Le Petite Bleu

Four years ago COVID smacked everyone in the face, and after the initial shock, it was time for all to regroup. For restaurants as with people, this regroup was a very personal and individual thing.

One thing that most people in the restaurant industry did to survive was to pivot to take-out. This too looked different to different people. In the case of Commander's Palace, it meant taking a little-used and just plain little space next door to the restaurant and turning it into a take-out place. 

Inspired by the French travels of the two lady cousins who own Commander’s Palace, that meant a little bistro-style place. They called it Le Petite Bleu. The take-out menu was both simple and gourmet, with a surprising range of favorites from the restaurant and some things tailor-made for take-out.

Three months ago, Le Petite Bleu got a promotion to Café and Marché, with the addition of three two-tops and a small four-top booth strategically placed along one wall. 

The other wall is the Marché, with an eclectic and whimsical array of “merch” sporting the Commander’s Palace logo and colors, as well as books. This tiny space crams in a lot of fun.

In the middle of this tiny room is a case of take-out items, some of which are on the menu. You are instructed to retrieve them from the case upon ordering. All of the other things on the surprisingly large menu can be had at the fast-casual counter. 

The menu is too appealing. I wanted just about everything on it. A little creperie occupies one corner of the space behind the ordering counter. A woman comes in to do the crepes and that seems to be all she does. The rest of the crew does everything else. On the menu, the section devoted to these crepes is also surprisingly large.

The space devoted to shareables includes things like chicken liver pate and hogshead cheese. We tried to order the hogshead cheese and were directed to the take-out island of prepared foods, but they were out of the hogshead cheese.

There was plenty else we wanted. I ordered Quiche Lorraine, a biscuit, a beef debris sandwich, and something called The Creoletta by George! I have no idea who George is or why there is an exclamation behind his name, but the description of the sandwich intrigued me. It was thinly sliced tasso ham and andouille sausage as well as Provolone and pepperjack cheeses, with a relish of trinity and mirliton.

And we got a slice of pecan pie with the Commander’s Palace ice cream. Tom nursed a double cappuccino while I deliberated endlessly over the menu. We watched other things being delivered to neighboring tables, making a mental note to get it next time. The curried chicken salad crepe with spinach intrigued me, as did a ham and cheese crepe across the table from that one.

The Quiche Lorraine was the first thing to arrive. It was a nice portion of a beautiful quiche, accompanied by a little mound of arugula tossed in a light French vinaigrette dressing. The quiche was not traditional, because it had spinach in it, and large leaves at that, but that taste was terrific. The crust was dense and flaky, and even though the ham came in small chunks, I liked this very well. Tom loved it too. The dressing on the arugula was the perfect light French vinaigrette, and this was a satisfying mouthful of contrasting tastes and textures. Delish!

What came next was an unexpected delight. I had no idea what the Creoletta by George! might be in actuality. What arrived at the table was a gorgeous sandwich on fantastically appealing ciabatta bread, with meats and cheeses layered nicely, as little crumbs of the relish fell out.

I had never seen andouile as a paper-thin slice, and I couldn't imagine tasso like this, but they were indeed paper-thin and layered with the cheese to comprise a beautiful sandwich. This had some spice to it. Imagine a gourmet muffuletta, but even better. Terrific.

And then the pecan pie and ice cream were delivered to this tiny table, even though I requested it as dessert. I sent that back, There was no space for it on the table, and the roast beef hadn’t arrived yet.

Within minutes the beef debris sandwich came, and it too was served on that incredible ciabatta, with chunks of roast beef debris and some gravy oozing out of the sides. A slice of Provolone stuck out of one side.

This was a great example of how something simple and humble can become sublime in the hands of a skillful chef. The beef was chunky but so tender it fell apart everywhere. There was not enough gravy to make it sloppy, or to melt the cheese. Everything about this sandwich was perfect, right down to the green tomato chow chow relish.

When the pecan pie returned to the table it had been dressed up a bit, with a caramel and chocolate lacy drizzle. There was too much filling in the pie for my taste, but that was the only complaint. The vanilla ice cream was great, and it was a luscious end to a fantastic meal. Tom at one point remarked, “This is all excellent!” And it was.

The biscuit never arrived, and when I inquired, they told me it was not on the order. That will have to wait till next time. There will certainly be a next time, and the sooner the better. Le Petite Bleu is a new favorite.