Blog | Maison Giraud: A Little Bit of France in Pacific Palisades

Let me preface my review of Maison Giraud by saying I've never been to France--or for that matter, any of the countries in the Grand Tour, an essential part of any English lady's education and preparation for entry into aristocratic society.

Alexander Pope wrote memorably about the Grand Tour in Book IV of his late masterpiece, The Dunciad. Some 21 years after reading and writing about Pope's late, great poem, I have yet to travel to Continental Europe. But the moment you sit down at a table or booth with pristine white tablecloths and elegant flatware and gaze at the stunning oil triptych with the lavender ubiquitous in the French countryside, you feel as though you've left Los Angeles and embarked on a mini-vacation. 

My parents were devoted customers of Dante for three decades and my father has still not entirely recovered from its closing. Moreover, Dad is not a fan of French food or culture (New American with a French twist is okay) so I hadn't tried it until last week, as I mostly eat out with him alone or my parents together when in the Palisades some ten days a month. And I rarely eat sweets, so I had not even visited the popular bakery, which Mom patronizes when she isn't by Farm Shop to pick up the scones and cookies Dad loves. 

Last week, my iPhone was dead and I wanted WiFi so I looked at the menu and asked the server if they had a hotspot. She said yes and now--when I'm not too hungry--Maison Giraud is my go-to breakfast spot in the Palisades. The poached eggs with chilled rataoille is just 8 dollars and if you like poached eggs, they cook them perfectly. The grilled baguette, which you order a la carte, is enormous and fresh with sweet butter and what tastes like homemade raspberry preserves. 

If you're in the mood for heavier fare, both the French toast and eggs Benedict look exquisite and the coffee, which they happily refill no matter how long you stay, just excellent. (It's not hot, however, even by my standards rather than the WWII standards of my father who sends coffee back routinely on the theory that coffee, like soup, should scald the tongue. If you like hot coffee, I recommend telling the server upfront so s/he can stick it in the microwave or what Dad calls the "radar oven.") 

I went twice in a week for breakfast and enjoyed the music both times. Once they played what I characterized in my Yelp review as "W Hotel" jazz, circa 2000, a clubby and percussive but not boom boom jazz. The other morning, it was more Grey's Anatomy soundtrack music, loud enough to enjoy but not too loud to concentrate on a book or magazine or carry on a conversation. 

The clientele is different from Cafe Vida, my other standby in the Palisades for omelets and pancakes (the corn cakes a la carte with poached eggs and a green juice or the eggwhite omelet with veggies and cheese my standard breakfasts). Cafe Vida is boisterous and kid-friendly so you get a lot of Palisades mommies/matrons and their toddlers eating in groups after depositing their school-aged kids at one of the many private schools in the area. Maison Giraud is where those same people eat dinner when they leave the kids with a sitter or the nanny for date night. People travel from outside the Palisades as well for dinner, to judge by the Yelp reviews by other Westsiders.

A lot of men between 50 and 60 working either in industry-related fields or businesses which do not require their regular presence at an office by 8AM also eat at Cafe Vida and everyone seems to know each other, which makes for a friendly atmosphere. Some retirees also eat there regularly I have never once been to breakfast without seen two elderly women chatting it up over their eggs. At dinner, it's a more diverse crowd but I would never eat dinner at a place which serves no alcohol and has multiple kids at every other table. 

Maison Giraud, by contrast, is a romantic and eminently civilized restaurant (read: no fidgety and loud children). Sometimes I want to fawn over perfectly-coiffed and cuddly Westside children; other times, I want a quiet, uneventful environment where at breakfast I can have an adult conversation with another woman or man dining alone. 

I haven't yet eaten lunch or dinner at Maison Giraud but will do so with my dining buddy near the airport when I return from New York. The breakfast menu is limited, but at lunch and dinner the selection is more diverse. I don't know whether to bless or curse the handsome young man who insisted I try the new raspberry Danish, as I am now addicted and think of it even when in Santa Barbara half the month.

I rarely eat dessert (except in Chicago which put 5-7 pounds in unwanted places in just a week). It never occurs to me to order a Danish or breakfast pastry (I don't even eat muffins or scones anymore), but the crust is not too buttery and the filling a heavenly blend of tart and sweet. 

I'm not up on French restaurants in WLA but Melisse (surely Michelin-rated) is extremely pretentious though apparently divine if you're into that sort of place. But even if you drink iced tea instead of wine or real booze, it will set you back at least 100 dollars per person. The prices at Maison Giraud are in line with other New American or Continental restaurants on the Westside: no more than Wilshire or Napa Grille and depending upon what you order, probably slightly less at dinner. 

I can't say enough about this elegant but comfortable addition to the Palisades stable of restaurants. I loved Dante but I'm happy Maison Giraud took its place. (Don't tell Dad!)