EAT HERE NOW

BRASSERIE MON CHOU CHOU

312 Pearl Pkwy., Bldg. 2, Ste. 2104 210-469-3743 brasseriemonchouchou.com Lunch and dinner daily; brunch Sun

Paris in Pearl

Brasserie Mon Chou Chou combines the best of French cuisine with South Texas friendliness

BY EDMUND TIJERINA

hen creating a classic French menu, the decision of W what cut of beef to use for steak frites takes on heightened importance. So chef Laurent Réa pondered several different possibilities for Brasserie Mon Chou Chou. He considered one of the traditional French options, a bavette (flank steak) or onglet (hanger steak) but, instead, decided on a corn-fed classic.

“I told (fellow co-founders) Jérôme (Sérot) and Philippe (Placé), the steak frites has to be a signature item,” Réa says. His choice: a gorgeously seared 12-ounce New York strip topped with a dollop of herbed butter. It’s an all-American cut of beef that elevates a French restaurant standard and plants the Art Nouveau décor firmly at home in South Texas.

Indeed, I have to say that when we’re able to travel again and my wife and I can take our 12-year-old son to experience Paris for the

ORDER THIS

Raclette

Escargot

Steak Frites

Steak Tartare

first time, I’m a little concerned that he’s going to say he likes Brasserie Mon Chou Chou better than the bistros and brasseries in France.

Of course, there’s truly no substitute for the experience of interacting in another language, immersing in local customs and basking in a beloved expression of French culture. Still, the experience at Mon Chou Chou delights like few other restaurants in town.

Almost any dish on Réa’s menu sings “La Marseillaise” with an inspiring clarity. The steak tartare unites the gently firm texture of minced raw beef with the brightness of capers, a pop from finely minced shallots and the lusciousness of a quail egg to create one of the finest examples of this dish I have ever tried.

Like the steak frites, the usually humble raclette receives a glamorous and delicious makeover. Traditionally, the melted cheese is served with boiled potatoes, some pickled vegetables and often cold cuts and other accompaniments. At Mon Chou Chou, a server scrapes a generous portion from a broiled half wheel of raclette onto a sliced baguette that’s slathered with aioli and accompanied by a side of cornichons. You will want to add the side of Bayonne ham, a Basque specialty of Southwest France that may remind you a bit of Italian prosciutto.

Whether you indulge in the escargot, an endive salad, or a vol-au-vent with crab and spinach at brunch, the menu consistently delights. And if you were wondering, the steak frites delivers on its promise and absolutely thrills.

Meanwhile, the service steers clear of the French formality that’s often misconstrued as aloofness, with knowledgeable servers and managers who wrap a strong sense of professionalism with South Texas friendliness. “Usually when you go to a French restaurant, you don’t get the warm fuzzies. If you get a smile at the end of the meal, you’re doing great,” says French native Philippe Placé, one of the restaurant’s founders and partner at the Southerleigh Restaurant Group. “I think we’re doing my idea of Southern hospitality in a French restaurant.”

Opened in December in the former Nao at Pearl space, Mon Chou Chou has drawn a packed house since its debut. “I thought bringing a piece of Paris would bring a lot of people who wanted to come. We knew we were going to be busy, but not that busy,” Réa says. “I think San Antonio is ready for this.”

OFF MENU

News from the restaurant scene

Earth Burger opened up its fourth storefront at the Stone Ridge Market.

/ Savage Coffee Co.

had its official opening at the end of April. / Chef Stefan Bowers parted ways with the Goodman & Bowers Restaurant Group (Battalion, Rebelle, Playland, formerly Feast) to take full ownership of the group’s downtown pizza spot, Playland. He also remains involved with Rebelle and just launched his own food trailer, called The Pump Wagon, giving a permanent home to his burger pop-up. / Tidy Ben’s Sloppy Joes, a vegan sloppy joe restaurant, opened up in Southtown at the end of March. / Stixs and Stone, an Asian-Mexican fusion restaurant from Catch the Wave’s Chef Leo Davila, opened up on Wurzbach Road. / Chicago Hot Dogs opened up its first storefront on Jones Maltsberger Road. / Smoothie and juice bar Coco Bliss opened near Lackland Air Force Base. / Chef Jesse Kuykendall (Ocho) opened a brick-and-mortar location of her food truck Milpa at The Yard in Olmos Park. / Curry Boys BBQ was recognized in Texas Monthly’s BBQ Joint Reviews. / Tuxedo Cat’s Coffee relocated to Heath Road at the Palm Buddha garden center.