Comments on: Le Petit Bistro, West Hollywood http://la.foodblogging.com/2006/09/28/le-petit-bistro-west-hollywood/ foodblogging los angeles Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:47:03 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Gregory Plotkin http://la.foodblogging.com/2006/09/28/le-petit-bistro-west-hollywood/#comment-776572 Gregory Plotkin Tue, 01 Feb 2011 19:38:48 +0000 http://la.foodblogging.com/2006/09/28/le-petit-bistro-west-hollywood/#comment-776572 I have been coming to eat at Le Petit Bistro since the day it opened around 15 years ago. I would say my wife and myself have been to this restaurant over 50 times. Besides, we must have recommended this place to over 200 friends, who recommended it to their friends and so on. Everyone seemed to like it, until about 3 weeks ago, when six of us came in on Saturday at 5:45pm, since we had a show to catch at 8pm. We were the first in, and were seated on the patio. First thing I did, I came up to the owner of the restaurant, who was inside, near the bar, talking to his employees. I apologized, and said that my wife was allergic to shell fish, and since she wanted to order fish for the main course, it was important to notify the chef to use a clean knife and a cutting board, so my wife would not get the allergic reaction. We have been dining in LA restaurants, as well as everywhere else (Las Vegas, New York, San Francisco, etc.) for years and this has never been a problem, as long as we notified the chef about the problem. This time, the reaction from the owner was totally unbelievable: He raised his voice at me in front of all his employees saying: "If your wife is allergic to shell fish, then she should not be ordering fish at all! I am not going to be responsible for her problems. I am not telling my chef anything. Let her order meat!" This was unexpectedly rude and obnoxious. I went back to the patio and sat down with my friends, telling them about the owners response. In the meantime, the busboy turned on the heater above us, and in 1 minute it became so hot, that 6 of us could not breath. There was no one on the patio but us, and I politely asked the waitress to shut off the heater. She did. In a few minutes the heater was turned back on, and it felt like in a sauna again. The owner came to the patio himself and I I addressed him once again, stating that it was so hot that we could not breath. His response this time was: "Well, you are not alone in the restaurant, and other people are cold and want the heater on". I said: "There is no one else on the patio at the moment, and besides we will be finishing pretty soon." The owner, very rudely responded: " Well, I don't care if you are hot or not, I am not going to have my other customers leave because you are hot. I am the owner, and I am making decisions here!" Well, the owner's behavior was unheard of. I have no idea how one as rude and obnoxious like this can be in a restaurant business, regardless of how good his menu is. This is a typical arrogant French attitude, only this time we were not in Paris, but in Los Angeles. From now on, I will let hundreds of my friends know that Le Petit Bistro is one restaurant they should stay away from. I will also write reviews in various newspapers in my community, and on the web, sharing my awful dining experience with restaurant goers in Los Angeles. I have been coming to eat at Le Petit Bistro since the day it opened around 15 years ago. I would say my wife and myself have been to this restaurant over 50 times. Besides, we must have recommended this place to over 200 friends, who recommended it to their friends and so on. Everyone seemed to like it, until about 3 weeks ago, when six of us came in on Saturday at 5:45pm, since we had a show to catch at 8pm. We were the first in, and were seated on the patio.
First thing I did, I came up to the owner of the restaurant, who was inside, near the bar, talking to his employees. I apologized, and said that my wife was allergic to shell fish, and since she wanted to order fish for the main course, it was important to notify the chef to use a clean knife and a cutting board, so my wife would not get the allergic reaction. We have been dining in LA restaurants, as well as everywhere else (Las Vegas, New York, San Francisco, etc.) for years and this has never been a problem, as long as we notified the chef about the problem.
This time, the reaction from the owner was totally unbelievable: He raised his voice at me in front of all his employees saying: “If your wife is allergic to shell fish, then she should not be ordering fish at all! I am not going to be responsible for her problems. I am not telling my chef anything. Let her order meat!”
This was unexpectedly rude and obnoxious.
I went back to the patio and sat down with my friends, telling them about the owners response. In the meantime, the busboy turned on the heater above us, and in 1 minute it became so hot, that 6 of us could not breath. There was no one on the patio but us, and I politely asked the waitress to shut off the heater. She did. In a few minutes the heater was turned back on, and it felt like in a sauna again. The owner came to the patio himself and I I addressed him once again, stating that it was so hot that we could not breath. His response this time was: “Well, you are not alone in the restaurant, and other people are cold and want the heater on”. I said: “There is no one else on the patio at the moment, and besides we will be finishing pretty soon.” The owner, very rudely responded: ” Well, I don’t care if you are hot or not, I am not going to have my other customers leave because you are hot. I am the owner, and I am making decisions here!”
Well, the owner’s behavior was unheard of. I have no idea how one as rude and obnoxious like this can be in a restaurant business, regardless of how good his menu is. This is a typical arrogant French attitude, only this time we were not in Paris, but in Los Angeles. From now on, I will let hundreds of my friends know that Le Petit Bistro is one restaurant they should stay away from. I will also write reviews in various newspapers in my community, and on the web, sharing my awful dining experience with restaurant goers in Los Angeles.

]]> By: hollywood restaurant http://la.foodblogging.com/2006/09/28/le-petit-bistro-west-hollywood/#comment-544084 hollywood restaurant Sat, 19 Jun 2010 06:48:22 +0000 http://la.foodblogging.com/2006/09/28/le-petit-bistro-west-hollywood/#comment-544084 After lots of research and extensive digging - I finally found a company that is the real thing and not rip off artists like all the others. After lots of research and extensive digging - I finally found a company that is the real thing and not rip off artists like all the others.

