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Local Couple Offers French Flair
By Ethan Chung | Photos by Jeff Hobson
There’s a small house in West Olympia that’s a very special place, perhaps to no one more than the current owners. Built in 1903 as a home, the house became La Petite Maison restaurant in 1973. Even though the restaurant has moved on to different ownership over the years (including a complete name and genre change to Portofino, an Italian restaurant), the original restaurant sign remains. Chef Justin Wells and his wife Zoe went on their first date when the restaurant was Portofino. The couple loved it so much, they got married there. So when the opportunity to buy the restaurant came up, Justin and Zoe decided it was fate and had to jump at the chance.
The couple bought the restaurant at the beginning of 2011 and decided to reintroduce La Petite Maison to Olympia. They kept the old name (and the old sign), redid the interior and opened for business in May. Justin and Zoe have been busy bees since the opening: the couple started off as the restaurant’s only employees. Justin would work his craft in the kitchen, occasionally making his rounds around the restaurant to provide an extra touch of personal service to guests when he wasn’t in the weeds behind the scenes. Zoe, who has a full-time job with BCRA, learned to manage the front of house on the job, plus all refinements of fine dining from her experienced husband. “In the beginning we did everything. We washed dishes, bussed plates, you name it,” Zoe said. As they got busier, the husband-and-wife team added a part-time server and dishwasher, but for the most part, the couple still does nearly all the work running the fine dining restaurant.
Diners have been hard-pressed to find French fine dining anywhere on the South Sound, but if they’re looking for this experience, La Petite Maison definitely fits the bill. Justin shows his range in the kitchen, with everything from salade et homard to carre d’agneau roti and filet de boeuf (don’t worry, the menu offers translations: that’s the popular lobster medallion salad, roasted rack of lamb and pan-roasted beef tenderloin, for you non-Francophiles). Don’t shy away from sharing hors d’oeuvres – the rilletes aux porc and ventre de porc en sous vide (yup, that’s pork belly) are quite tasty. If you’re a vegetarian, you might have trouble finding your way around any French menu since the cuisine is so full of rich meat dishes. But La Petite Maison does offer a degustation vegetalienne, a selection of “the day’s freshest harvest.”
Another feather in the cap of La Petite Maison is its growing wine program. The restaurant has quite a selection of French wines, something that sets it apart from other lists that are chock full of Washington wines. To be clear, they do offer a few locals, but Justin has a passion for fine French wine. He even appraises collections for people. “Everyone should keep a look out for our upcoming wine dinner series in 2012. We have some incredible stuff planned and hope to show everyone that we’re not only a local favorite but a destination for people into food and world class wine,” Justin said.
The couple’s foray into owning a restaurant is unique. Zoe doesn’t have past restaurant experience, but is learning all she can from Justin about food and fine wine and has turned into a strong, efficient restaurant manager. Justin’s first job in the food world came when he was 19 when he started working at Olive Garden. He learned invaluable lessons about volume and portions there. He decided culinary school wasn’t for him, and eventually opened his own place with his father called Profits, a local favorite in downtown Olympia. This venture is an interesting dynamic for a husband and wife. “This may be a challenge, but we do things so well together. We hold each other to high standards, but that’s OK, because we love each other,” Zoe said. Justin feels the same way. “There’s a lot at stake here. It’s a personal challenge, working with each other. We both strive for excellence, so we’ll definitely call each other out. But when we leave for the night, that’s it. We turn back into husband and wife,” he said.
When you step into La Petite Maison, you are literally walking into a house. But more than that, it will feel like someone’s home. That’s because it is, in a sense. While Justin and Zoe may not live in the restaurant they work in, so much has happened here for them, they both agree it feels like home. Home is where family is, and for the Olympia couple, La Petite Maison represents that. “We are so grateful to both of our parents for helping us. Both hers and mine have been incredibly instrumental in helping us get up and running and are involved on an almost day to day basis,” said Justin. If you give La Petite Maison a try, you’ll not only get a fine meal, but the couple will make sure you feel at home.
When You Go
La Petite Maison
101 Division St. N.W., Olympia
360.754.9623 lapetitemaisonrestaurant.com
Reservations recommended (Remember: It’s a small staff. Make reservations to ensure a good experience.)
Open for dinner, Tues. to Sat., 5-9pm
Prices: $3 and up for appetizers and small bites, $22 and up for entrees. Menu changes seasonally.
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