I had the pleasure of dining at Petit-Pois twice last week. Located on the Downtown Mall next to ZO.CA.LO, it is a terrific place to enjoy the last months of outdoor dining in this beautiful summer weather we are having.
Bringing “Bistro” Back
I consider myself to be really snooty when it comes to French bistro fare. For those of you not familiar with what a French bistro should be, I will try to summarize it as quickly as possible. The bistro/cafe in France is akin to the neighborhood pub/bar in any other country. In Paris, you can go to the bistro in the morning for a cafe-au-lait and croissant, or in the afternoon for a glass of wine and the much-sought-after cigarette (pronounced in a thick French accent of course). The informal nature of the bistro is contrasted by its tasty food and drink offerings. Simple dishes adorn what is usually a one-sided menu with selections like:
- onion soup
- mussels in a white-wine broth
- pate du campagne
- pomme frites (French fries…and yes the French do actually make the best fries, with Five Guys following a VERY close second!)
- hanger steak
- roast chicken
- etc…
None of these recipes/dishes will earn a bistro a Michelin star, but they are a terrific way to begin a social evening with friends or even your lover(s). Petit-Pois manages to capture this casual atmosphere very well. Do not let the nuclear-size pea pod on the front door intimidate you!
Best Bang for the Lunchtime Buck-but get your fries from Five Guys instead
My first experience was at lunch time. My rule of thumb for bistro or bistro-like restaurants is that if their steak-frites (steak and fries) is good, the rest will most likely be just as good or better. The steak-frites on the lunch-time menu is $11.50 . I thought I was going to receive a tiny morsel of beef, and was quite surprised to see many slices of perfectly cooked (medium-rare) steak nestled next to XXXXX and topped with french fries.
I think every chef has their own interpretation of what a rare/medium-rare/medium steak should look like. It was my fortunate luck that Petit-Pois knew exactly what I meant. The steak was perfectly crispy/slightly charred on the outside, and perfectly moist and juice on the inside. The steak was definitely marinated in something delicious but not too overpowering as the taste of this excellent cut of beef definitely melted in my mouth. The steak was topped with caramelized shallots (an oh-so-delicious topping on steak) and herb butter.
The fries were another story. The beef set a very high expectation of the fries, too high it seems. While the fries themselves were cut properly, they were fried in what tasted to me like a synthetic oil. I will firmly stand by the rule that french fries must be cooked in peanut oil. Five Guys down the street is based entirely on that notion, and they execute flawlessly for a fast food restaurant. There is something to be said about a perfect steak with the perfect fry. While Petit-Pois didn’t deliver on this fantasy, the steak made up for it. If you go, I recommend either changing the fries for a salad or bringing your own small take-out cup of Five Guys.
Bottom line: $11.50 for a great steak at lunch time!?!?!?! Why would you not go?
Dinner Special: To Die For
Steak tartare is one of those dishes you might have avoided on numerous occasions…it is basically chopped steak/filet mignon mixed with egg yolk and a number of other ingredients. And you it it raw. Japanese people have eaten raw food for a long time, and many of you seem to like TEN, so why balk at this? After many years of cringing from eating completely raw steak, I decided to jump on the French wagon and see what all the hype was for Steak Tartare. It was delicious. When a proper, quality cut of beef is used and the accompanying ingredients bring out, not play down, the flavor and texture of the beef, you have a dish that is potentially better than a perfect steak.
From what I can remember, Petit-Pois’s Steak Tartare had the following:
- egg yolk
- chopped steak
- fresh cracked salt and pepper
- fresh chopped oregano
- capers
- SOME KIND OF LIQUOR (cVillains help…I was distracted by a beautiful woman during dinner and missed this part of the description)
Served with crostini on the side, this was the start of a magical meal.
Fruits de mer: Find out why the French call it fruit of the sea as opposed to plain “food”
At the suggestion of our waiter, we chose the Bourride. I recall previously at lunchtime, there were many cVillains enjoying this. The dinner portion was a little bit larger and is essetially a classic French bouillabaisse-like stew of the following seafood delicacies in a garlic, fennel and saffron broth:
- giant scallops
- mussels
- clams
- calamari
- shrimp
The combination of the above seafood ingredients and the sharp cream sauce were quite a treat. The dinner prices were much more than the lunch menu, but after the first bite you really do forget about the price and you remember that first dinner in Marseilles many years ago. The cool summer evenings and fresh seafood dinners…exceptional.
