After only a few months, Petit Coquin has collected accolades for its streamlined menu, warm service and outstanding wine list. But sometimes, people still wonder: Where’s the onion soup? And the escargot?
Texas Monthly, among others, raised that question when it called this place “the French restaurant Texas needs.”
“When people think French, they think bistro standards,” said Chad Carey, whose Empty Stomach Group runs the restaurant.
Instead, Petit Coquin takes its inspiration from the neo-bistro movement that emerged in late-’90s Paris, when chefs trained at Michelin-starred palaces decided to cook simple yet creative dishes at prices more accessible than multicourse tasting menus.
What I love is that San Antonio now has room for both terrific bistro classics and these deceptively simple neo-bistro dishes from chef Max Mackinnon. His cooking demonstrates an understated eloquence honed by years of high-level work, and everything pairs wonderfully with a deep and thoughtful wine list.
Take the lentils vinaigrette — a perfect balance of bright dressing and earthy legumes, topped with slices of cold roast chicken and a generous dollop of creamy aioli. I could have eaten that dish for all three courses. Or the note-perfect braised leeks.
This restaurant was years in the making. Carey first met Carenn Mackinnon when she was a customer at The Monterey, blown away by the food and wine program. She was working as a wine sales rep then and hadn’t yet met Max. She and Carey stayed in touch, and when the couple married, they talked about collaborating on a project. That conversation eventually led to Plus du Vin, a Brooklyn wine bar that marked Empty Stomach’s first venture outside San Antonio.
Meanwhile, the Mackinnons built impressive résumés. Max’s Vermont restaurant, Pistou, earned a James Beard nomination for Best New Restaurant in 2012. Most recently, he was chef and partner at Libertine, a more traditional bistro in New York’s West Village. Carenn worked as wine director and sommelier at New York standouts Frenchette and Estela.
When Carenn wanted to return to her hometown and Max grew tired of the New York grind, San Antonio became the obvious choice. With Carey, they mapped out what they wanted — and what they didn’t want — to replicate. The result: a neo-bistro serving one seating a night, with a menu offering two choices across three courses.
“If you’re a picky eater,” Carey said, “it’s not going to be for you.”
The people who get it absolutely love it. The restaurant recently expanded with steak frites for walk-ins on Mondays and lunch service on Fridays.
This neo-bistro is a labor of love for the three partners and for the couple working as servers — Anne Ng and Jeremy Mandrell, formerly of Bakery Lorraine.
“We want something that sustains itself financially, makes a little money and makes us happy,” Carey said.
We’re loving it, too.
Petit Coquin
1012 S. Presa St.
Eat this
Lentils vinaigrette
Lamb with eggplant
Braised leeks