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Warm, friendly and inviting – Le Petit Jacques Café is a delightful and charming neighborhood French bistro just east of Woodman in Sherman Oaks. Neither stuffy nor especially dressy, it strikes the right balance for a nice evening out if you’re in search of fine French fare.

As you enter the restaurant, there is a distinct sense of dining on a pretty balcony as white louvered wooden shutters, half opened, serve as semi-dividers between the two intimate dining rooms. A lovely mural at the back of the restaurant evokes the paintings of Renoir and Toulouse Lautrec. There is also seating on the patio out front for smokers.

Sliced baguette and crisp seeded flat-bread was served with a little pot of hummus and a little pot of smooth paté of chicken livers. As this was an unusual treat, I did think someone should have announced what was in each pot lest an unwary vegetarian dive in.

Eric was our fantastic waiter who guided us through the specials of the evening, but we’d already decided what we wanted to sample and could not be swayed.

I opted for the escargots “au four� (meaning out of the oven, $9.95) and instead of six, as advertised, I was treated to a seventh morsel of exquisitely tender and tasty snails in a herby, garlicky butter. Anyone who’s ever wanted to try escargots but has been too afraid to risk it, this is the place to go.

My gastronomic companion chose the coconut shrimp ($10.95), which were perfectly crisp and coconutty and served with a piquant mango chutney as well as a good amount of well-dressed organic salad greens. Our entrees came out hot on the heels of the appetizer plates being whisked away – we’d barely taken a breath – and that was way too prompt for our liking. But this being California, it is somewhat the norm… When asked about this, Eric explained you can request a leisurely dinner if that is your preference.

The filet mignon ($24.95) – perfectly cooked to order – was pan roasted with sautéed mushrooms and served with a rich, bordeaux wine sauce. It was also served with spinach and a leek and potato gratin side dish that was sufficiently cheesy and creamy without feeling like it was about to bring on a heart attack.

My dish — tender medallions of roasted duck breast with butternut squash puree, mushroom ravioli and a truffle cabernet sauce ($18.95) — was heavenly.

All in all we enjoyed attentive service without it ever being too pushy. I loved that they didn’t clear away my plate while my companion was finishing his meal.

There are plenty of desserts ($7.00) to choose from, including standards such as Creme Bruleé, fruit sorbets and a berry cobbler.

You simply have to save room to sample the Pot au Chocolate (we ordered ours without whipped cream.) This baked “mousse� was dense and superbly chocolatey without being too heavy.

Their wine list is not going to knock your socks off, but my glass of pinot noir was perfectly decent while the house cabernet sauvignon was also fine. Corkage is $10.00.

If you treat yourself to a quiet night out at Le Petit Jacques Café, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by their high standard fare.

Le Petit Jacques Café
13456 Ventura Blvd
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
818 - 789-3575
Open seven days — lunch Monday-Friday, weekends dinner only, with early closing time of 9.30pm Mon & Sun eves

By MaxMillion (see more of her posts). Max Million is the nom de 'net of Pauline Adamek. Born in Sydney, Australia, Pauline has lived in Los Angeles for the past ten years and finds it agrees with her. She has been reviewing films and filing celebrity-based interview articles since 1991, and has filed stories from various international film festivals, including Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Toronto and Sundance. She is completing a family cookbook and also writes novels for 8-12 year olds.