Maison Maurice, now in its third incarnation, opened this past weekend in highly decorated French brasserie style.
Formerly the Kosher Bistro Baguette Cafe, GM Hassan Bahsoun and "Chef Maurice" have completely renovated the large dining room to include separate areas for a large bar, indoor patio (the ceiling opens in nice weather), and private dining room. The bar area is classic French brasserie with rattan chairs and tables decorated with collages. Clean and stark this restaurant is not; there is not an empty section of wall. The patio area is graced with a fountain and greenery, including ivy climbing the walls and tons of foliage. The private dining room looks like a a boudoir, secluded behind French doors, with golden lighting, antiqued chandeliers, plenty of burgundy, gilded frames, and velveteen couches.
Bahsoun is clear about the type of clientele he hopes to attract: "This is a beautiful space, meant to be filled with beautiful people." So as to enforce this rule, he's employed a bouncer to guard the door each night. Hm...
The full bar offers the requisite kir royal or cosmo, but also offers walk-in diners a place to taste the bistro-inspired cuisine. Prices are mostly reasonable with many entrees falling below the $20 mark, including Merguez, Poulet Normande and Crevettes a la Provencal.
Bahsoun says they are not planning on having a grand opening, but did want to let the neighborhood know that they were opening last Saturday so they sent out some emails and made an announcement on their website. And as for tonight's NYE festivities, not so much- the restaurant is closed. "We don't want to disappoint our guests this early on. We plan to open softly, letting neighbors know but keeping it mostly quiet until we have everything worked out completely."
Phone: 310 967 0021
Status: Opened Dec 26
