Le Petit Chef :: A Lovely Brunch at Criollo
I have had the Le Petit Chef experience at Criollo in the Hotel Monteleone on my list for quite some time. We finally had an occasion to celebrate, and thought the brunch experience would be a fun family outing for my husband and toddler. As a responsible toddler wrangler, I called the restaurant ahead of time to ensure that this would be appropriate for an almost two year-old. They confirmed, but did note that we would be paying the full $65 per head for him, as it was a small room and sold by the seat. I thought this would be fine for my adventurous eater, so off to brunch we went.
Le Petit Chef is an immersive dining experience using digital projection technology to tell the culinary story of a unique and creative prefix menu. Criollo offers brunch ($65 per head) and dinner ($135 per head) experiences. Each of the three brunch courses is preceded by a “petit” skit that is projected onto each place setting giving you a guess as to what the next course may be.
If you’ve ever been to the Hotel Monteleone, then you know it’s a lovely experience from top to bottom. It was pouring on the day of our reservation, so though we’d usually walk, we decided to eat the expense of valet parking. It was hectic at the valet stand but we were delighted to find out that valet parking is included when you dine at Criollo.
The Le Petit Chef experience takes place in a small room in the back of the restaurant. I have to admit we were instantly panicked when we saw how small and quiet the room was (and our toddler the only attendee under 21). Though once the experience began there was enough chatter to drown him out, and thankfully the other patrons seemed to enjoy his joyous interjections throughout the meal. I will tell you that I went into this brunch not expecting a lot from the meal itself. I thought we’d have a cool experience, enjoy two hours of entertainment and eat some eggs. But I must say, everything from the amuse bouche to the dessert far exceeded my expectations (and my little one couldn’t get enough of the lobster). All in all it was a lovely experience and a unique way to spend our Sunday afternoon. I highly recommend for your next FQ family outing!