Épernay Bistro | Los Gatos — Restaurant in Los Gatos

UPDATE: My wife and I finally made it back to Epernay for dinner. Our expectations were high after having a good experience at brunch. But dinner is the real test of a restaurant like this and I’m sad to say that we were disappointed.

We ordered a couple of classic French bistro dishes: poulet roti and steak frites. The chicken (served with pureed potatoes and broccolini) was ok according to my wife. Although I ordered my steak medium rare, it arrived well done. It was cooked properly after our server replaced it, but the steak was still much too thin, fatty, and gristly to command a $42 price tag. Paper-thin ribeye isn’t typical for this dish, so a different cut of meat might have made a difference. Ending on a positive note, at least the beignets (served with warm caramel syrup) were just right for dessert.

Service was ok, but not exceptional given that the restaurant was less than half full.

I was hoping to raise my rating from four to five stars. But based on our dinner, I’m lowering it to three stars (i.e. “average”). To be fair, Epernay has only been open for a couple of months so we’ll give them another chance sometime soon.

ORIGINAL REVIEW 6/1/2021: This cute little French Bistro is a terrific addition to the downtown Los Gatos dining scene.

We reserved a table for Saturday brunch and were seated promptly on their outdoor patio. I liked their take on a classic BLT, served on a croissant. My wife had Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon which she really enjoyed too. We shared a side order of perfectly cooked pomme frites. Food was priced fairly given the quality of ingredients. We lingered over a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc which we thought was a good value too.

We didn’t have a chance to meet the chef/owner Ty, (who’s also a sommelier) but it turns out that our very helpful server, Katie, is his girlfriend. Service always seems to be better when its all in the “family”.

It takes quite a lot to earn a five star review from me since it implies that there’s no room for improvement. A handful of wines priced for everyday drinking is at the top of my wish list. French press coffee would be a nice addition, especially at brunch. And it would have been helpful to know what’s on the chalkboard menu (visible only to inside diners.)

Epernay Bistro is located in the historic Beckwith Block at the former site of Billy’s Boston Chowder House. It’s small, so reservations are recommended. We’ll definitely be back for dinner, so stay tuned...

We first encountered Épernay Bistro while on late-summer architecture tour in the Los Gatos area, while looking for a place for lunch. We'd already booked a lunch reservation; however, in route there, we drove by Épernay and my wife exclaimed, "Oh, French bistro and champagne bar! Yes!". With that, I knew we'd have to find an occasion to come back.

So, when my wife recently received a well-deserved and -earned promotion at work, I knew Épernay was going to at the top of the list to celebrate at. When I looked at their menu online (epernaylosgatos.com seems to be a bit broken at the time of this writing) and saw they featured Billecart Salmon—my wife's favorite—by the glass on their champagne list, that sealed it.

So, on a recent Saturday evening, we ventured down to Épernay and thoroughly enjoyed our four-course al carte meal there. Our hostess and waitress, who also turned out to be the owner, was friendly, informative, and attentive while also not making us feel rushed. My wife, of course, started out with a flute of Billecart Salmon. I enjoyed Los Gatos' finest eau. For our first starter course, we shared and thoroughly enjoyed the beef tartar and smoked salmon tartar special—both were delicious, the second more notably and uniquely so. For our second starter course, we shared the baerri caviar toast which was memorably outstanding. For our main course, my wife had the filet mignon and I had the sole sautée. This was the only hitch of the night. My wife had ordered the filet done medium but her medium got mixed up with another diner's medium rare. Our waitress immediately recognized the error and committed to and did correct it; however, the second-pass felt like it lost something in both presentation and palate on the second-pass through the grill. My sole was well-executed and solid but was missing a je ne sais quoi (lemon? shallots?); I felt like I'd done more memorable sole with beurre blanc at home. For our final dessert course, my wife ordered the delectable chocolate mousse and I had the light, subtle, evanescent, but tasty lemon sorbet.

All in all, we had a delightful and memorable meal and event and will certainly be back to Épernay Bistro in the future. As we told our waitress/the owner, a restaurant like Épernay would certainly clean up in our own downtown—we regret they aren't...

From 2025: This place only gets better and better! French onion soup is hearty, and cheesy and everything you want to warm your soul. The meaty scallops in the Coquille St Jacques were served in a garlic and parsley butter, one of the best appetizers I've ever had - anywhere! I wanted to lick the clam shells clean! The boullaibaise was chock full of huge shrimp, delicate petrole sole, clams and mussels. The tomato saffron and fennel broth was well seasoned and hearty. Delectable! As was the lighted breaded petrole sole, served with a lemon beurre blanc and capers. The end of the dinner was just as sublime. Warm French donuts with a choice of warm chocolate or warm salted caramel for dipping. I could've eaten a dozen! But the raspberry custard napoleon was something you only dream about - REAL egg custard (not pastry cream!) nestled between the lightest of pastries. I can't wait to go back!

From 2022:Wonderful French food, with attentive service. Some tables, those outside and in the window, can be very romantic. French music makes the...