Laurent Grangien
Chef and Restaurateur
The Bistro Laurent
Paso Robles, California
Tucked between the Pacific Ocean and Highway 101, almost exactly midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, Paso Robles in San Luis Obispo County is producing some of the most promising new wines in California. The diverse terrain, cooled by morning fog from the coast and warmed by the eastern plains of the state, produces wines to appeal to all tastes; Bordeaux style blends, Zinfandel grown on generations-old vines and stunning whites. Where there is fine wine, one usually does not have to travel far to find fine food to compliment the grape. The Bistro Laurent has been an integral member of this community of fine vintners for ten years, but the relationship, like the wines of this region, took a little time to develop.
When Laurent Grangien, chef and owner of Bistro Laurent, opened his restaurant in the heart of the Central Coast's burgeoning wine country, people, especially winemakers, were concerned. The last thing they needed in an area trying to establish itself as a major player in the competitive California wine industry was a French restaurant serving French wines. But Grangien was not interested in imposing French ideas of food and wine on an already food-and-wine savvy area. Instead, he turned to local ingredients and the area's numerous wineries for inspiration.
"People have this idea that a French restaurant will have heavy food," Grangien said. "That's not what it is anymore. If it's a good product, you don't need to make it complicated. All my dishes are simple; emphasizing a few complimentary tastes without too many ingredients that would tend to muddle the individual characteristics of each.”
It took him only a little bit of time and patience to turn skeptics into converts. Laurent and his staff offer an array of courses, which are inventive and delicious. The same two words keep appearing in every review of this wine country bistro, "simple” and “straightforward”. The chef not only builds his dishes to compliment the wines of the region, but also uses a network of small growers in the area to provide the fresh ingredients for this fare. “I try to work with as many small producers as I can, which can be a challenge to maintaining consistency on the menu, but I think it important to support the local farmer when I can” said the chef.
Early Years
A native of Brittany, France, Grangien first worked as an apprentice at La Mère Gut in Lyons, then at a series of Michelin-starred restaurants, including St. James in Bordeaux, Château de la Chèvre d'Or in Eze, and Michel Guérard in Eugénie-les-Bains. In Paris he became head chef at Michel Rostang's eponymous restaurant. With Rostang, he opened Bistrot d'à Côté, also in Paris. Stateside, he became the executive chef of Fennel Bistro in Los Angeles, which was chosen as one of the best new restaurants of 1992 by Esquire. The Central Coast beckoned, and he took a position at the Inn at Morro Bay, before opening Bistro Laurent.
“I had offers to stay in Los Angeles to open my own restaurant there” said the chef, “but in L.A. one is either the trendy spot or yesterday’s news; I did not want to have to reinvent myself or my restaurant to suit the fickle tastes of city culture. I wanted to position my place here, close to the wine coming from this area, with the hope that my city clientele would come to me.”
When Laurent came to Paso Robles, it was still a sleepy little cow-town, with vineyards slowly encroaching on grazing land. Paso Robles is still a relatively small town by California standards, but the two largest annual events are now wine harvest festivals instead of a rodeo. Bistro Laurent can take a good measure of the credit for this. Grangien's menu is built on the cooking of southern France, an area with a climate similar to that of Paso Robles, and the wine list focuses on Paso pioneers like Eberle, Justin and Lohr, Matt Garretson and John Alban.
Every wine tour, festival, charity event or community get-together seems to involve either Laurent Grangien or the Bistro Laurent or both. This relationship between the wine community and The Bistro was deepened after a damaging earthquake closed the restaurant for repairs in the fall of 2003. It was at the Bistro’s busiest time of the year, with private holiday parties and nightly reservations being booked for months. Without skipping a beat, the Lohr Winery offered Laurent a temporary site on their premises for the restaurant. So the Frenchman with a cosmopolitan resume, who was first greeted with skepticism, has become as important a part of the landscape in the wine county of Central California as the vineyards that surround him.
For this feature, Chef Laurent has created a special three-course dinner menu of recipes emphasizing fresh ingredients that are readily available during the months of winter. The wines recommended to accompany these dishes are all neighborhood friends!
