Montrésor, Studio City’s New French Bistro with a Royal Pedigree

(Gerry Furth-Sides, photo courtesy of Acuna-Hansen)  Montrésor, Studio City’s newest French bistro,  is designed with the grace and style of Paris in the 1920’s.  Executive Chef Paul Shoemaker has created a new menu of traditional French cuisine with farm-to-table ingredients.   Even the art nouveau signage is exciting and inviting.

Montrésor is the brainchild of accomplished actress, producer and long-time restaurateur, Lisa Long, and designer and partner, Ann Booth Luly. Restaurateur Long is already responsible for two of the area’s most popular mainstays that earned Studio City a reputation for fine dining,  La Loggia Ristorante, and Barsac Brasserie.   She also partnered with Top Chef fan favorite Chef Fabio Viviani on Firenze Osteria, an impossibly big and lush space that somehow works because of great food and warm, professional service.  

 

Shoemaker is now excited to get back to cooking traditional French cuisine incorporating innovative techniques he learned along the way. “I like to take a classic dish and have a little fun, give it some flair and get playful. I want to create something different, that stands out amongst the classics,” says Shoemaker.

The idea is to bring out the best of local Farmers’ Markets ingredients “that Los Angelenos are used to eating.”   “It is simple and classic French cuisine prepared with modern technique and seasonal ingredients, accompanied by an eclectic wine bar,” explains Shoemaker.

Guests can start their evening with delicate but hearty appetizers inching a crisp Bib Lettuce Salad with avocado, fines herbs and a tarragon cream dressing (above),  French Onion Soup with house-made baguette croutons, Mussels in a garlic white wine sauce, or fresh the Crab Cake served with remoulade and frisée.   Short Rib with a potato purée 10 oz. Bone-in Tenderloin Steak with potato pavé and tomato confit highlight the entrees…

Dessert, of course, include the classic, French Profiteroles,  served here with an almond toffee brittle, vanilla ice cream and topped with chocolate sauce, and a delicate Crème Brulée.

Chef Shoemaker’s French credentials are impeccable.  The chef gained recognition at Alan Ducasse and French Laundry before making his way to the kitchens of Water Grill and Providence with Chef Michael Cimarusti, the wildly popular Firefly in Studio City, and his own restaurant Savory in Malibu. His most noteworthy accomplishment was at the internationally famous, Joe Pytka’s Bastide, where he earned himself a Michelin star in less than six months.

The Montrésor wine list is as eclectic as the famous wine regions of France (400 growers of Bordeaux in one terroir!) and curated to pair with Chef Shoemaker’s menu.  Each wine is offered by the glass. There are also wines from California for those who prefer a fruitier spirit.   A selection of American beers includes the Allagash, Anderson Valley, Old Stock and Old Rasputin.

Montrésor translates to “my treasure” in English. Tucked away on Ventura Boulevard, Montrésor was designed with a whimsical, inviting 1920’s French theme in mind, full of vintage design and repurposed decor.  For example, a vintage refurbished headboard serves as one of the restaurant’s benches while the 8-foot reclaimed wooden doors are recycled from a winery in Orange County. Even the mannequin bodice lamp was recycled and crafted by Luly herself.

“From the beginning, the vision for the design of the restaurant was to inspire a lively, yet romantic setting, leaving guests feeling reminiscent of the late 1800’s in the Loire Valley of France where the village of Montrésor is located,” explains Luly.

Long met her now-business partner, Ann Booth Luly, 30 years ago on the set of a Pointer Sister video and the two hit it off right away. Luly is a multi-faceted talent who taught herself how to sew at the young age of 6 and her career path took off from designing clothes for her family to the successful  Studio City boutique called “Hoity Toity” and finally to restaurant design.

Montrésor, 11266 Ventura Boulevard, Studio City, CA 91604, T: 818.760.7081.

Montrésor is open Tuesday through Sunday from 5:30 pm to 10:30 pm. For more information aboutMontrésor, please visit www.Montresor.LA or call Montrésor directly.