This sunny, compact spot on Memorial serves reliably good breakfast staples seven days a week. Expect Petit Chou’s tiny dining room to fill up with bleary-eyed solo diners greedily eyeing the coffee pot behind the bar. Outside, the secluded patio’s giant picnic tables host chatty groups of friends swapping stories over thick slices of french toast made from buttery croissants and topped with homemade cinnamon whipped cream.
The menu, which leans French, has a nice variety for such a tiny outfit. A decent eggs benedict is drowned in a hollandaise sauce. A tasty croque monsieur comes with a thick layer of broiled gruyere on the outside, and a lemony chicken sandwich on a fresh baguette does the job if you’re feeling more like lunch.
photo credit: Juli Horsford
Food RundownLemony Chicken Breast Sandwich
The chicken is cut into cubes, slathered in lemon juice, and stuffed in between a fresh baguette. It tastes like a summer day and feels like a sandwich you’d pack for a picnic.
Vegetarian French Onion Soup
Soup is a liberal word for what this cup contains. There is a little bit of salty broth, but the cup is overwhelmingly full of melty gruyere cheese, hunks of soft bread, and slices of soft onions. Every bite is so gooey and warm we don’t really care about the lack of broth.
video credit: Juli Horsford
French Toast Creme Brulee Combier
Get this. The butter croissants are soaked in Combier and formed into thick, incredibly dense slices of french toast so every bite feels like you’ve actually taken four. The homemade cinnamon whipped cream and maple syrup add a sweetness that makes this plate feel more like a hefty dessert.
video credit: Juli Horsford
Eggs Benedict
These are fine. Sometimes there is too much hollandaise sauce so everything (including the toasted english muffins) gets a little too wet.
photo credit: Juli Horsford
Croque Monsieur
If you’re obsessed with cheese, this is a good order. The outside of the sandwich has a nearly inch-thick glob of gruyere, on top of a spread of boursin. It gets a nice golden char from the broiler. It’s a decent take on the french classic.
photo credit: Juli Horsford
Dining and Cooking