What To Eat At Petit Trois From Ludo Lefebvre, Vinny Dotolo And Jon Shook In Hollywood | Tasting Table LA

Petit Trois opens in Hollywood

Think of Petit Trois as the more democratic sister restaurant to Trois Mec.

Just next door to the restaurant where ticketed reservations and high-end cuisine reign supreme, disciples of Ludo LeFebvre, Vinny Dotolo and Jon Shook's act two can now grab a stool (no tables here) without a reservation (no phone, either) for Francophile classics done by the culinary triple threat.

Traces of LeFebvre can be seen throughout the condensed menu of punched-up brasserie fare (though you're likely to see chef de cuisine Sydney Hunter III of LudoBites and Café Pinot actually cooking in the kitchen). Many of the dishes, served on charming, so-very-Parisian white plates rimmed in blue, are layered with butter, cheese and other unctuous upgrades.

A sublimely simple croque monsieur ($18), regularly reserved for the a.m., has made its way onto the all-day menu; gooey melted Gruyére and Parmesan are layered with sliced ham and béchamel and topped with crusty, toasted bread. An omelette ($18), too, is served for lunch and dinner, filled with soft Boursin cheese dotted with black pepper.

Chef Ludo LeFebvre, steak tartare topped with crispy onions | Photos: Courtesy of Petit Trois, Lucy Lean

Chewy chunks of hanger steak are mixed with Russian dressing and covered with fried shallots in the steak tartare ($19), and the usual steak frites ($33) are doused in an au poivre that doesn't tread lightly. Burgundy escargots ($18) burst with garlic and butter.

Outside, a nondescript strip-mall storefront reads "Tasty Thai," but inside the narrow restaurant comes alive. Grab a stool along the wood-paneled counter lined with arched mirrors in front of the open kitchen. Cooks scuttle about sautéing, griddling and plating as Biggie and Bone Thugs blast overheard. Shards of crusty baguette, served with pots of salted butter, line the countertop as the barman fills your glass with Chablis ($15) or Bourgogne rosé ($15).

If this is Ludo's idea of casual French dining, we want in.