Tucked just off the main drag of Wilton Drive, in a tiny little space no bigger than a minute is one of the best keep secret in Wilton Manors…Le Patio! Owners Veronique Leroux and Jean Doherty have been welcoming people to this quaint spot for over 10 years.
Le Patio serves up simple but delicious French cuisine in a setting that whisks you away from tropical South Florida to a small Parisian bistro, without having to spend the better part of a day on a plane. Actually, this haven that Veronique and Jean have created is more akin to stopping in on your French cousin’s house for dinner while on a Europe holiday. These two lovely ladies welcome friends nightly (except Monday) to their “home” and alone run the entire show. While one is whipping up the entrees and appetizers in a galley no bigger than a dorm room kitchen, the other is serving it to the lucky few to get a table indoors or on the fabulous covered patio. This spot, voted “Most Romantic Restaurant” in Broward County is not a place you come to wolf down a quick meal. Allow two hours for dinner because these gals aren’t going to rush perfection.
Once seated, smells of what’s to come wafting from the open kitchen excite the olfactory sense while descriptions of today’s offerings, handwritten on small chalkboards, excite the mind. Le Patio serves these rustic treats on a mix of eclectic dish wear, wooden slabs with their logo burned in and earthy slate platters.
Le Patio’s is heavy on the seafood…a pescatarian’s delight but they also include enough beef and chicken items to satisfy even the heartiest of eaters. Some appetizer standouts include the scallops wrapped in bacon, the baked Brie with pesto, shrimp Parisian, caviar and Blini, truffled baby Beef Wellington bites, artichoke bottoms and one of the best onion soups this side of gay Paree!
Le Patio presents a handful of salads as mains, many delightful pastas (I especially like the lobster ravioli), Shepherd’s Pie, French manicotti and lasagna, Ciopinno and their signature dish… Chicken Richelle. You are going to love the sauce, but no, they aren’t going to give you the recipe!
There is a small wine list and carafes of house wine are available but there are no liquor cocktails offered. Desserts rotate throughout the year but be sure to try the crème brûlée, with the sugar caramelized table side by a giant blowtorch (you know how lesbians love their power tools)!
Le Patio is located at 2401 NE 11th Avenue in Wilton Manors, Florida and is open for lunch Tuesday through Saturday from 11:30am to 2pm and Tuesday through Sunday from 5:30pm until close for dinner. Reservations are strongly suggested so call 954-530-4641 well in advance to make sure there is space available or that the ladies haven’t taken a week off to jet to France!
