COULD the brasserie be the next trattoria? Three of Los Angeles' most important chefs say they are either in the process of opening one or are seriously exploring the possibilities.
Alain Giraud, former chef at Bastide (which earned four stars under his tenure), is joining with the owners of Falcon restaurant to open a brasserie in Santa Monica's historic Clock Tower building in the middle of bustling Third Street Promenade (and as part of the deal he could be opening his own signature restaurant in the near future).
David Myers, chef at Sona, has said he'll open a brasserie called Comme Ca in the Melrose Avenue space (at La Cienega) that formerly housed Noura Cafe.
And now Michael Cimarusti, chef at seafood-centric Providence restaurant, says his "heart is set" on opening a brasserie downtown.
Until now, real brasseries have been scarce in Southern California. As opposed to a bistro, which is usually a cozy small restaurant serving a more personalized menu, a brasserie tends to be large and busy and specialize in set dishes that change only rarely. Historically, brasseries were 19th century French adaptations of German beer halls.
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A French tradition
CIMARUSTI says he fell in love with brasseries when he was working in France. "I was always thinking about what my vision of a perfect brasserie would be, but I never found it," he says. "There is just something about them: They're big, raucous restaurants that are easy to be in. They're egalitarian but the quality of the food can be really high."
Giraud cites as his models Brasserie Lipp in Paris and Balthazar in New York, and says he thinks they could fill a hole in the local dining scene. "You open up the Zagat guide in New York and you'll find 20 brasseries," Giraud says. "In Los Angeles we hardly have any."
Giraud's still-unnamed restaurant will be much more informal than his previous place, which he left in 2004 after a dispute with the owner. Giraud says his goal is to serve top-notch versions of classic French dishes with a California twist and at reasonable prices.
It will seat about 100 diners and be open for lunch and dinner; the target opening date is late summer.
Giraud, who says he will not be day-to-day chef at the new restaurant, is working with partners Mike Garrett and Tommy Stoilkovich, who have four Westside restaurants and clubs -- Falcon, Voda, Lounge 217 and Pearl Dragon.
