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s u m m e r 2 0 1 8 | 1 9 PUT AWAY YOUR PASSPORT, forget about that trip to Paris, and cancel those dinner reserva- tions at Apicius. Chef Ludo Lefebvre—two- time James Beard Award nominee, Rising Star Chef finalist, and the man who crashed Open Table twice with reservations for his LudoBites pop-up restaurants—has achieved yet another culinary milestone. In late April, after months of planning, Lefebvre and partners Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo opened Petit Trois le Vallée: a more spacious version of his award-winning Petit Trois Hollywood, found just "over the hill" from his new Sherman Oaks location. Unlike the original Petit Trois, which seats only 22 people and doesn't accept reservations, Petit Trois le Vallée takes reservations for breakfast, lunch, and dinner while also offering takeout and delivery service. The restaurant features a 49- seat main dining room, smaller 30-person private room, and 12-seat full-service bar (a Lefebvre "first"); energetic and inviting, it maintains an authentic French brassiere vibe despite being much more grandiose in scale. "It was our dream to bring something very French to the Valley," said Lefebvre, who lives just a few blocks away from the new restaurant with his wife, Krissy, and their twin daughters. "You didn't have a classic French bistro in the Valley that was also focused on the family— there wasn't a place for them to go. I wanted this restaurant to be accessible to families with young kids, but the overall concept is that we want people to feel like they are in Paris when they come into the main dining room—where the tables are close together and you can feel the energy in the room." If convivial conversation and a room full of people enjoying a meal together is what a French bistro is all about—and it is—then Lefebvre has certainly achieved his goal. During a recent late-afternoon visit to Petit Trois le Val- lée, the kitchen was steadily serving diners with the bar at full capacity when practically every other restaurant along Ventura Boulevard was empty or hadn't yet opened for dinner. "It's so nice to finally have a first-class res- taurant in the Valley," said one woman dining at the six-seat "chef's counter" with a direct view of the compact, bustling kitchen. She watched as cooks baked, sliced, diced, and flambéd as Lefebvre scrutinized every detail, leaving only occasionally to assist the wait staff. While Lefebvre describes Petit Trois le Vallée as "very classic, very French, nothing fancy, with very simple food and wine," its cocktail menu makes innovative tweaks to the clas- sics, with drinks like the Queen B of San Luis featuring chamomile tea–infused Del Maguey Vida mezcal, citrus-infused honey syrup, and a garnish of edible flowers. The food, meanwhile, is pure Ludo: more imaginative than "simple." "We have a lot of similar dishes from Petit Trois Hollywood," says Lefebvre. "Although here we have a bigger kitchen, because it is still a new restaurant, I feel a little safer cook- ing the dishes we know. When we get things organized at the front of the house, we will make the menu bigger and start introducing new dishes." Among those reliable favorites is his Bur- gundy escargot, which swims in warm butter, white wine, shallots, garlic, and parsley (it's Lefebvre's grandmother's recipe—how can you go wrong?). The "Big Mec" double cheese- burger is a bacchanalian mound of twin all-beef patties coated in foie gras–infused bordelaise sauce with caramelized onions sandwiched between a brioche bun, while the steak frites come covered with a Cognac pepper sauce and fries sizzled in clarified butter. Plus, with Lefebvre serving as the West Coast ambassador for Grey Goose, he plans to introduce a French Colonel—Grey Goose vodka poured over lemon sorbet—to the dessert menu. Although Lefebvre had been cooking in France for 12 years before bringing his gastro- nomic prowess to Los Angeles in 1996, as far as the San Fernando Valley is concerned, he has—figuratively and literally—arrived. Petit Trois le Vallée 13705 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, CA (818) 989-2600, valley.petittrois.com Hours: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. CHEF LUDO LEFEBVRE'S PETIT TROIS OPENS ON VENTURA BOULEVARD'S RESTAURANT ROW IN SHERMAN OAKS, CA by Richard Carleton Hacker Petit Trois le Vallée seats 49 in the main dining room. A 14-seat outdoor patio will open soon. A Parisian bistro's menu isn't complete without a classic French omelet. Petit Trois serves its version with boursin pepper cheese and chives. ■cr

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