]]> By: Alex Jarmin http://la.foodblogging.com/2006/09/28/le-petit-bistro-west-hollywood/#comment-150572 Alex Jarmin Fri, 11 May 2007 19:42:33 +0000 http://la.foodblogging.com/2006/09/28/le-petit-bistro-west-hollywood/#comment-150572 Le Petit is a great place! The best lamb chops in town! The prices are reasonable and Chef Hugo is amazing! Tierry, our favorite waiter makes our dining worth while each time... Regretfully, the host whom I was told is the brother of the owner is a big disappointment to Le Petit! He is the epitome of rudeness and arrogance! He gives special treatment to caucasian customers only! I've gone there a few times with friends and was disgusted by his unpleasant demeanor towards us. I hope he quits so I can enjoy a great meal once again. Le Petit is a great place! The best lamb chops in town! The prices are reasonable and Chef Hugo is amazing! Tierry, our favorite waiter makes our dining worth while each time…
Regretfully, the host whom I was told is the brother of the owner is a big disappointment to Le Petit! He is the epitome of rudeness and arrogance! He gives special treatment to caucasian customers only! I’ve gone there a few times with friends and was disgusted by his unpleasant demeanor towards us. I hope he quits so I can enjoy a great meal once again.

]]> By: Brian Standly http://la.foodblogging.com/2006/09/28/le-petit-bistro-west-hollywood/#comment-90597 Brian Standly Sun, 29 Oct 2006 18:19:11 +0000 http://la.foodblogging.com/2006/09/28/le-petit-bistro-west-hollywood/#comment-90597 Last night my partner and I brought a couple friends to your restaurant. The evening started off wrong when the host welcomed my friend as "Ed", when he was introduced as "Edward". We were seated at the table next to the bar which was very nice. Then the service turned sour. The waitress took all four orders but neglected to write down the order for the lamb. Unfortunately this created a very uncomfortable situation while the three of us waited for his order to be served. After several minutes, we made several attempts to get the attention of the waitress. She admitted she'd forgotten to put the order in, so my friend canceled the lamb and ordered the crab cakes. When they were served, the plate was ice cold; not to mention the other three meals (while we all waited for the crab cakes). All in all, the food was good, but the service was a waste. Edward and I have been coming to Le Petit Bistro for several years and will continue to dine there. We will NEVER again introduce any friends. We were both very embarrass by the service we got, as we spoke so highly of Le Petit. Just for your own information, one of the individuals we brought last night is the food editor of a national magazine. He was tolerant, but not happy with the service and let about it on the ride back home. Sincerely, Brian Standly bkstandly@msn.com Last night my partner and I brought a couple friends to your restaurant. The evening started off wrong when the host welcomed my friend as “Ed”, when he was introduced as “Edward”. We were seated at the table next to the bar which was very nice. Then the service turned sour. The waitress took all four orders but neglected to write down the order for the lamb. Unfortunately this created a very uncomfortable situation while the three of us waited for his order to be served. After several minutes, we made several attempts to get the attention of the waitress. She admitted she’d forgotten to put the order in, so my friend canceled the lamb and ordered the crab cakes. When they were served, the plate was ice cold; not to mention the other three meals (while we all waited for the crab cakes). All in all, the food was good, but the service was a waste.

Edward and I have been coming to Le Petit Bistro for several years and will continue to dine there. We will NEVER again introduce any friends. We were both very embarrass by the service we got, as we spoke so highly of Le Petit.

Just for your own information, one of the individuals we brought last night is the food editor of a national magazine. He was tolerant, but not happy with the service and let about it on the ride back home.

Sincerely,

Brian Standly
bkstandly@msn.com

]]> By: MaxMillion http://la.foodblogging.com/2006/09/28/le-petit-bistro-west-hollywood/#comment-82627 MaxMillion Thu, 28 Sep 2006 22:27:31 +0000 http://la.foodblogging.com/2006/09/28/le-petit-bistro-west-hollywood/#comment-82627 Nice write up. I prefer the café's of St Germain des Prés, myself (I am a 'Floriste'). hey -- I posted a question to your Cut review that remains unanswered. To wit, what was the final cost per person for this splendid meal? How many times have you dined there (you mention several visits, but was that just to have a look around or to eat, too?) Nice write up. I prefer the café’s of St Germain des Prés, myself (I am a ‘Floriste’).

hey — I posted a question to your Cut review that remains unanswered. To wit, what was the final cost per person for this splendid meal? How many times have you dined there (you mention several visits, but was that just to have a look around or to eat, too?)

]]> By: Bob http://la.foodblogging.com/2006/09/28/le-petit-bistro-west-hollywood/#comment-82608 Bob Thu, 28 Sep 2006 18:53:43 +0000 http://la.foodblogging.com/2006/09/28/le-petit-bistro-west-hollywood/#comment-82608 We love Le Petit Bistro too, especially since we can walk to it. For an appetizers, we like the eggplant tarte and the escargots; personally, the Brie en Croute is a favorite too. For entrees, the Chicken Piccata is a great classic; we also like the Whitefish. All steaks are good. Avoid the duck and the osso bucco (too dry). We love Le Petit Bistro too, especially since we can walk to it. For an appetizers, we like the eggplant tarte and the escargots; personally, the Brie en Croute is a favorite too. For entrees, the Chicken Piccata is a great classic; we also like the Whitefish. All steaks are good. Avoid the duck and the osso bucco (too dry).

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