Chef Eric Bost spends time in Brittany every year, and his extensive experience in both California and France shapes his cooking philosophy at Jeune et Jolie. “The food should taste sunny, coastal, herbaceous, and vibrant,” he says. “There’s a soft touch to the design and the food needs to reflect that as well.”
Rose-colored crushed velvet booths and blush tiles around the bar give the space a coquettish charm, with natural light streaming through large arched windows onto marble terrazzo countertops. The pink palette extends to the open kitchen ceiling and even the grout between the white tiles on the kitchen walls. Every guest has a view of the expansive open kitchen, watching chefs at work and glimpses of dishes to come.
A pill-shaped bar at the center of the restaurant features a brass-and-pink marble absinthe tower. It’s a prime spot for a happy hour “girl dinner” of oysters, prawns, black truffle mornay gougères, and a croque madame or croque monsieur, both topped with Ibérico ham, béchamel, and either caviar or black truffle.
Dinner is a four-course prix fixe with three or four options for each course. Dietary restrictions are accommodated, including for vegan diners. “We want to be as open as possible,” Bost says. The current menu format echoes Bost’s former restaurant Auburn, offering guests flexibility within a tasting menu.
Since taking over, Bost and his team have expanded the wine program and removed bar seats in front of the raw bar to create a wine service station with bottles on ice. He also removed a chef’s table in the kitchen, converting it to a garde manger station to improve efficiency during service. The restaurant seats about 75 guests inside and 60 outdoors with heaters, though there is no private dining room. Chef de cuisine Jacob Ruck and pastry chef Yulanda Santos run the kitchen nightly, while Bost now spends more time at Lilo.
“To be this busy and execute at this level speaks volumes to what the team does on a day to day,” Bost says. He is especially proud of the team’s sustainability efforts, community involvement, and ongoing development.
