement of the quintessential French café, Little Frenchie beckons with a robust menu dotted with favorites like burgundy snails with herb garlic butter, and duck poutine with mozzerella, gravy, hen egg and confit. If these kind of dishes stir up your wanton, wannabe French alter-ego, then this place is right up your ruelle.
But lets start with the wine list. One of the coolest things about the menu is that each item comes with suggested wine pairing. Like we needed any convincing! But it’s really nice to know what goes with what. Our server Sokol explained that the wines are all either from France or French inspired, so we knew that we were in the French flow.
And, hello! Did someone say dry, sparkling rose? Is there a more delectable wine to sip and savor in the warm, summer months? Mais non! The Louis Perdrier Brut Rose tickles the tongue with happy dances and at only $9 a glass, it can’t be beat.
We also ordered a flat rose that was equally tasty, again, on the drier side, so we weren’t overwhelmed with sweetness.
Eventually we moved on to a Pinot Noir that also thrilled and delighted.
But the food. That’s what we came for, right? The burgundy snails were fantastique, and served in the shell with the fun tongs and little fork, so you get to work up an appetite digging them out. The sauce was to die for.
And for the French Canadians out there, all hail the duck poutine! You won’t find a more gravy-licious mound of fries topped with duck and hen egg.
We couldn’t wait to try the cheese selections, like the truffle goat cheese. (All the cheeses come with wine pairings too, in case you were wondering.) Sadly the cheeses were not available on this training day, but will be up for grabs tomorrow.
We also enjoyed a colorful and flavorful Nicoise Salad, with albacore, cherry tomato, fingerling tomato, and hard boiled egg. The salad was filling and delicious, perfect after the richness of the snails and poutine.
I can’t wait to try more of the appetizers like the smoked salmon rillette with crème fraiche, the steak tartare, the avocado tartine, and the pate, and entrees like the croque monsieur and the short ribs pot-au-feu. And yes, pretty much all the cheeses.
And guess what? Little Frenchie goes big for happy hour, with food and drink specials to delight any Francophile.
We will be back? Absolument. With sparkling rose in hand. Until then, au revoir.
To make reservations, go here.
And check out the menus below.
