Mon Ami Gabi

Mon Ami Gabi is a chain of French bistros in the United States operated by Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises. Mon Ami Gabi has five locations, with the original located in Lincoln Park, Chicago.

Mon Ami Gabi
Mon Ami Gabi in Las Vegas
Restaurant information
Established1998[1]
Owner(s)Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises
Head chefGabino Sotelino[1]
ChefSusan Weaver[1] Nelli Maltezos
Pastry chefErin Mooney
Food typeFrench bistro
Dress codeCasual
RatingZagat - 4.5[2]
Street address2300 N. Lincoln Park West
CityChicago
StateIllinois
Postal/ZIP Code60614
CountryUnited States
ReservationsYes
Other locationsOak Brook, Illinois
Reston, Virginia
Bethesda, Maryland
Las Vegas, Nevada
Websitemonamigabi.com

History

The concept for Mon Ami Gabi was created after a family dinner that Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises (LEYE) founder Rich Melman had at Ambria, a fine dining French restaurant owned by LEYE. Melman enjoyed the more casual French bistro dishes prepared by the French cooks and in 1998, LEYE opened the first Mon Ami Gabi in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.[1]

The restaurant name, Mon Ami Gabi, translates into "My Friend Gabi". The restaurant is named after LEYE chef-partner Gabino Sotelino after chef Jean Banchet greeted Sotelino with “Hey mon ami Gabi, how are you?”. The original Chicago location is in the Belden Stratford, a former hotel which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[1]

In 2017, Mon Ami Gabi at Paris Las Vegas was named one of the top 100 restaurants in the country for gross food and beverage sales by Restaurant Business. The restaurant grossed $17.2 million in sales and served an estimated 300,000 meals.[3]

Sotelino serves as head chef of the restaurant group and his son, Mark Sotelino, is a supervising partner. Nelli Maltezos is the executive chef for the Lincoln Park location.[1] Vincent Pouessel became executive chef at the Las Vegas location in 2016.[3]currently Jody Richardson is the General Manager of the Chicago location.

Design and ambiance

Mon Ami Gabi restaurants are styled after French bistros. Restaurants have dark wood, No. 14 chairs, tile flooring and tulip lamps.[4] Most locations have patios. The Las Vegas location has a large patio which overlooks the Las Vegas Strip, including views of the Fountains of Bellagio.[5]

Cuisine and beverages

Food
A spinach crepe at Mon Ami Gabi in Las Vegas

Mon Ami Gabi serves traditional French bistro food. Meals are served with a French baguette. Appetizers include chicken liver pâté with violet mustard, onion soup topped with gruyere, endive salad with blue cheese, and escargot with pureed parsley.[6][7]

Main entrees include half-chicken with potato puree, pearl onions and bacon, steak frites, mussels, crepes and quiches.[5][7]

Mon Ami Gabi's brunch includes the French Kiss, a breakfast sandwich with beef, mustard, a fried egg, and a spread of chicken liver pate. Crepes include a chicken, kale and mushroom crepe with Mornay sauce.[4]

Desserts include apple tart tatin and a Bananas Foster crepe.[7][8]

Drinks

The wine list includes at least 80 small production French wines. Sotelino serves as wine director. In 2017, the Lincoln Park location opened a rosé bar, a six-seat bar that serves only rosé wine and related cocktails and a special bar menu.[1]

The cocktail menu includes a Bloody Mary garnished with pate, bacon, cheese, an olive and celery.[6] The restaurants offer seven sparkling wine cocktails made with fresh juice.[4]

Reception

The Lincoln Park location has a 4.5 out of 5 rating for the food and service by Zagat.[2] The same location also received an 8 out of 10 rating for brunch by Chicago critic Carrie Schedler.[4] Washington Post dining critic Tom Sietsema rated the Bethesda location one out of four stars in 2016.[7] The Las Vegas location has been named one of the top 10 restaurants for French food by 10Best.[6]

References
  1. "After 20 Years, Here's 20 Things to Know About Mon Ami Gabi". Lettuce Entertain You. 14 June 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  2. "Zagat". Zagat. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  3. "Mon Ami Gabi". Restaurant Business. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  4. Schedler, Carrie. "Mon Ami Gabi Delivers a Dependably Good Brunch". Chicago magazine. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  5. "Mon Ami Gabi | Las Vegas, USA Restaurants". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  6. "Mon Ami Gabi". 10Best. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  7. Sietsema, Tom. "Mon Ami Gabi review: French in spirit, Russian roulette at the table". Food. Washington Post. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  8. "Mon Ami Gabi | Restaurants in Lincoln Park, Chicago". Time Out Chicago. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
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