As a native of Paris, youthful Benoit Petel, 26, makes for a good fit at one of the county's finest French restaurants, Andre's Bouchee (626-7880) on Mission between Ocean and Seventh.
The fact he grew up near the childhood home of late chef/owner Andre Lemaire makes the match all the more fateful.
After culinary school in Versailles, he apprenticed at Au Carré, and later spent time in the south of France, London and Louisiana.
He logged time at landmark (and Michelin-starred) Sissinou back in France, came out to California and worked at Bouchee for a spell and most recently worked with Brad Briske at la Balena and il Grillo.
Now he's remixing his own menu daily, including a constantly changing bar menu, and making all of his bacon and charcuterie in house.
French luxuries leap from the menu: escargot, duck leg confit, rillettes and foie gras among them, often with a California twist.
Here appear some other highlights, introduced in French to keep the sweet Paris synergy going:
• Salad Bio: Coke Farm baby lettuce, spring onions, strawberries, Chioggia beets, artichoke, watermelon radish, croutons, apple cider and a honey vinaigrette ($13)
• Foie Gras à l’Orange: seared foie gras, orange sauce, brioche ($24)
• Ris de Veau: crispy sweetbreads, baby kale, San Francisco Dungeness crab and bisque ($16)
• Os a Moelle: bone marrow, red onion, lardon, cornichon and shallots ($12)
• Le Canard: Liberty duck rillettes with foie gras, onion confit, brioche ($15)
• Tartare de Boeuf: beef tenderloin tartare, cornichons, truffle oil + pomme frites ($14)
• St. Jacques Rossigni: Royal Sweet scallop, sweet sunchoke, foie gras sauce ($18)
• Alaskan halibut, Parisian gnocchi, basil carrots + peas ($31)
• Moules Marineres: steamed wild mussels, white wine, butter, shallots and fries ($27)
• Andre’s Mer + Terre: milk fed veal tenderloin, Royal Sweet scallop, spring jardinière in a scallop crème ($37)
• Confit de Canard: Liberty duck legs, rosti potatoes and ventrêche garlic parsley butter ($29)
All told it's an enlivening time to dig French food on the streets of Carmel.