Table Culture Provisions’ recent snub by the 2025 California Michelin Guide isn’t keeping chef Stéphane Saint Louis up at night. But his new Petaluma restaurant, Bijou, is a different story.
Since December, Saint Louis has been laser-focused on what he calls his “dream restaurant” — a more casual cousin to Table Culture Provisions’ fine dining experience. Hiring servers, training new kitchen staff and fine-tuning an ever-evolving California-French menu has kept him deep in the weeds, with 18-hour days leading up to Bijou’s June 13 opening.
“I’m not mad about (the Michelin star), because I’m very busy with Bijou. I don’t mind things happening in due time, step by step,” he said while prepping for a Monday night service at the restaurant.
Still, it’s a disappointment.
In March, Michelin added Table Culture Provisions (TCP) to its California Guide, calling it “too good to overlook.” The mention doubled business at the 17-seat restaurant overnight, Saint Louis said. On weekends, it’s now booked months in advance.
By all accounts, it seemed likely the four-year-old fine dining restaurant, which Saint Louis co-owns with chef Steven Vargas, would earn a star — potentially making it the first Black-owned Michelin-starred restaurant in California.
But right now, Saint Louis has more than enough on his plate without the pressure and heightened expectations that tend to come with the culinary award.
“If we get a star, I’ll never take it for granted,” he said. “But right now, I have to do what I do best and win people’s hearts with food.”
Building Bijou
“I’ve never had the luxury of building the perfect restaurant,” Saint Louis said.
From its prime downtown location to its constantly evolving menu, Bijou reflects his personal vision. As a young chef working across the street at The Shuckery, Saint Louis often eyed the expansive modern space, imagining that it would one day be his.
“I would look at this building and I’d think, ‘Man, one day, I think I’m going to get this place,'” he recalled.
When Easy Rider closed in December 2024, he jumped at the opportunity. The space came with a full bar and a well-equipped, upgraded kitchen.
Bijou, which means “jewel” in French, gives Saint Louis room to play. Its à la carte menu offers a broader canvas for his creativity.
“I wake up with so many ideas. Every day I take an item off the menu and put something new in. I love having so much creative freedom,” he said.
The food
Consider this more of a first look than a formal review. The menu has already changed significantly from my first visit, so much so that Saint Louis expressed concern when I asked about the plating and preparation of some of the dishes I tried.
“What I made last week and what’s going to come out today is going to be so different,” he said.
Some staples, however, will remain on the menu — a fish entrée, steak frites, housemade pasta and several starters. While the components may change, the palate remains rooted in Saint Louis’ culinary training.
“I’m a French-trained chef, but this isn’t the usual bistro-type of food. It’s all about the technicality in the kitchen,” he said.
That translates to elegant sauces, meticulously sourced ingredients and refined plating — all at midrange prices. Entrées range from $26 to $42, with snacks and shareables between $18 and $22.
On my visit, the daily catch was white sea bass with charred, crispy skin, served atop melted leeks and finished with a yin-yang of buttery leek sauce and rich steak jus ($32). It was light yet decadent, and perfectly executed.
Bijou’s steak frites ($42) restored my faith in this bistro classic after too many run-ins with gristly, undercooked hanger steaks and gloopy Bordelaise sauces elsewhere. Here, generous slices of tender steak come with a rich peppercorn sauce and fries on the side, to keep them crisp and ready for dipping.
The well-curated menu also includes dishes like duck caramelle pasta (candy-shaped pasta stuffed with duck), diver scallops with tobiko, and TCP’s now-legendary Parker House Rolls ($12). These warm, yeasty rolls are as fluffy as cotton candy and finished with flakes of sea salt — a must-order.
While not every dish hit the mark in the weeks after opening, Saint Louis is constantly refining the menu to meet his exacting standards.
“I’m still trying to find myself here,” he said. “Right now, I’m at the stage where I’m getting the machine going with my personal ideas and goals, what I want service to look like and the dishes to be.”
With any luck, Michelin will take notice in 2026.
Bijou, 190 Kentucky St., Petaluma. Reservations are available on OpenTable and are highly recommended. Open 4-9 p.m. Thursday through Tuesday, closed Wednesdays. Note: The restaurant automatically adds a 5% service charge for staff.
You can reach Dining Editor Heather Irwin at heather.irwin@pressdemocrat.com. Follow Heather on Instagram @biteclubeats.