Le Petit Paris from “Little Fires Everywhere”

Reese Witherspoon is deserving of a major ‘thank you’ from me!  Per the actress’ recent productions, I have been introduced to two fabulous downtown Los Angeles restaurants!  The first, The Wolves, popped up twice on her Apple TV+ series The Morning Show.  And now, via Little Fires Everywhere, I’ve discovered Le Petit Paris, a striking French brasserie situated on the ground floor of the El Dorado Lofts building.  I was actually tipped off about the eatery and the filming that took place there last year by a fellow stalker who works in the area.  Though I had never heard of the place, one look at Google images had me transfixed!  I was fairly certain I had never come across a more gorgeous space in my life.  So my mom and I headed out there for happy hour mid-January while in town for one of my dad’s pre-surgical doctor appointments.  We returned the following week for dinner after a long day at the hospital just prior to my dad’s surgery.  Neither time did it disappoint.

The El Dorado Lofts building was originally constructed as the Hotel Stowell in 1913.  The 12-story, 264-room lodging, commissioned by financier Nathan Wilson Stowell, was designed in the Art Nouveau and Gothic Revival styles by architects Frederick Noonan and William Richards.  You can see what the exterior looked like in its early days here.

Upscale and ornate, the hotel catered to wealthy businessmen called to the area for work, though some celebrities also checked in.  Charlie Chaplin even lived there for a time, though, surprisingly, per the Paradise Leased blog, he later described it as “a middle-rate place but new and comfortable.”  It sure looks like it was pretty fancy to me!  Constructed with all locally-sourced materials, the sweeping two-level lobby boasted a grand staircase, gold leaf columns, and a plethora of Batchelder tilework.

Patronage declined during the Great Depression resulting in the building being sold in 1938.  It eventually became a low-budget residential hotel known as the El Dorado.  The place continued to deteriorate in the years that followed and by the 1980s, it sat abandoned and remained so for the next two decades.  The Gilmore and Associates development team finally stepped in, purchasing the building in 2000 and transforming the former hotel rooms into luxury condos, a project that was completed in 2010.  (You can check out images of two of the revamped units here and here.)  The once-grand lobby was made available as a possible restaurant space and it was then that David and Fanny Rolland set their sights on it.  (You can see what it looked like at the time here.)

The husband and wife duo, who hail from France and previously founded two eateries in Cannes, began transforming the 8,000-square-foot space into a magical Parisian-inspired oasis.

Le Petit Paris opened its doors in September 2015.

To say that the 300-seat restaurant is striking would be a gross understatement.

I mean, come on!

With massive skylights, sparkling crystal chandeliers, two bars, a large patio, a fireplace, a towering split staircase, subtle pink and red accents, and a spectacular mosaic floor, Le Petit Paris is easily one of L.A.’s most gorgeous spots!

I especially loved the painting of Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby hung near the bar.

Had to do it!

The food at Le Petit Paris is as delicious as the place is beautiful!  Both the executive chef and the executive pastry chef hail from France and all of the menu items are homemade on the premises.  During our initial happy hour visit, I had a glass of champagne (natch!) and my mom ordered the carpaccio, which she was thoroughly obsessed with.  She talked about it for days afterward!  So on our second visit, in which we grabbed dinner in the dining room, she was seriously bummed to discover that the carpaccio was only available on the happy hour menu.  (She did love the French onion soup she wound up ordering, though.)  The following morning, when we arrived at the hospital, my dad asked how our dinner was.  When my mom expressed her extreme dismay at not being able to order her beloved carpaccio, my dad looked down at his hospital gown and many IVS, turned to her and said, “Yeah, I feel so sorry for you.”  We laughed about that one for days afterward.

In Little Fires Everywhere, Elena Richardson (Reese Witherspoon) meets up with her former boyfriend, Jamie Caplan (Luke Bracey), at Le Petit Paris, which is said to be in New York, in the episode titled “Duo.”

During our first visit, I asked the bartender about the filming of Little Fires Everywhere and he informed us that while he did not work at the restaurant at the time, ironically he was an extra in the scene that shot on the premises!  When he applied for a job at Le Petit Paris months later, he did not realize it was the same place.  It was only when he showed up for his interview that he made the connection.

Sadly, Le Petit Paris is currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  When the world gets back to normal (oh, what a fabulous day that will be!), I am very much looking forward to sipping a glass of bubbly in one of the restaurant’s plush chairs, soaking up the magical ambiance of the place.

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Until next time, Happy Stalking!

Stalk It: Le Petit Paris, from the “Duo” episode of Little Fires Everywhere, is located at 418 South Spring Street in downtown Los Angeles.  You can visit the restaurant’s official website here.  Please be advised that the eatery is temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Check its website for any updates.

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