Verdict
Petit-Pois is definitely a cville winner. To be able to offer such a reasonably priced menu with terrific selections and excellent portions is a difficult task. I don’t know who or where the chef is from, and I frankly don’t care. Whether he/she is from Mexico or El Salvador, they were taught well, and execute even better. I recommend Petit-Pois change their french fry recipe to something like the above from the world-famous Michel Richard. That is the only change I can think of, everything else was spot-on. This spot should definitely be the beginning of a social evening in cville. Casual dining turns a new page, and I can’t wait to read the next story.
Popularity: 7% [?]
Tagged as: Downtown Mall, French Food, Petit-Pois, Rants, Raves, Restaurants, ZO.CA.LO
Hey cocoNUT! Sorry for the little edit, but I gave Petit Pois the nod earlier
and I was talking about quick lunches specifically. I save luxurious meals for dinner. Great review!
the chef is Brian Helleberg - also of Fleurie and Il Canne Pazzo, and, yes, the hanger steak is amazing at the Wee Pea.
I must have been distracted by that silly look on that water-slide man’s face! I would say this place serves a quick-lunch…but how quick do you mean? Take-out quick? For the price and service, I would definitely put this down for a lunch OR dinner spot.
I think Bizou is the fastest of the sit-downs. If you come at the beginning of the lunch rush, it can be done in less than a half-hour. Anyway, I avoid heavy meals mid-day (inevitably unproductive after), and I also avoid ordering “just a salad” at a great restaurant, which is what I would do at lunch. That’s why I save great restaurants for night. And no, not a “just a salad” cVillain then!
OOOOO Bizou…that is a treat! I do agree that place is wicked quick. True on the heavy meals…having a salad for lunch is just boring…but if you must have something light, why not FEAST! ? Their lunch salad/soup/sandwich combos are terrific for something so simple. How about Petit Pois for lunch, but split both a salad and a main? And dont forget the Five Guys!
btw, the classic bouillabaise recipe doesn’t include any of the seafood listed above, it is mainly a fish dish. The restaurant in this country have the bad habit of using bit and piece of whatever is left in the fridge and called it bouillabaise.
hence “bouillabaise-like”
Belgians make better frites, IMO. And if you believe Jeffrey Steingarten (sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t), horse fat makes the best cooking fat. Not that you can generally find that in restaurants in the U.S., heh.
True the Belgians are dam good with the fries…ok tie between the Belgians and the French. I bet horse fat tastes dam good, but where will you find a place like that in cville? Where have you had that in the states? Curious!
I haven’t… I’m pretty adventurous with food but I don’t know that I’d go for My Little Pony fries unless I was in a country where that was commonplace.
I have heard there’s a place in DC that cooks frites in duck fat, which sounds pretty decadent. And supposedly there’s a place in Occoquan that has great Belgian-style frites.
Five Guys….considering its fast food, they actually put alot of care into their fry making…until we have a Belgian bar in cville, just take a side of Five Guys with you wherever you go. But, I haven’t had food their in ages, are their fries just as good as when it all began?
It’s not uncommon to cook anything in duck fat; rather, it’s a common base. I bet a lot of vegetarians’ dishes are prepared in it.
I’m sorry - you are all just dead-wrong. While I am a Fleurie fan, I feel like this little pea is completely over-priced. While billed as a bistro, the prices are maybe 10-15% less than the higher-end big brother, but the food has less thought and follow through. I would much rather spend the extra $50 between two people and go to Fleurie. If I want bistro food for bistro prices, my choise is Zinc.
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I feel like for the money and the value - not to mention selection, tapping Petit Pois as the “go-to bistro” is highly off the mark. have you ever been to Zinc?
They have the same menu almost but are two way different places. PP’s on the mall at least.
definitely different. which is why PP feels more schmancy and intimidating… but then again I’m a broke ass ho. at least I can rely on dinner with a beer for under $20 at zinc.
I think I might have had brunch at Zinc, but not lunch or dinner. It is on my to-do list. Gosh dam now I have a craving for duck confit.
I felt this restaurant under a stack of mattresses once upon a time, but have never eaten there.
/likes me some big ol’ ‘merkin peas.
Yeah! Belmonty O is a true princess!
/never eaten at PP
That would explain my froo froo tutu lulu.
Merkin Peas?! Those sound musty.
/loves me a good merkin joke
@24 Maynard James Keenan of Tool owns Merkin Vineyards in Arizona.
I ate at PP on Saturday night…$175 for 4 with one bottle of fizz (not real Champers) and 2 of the party having an appetizer and just soup for entree. Food was good, especially the creamed corn and wilted spinach but I miss OXO…
/BYo peas his bed when he drinks too much tequila
[…] Lunch: Petit Pois for a beautiful patio, amazing cuisine and doing a bistro […]