Petit Louis Bistro

On Sunday I met my MOH and one of my best and oldest friends Caroline for brunch/lunch at a place called Petit Louis Bistro in Columbia. This find also came courtesy of the magazine I have and I was excited to learn that it was right next to the mall because I have been extremely good about shopping for months and was looking forward to wandering around.

Petit Louis Bistro, as the name suggests, is a French restaurant. It has two locations, one in Roland Park and the one that we chose to visit. If you've been to Columbia you know that the goal of the town is to make things as nondescript as possible, so if it wasn't for the blue, red, and white striped awning I don't know that we would have been able to find it. You can enter the restaurant through their grab-and-go bakery, the comptoir, or head directly into the dining room.

Brunch is served until 4:30pm on Sundays so we both ordered mimosas and settled in for some girl talk and good food. Our server brought us warm bread with butter and since we ordered the mussels as an appetizer he strongly encouraged us to save our bread to dip in the broth. The mussels were plentiful and served in a fragrant and vibrant yellow saffron broth with small chunks of what I think may have been potatoes. So so so delicious. I had been tempted to order the escargot because I have always wanted to try it but I wasn't sure if Caroline would like it. Turns out she does so next time I'll have to be adventurous and get them! I apologize in advance for the shadowy pictures, my back was to the window.

I chose the Croque Monsieur for my entree, a traditional French sandwich with ham, comte cheese, and Dijon mustard, served on brioche and with a side of pommes frites (fries). The sandwich was really good. The cheese was oozing out of the sides and the bread had a French toast-like quality to it. Also, if you feel bad about eating butter then this sandwich is not for you.

Caroline chose the ceufs sur le plat, otherwise known as fried eggs, smoked bacon, and roasted potatoes. Her food looked great and she said it was delicious. The only reason I was left with food at the end was because the sandwich and side of fries were so big I had to take some home.

I recommend this place if you're new to French food and are unsure if you're going to like it because they have the traditional offerings mixed with a lot of things that are commonly on menus in the United States. Plus if you are feeling adventurous you know it's coming from an authentic place!