L'Esprit de Gigi ( en. Gigi's Spirit ), formerly Chez Lavaux ( en. At Lavaux's ) and Les Deux Compères Restaurant Bar a Vins ( en. The Two Friends Restaurant Wine Bar ), is a restaurant and bar located in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France. It is adorned by the locals who frequent the restaurant for the infamous food and luxury experience offered by its chef. The restaurant is currently owned by Gabriel after Antoine Lambert invested in the restaurant.
History[]
Season 1[]
In Masculin Féminin, Emily brings her friends Mindy to Les Deux Compères, noting that she walks past the restaurant every day and it is also busy. As they eat, Emily notices that her steak is still rare and wants to send it back but the waiter informs her that the chef claims it's perfect and refuses to cook it further. Emily presses the issue until she sees that the chef is her downstairs neighbor, Gabriel. He insists she tries the meat before she sends it back, promising to burn it if she doesn't like it. She enjoys it more than she thought she would and is satisfied with the meal overall.
In A Kiss is Just a Kiss, Emily calls Gabriel forty-five minutes before Les Deux Compères closes, asking if he can seat them now. He manages to make it work and cooks a marvelous dinner for Savoir executive Sylvie Grateau, famous perfumers Antoine Lambert, successful hotel chain owner Randy Zimmer, along with Emily, Julien, and Luc. The group is pleased with the dinner with Antoine and Randy complimenting Gabriel on his skills.
Season 2[]
The restaurant is renamed to Chez Lavaux, in reference to Antoine's company Maison Lavaux.
Gabriel's tripe à la normande
At the tasting dinner in Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?, Antoine explains that the restaurant will undergo a complete renovation. There will be much of a bar scene, but they will still serve refined cuisine. In the kitchen, Antoine reminds Gabriel not to cook any dishes from Normandy, but Gabriel wants to pay homage to his roots, so he serves a Norman dish (tripe cooked with apple cider) anyway. Antoine enjoys the dish and realizes that Gabriel was right.
Season 3[]
Employees[]
- Gabriel - Owner and Chef
- Gigi - Guest Chef
- Antoine Lambert - Financial Investor, Silent Partner
- Natalie - Bartender
- Unnamed Waiter[1]
- Emily Cooper - Waitress, Fired
Customers[]
- Emily Cooper
- Camille
- Mindy Chen
- Alfie
- Sylvie Grateau
- Julien
- Luc
- Antoine Lambert
- Randy Zimmer
- Pierre Cadault
- Mathieu Cadault
- Genevieve
Notes and Trivia[]
- "Les Deux Compères" means "the two friends" or "the two accomplices".
- One glass of house red wine costs $5.87 in USD.[2]
- One bottle of wine, regardless of it being red or white, costs $28.18 in USD.[2]
- One bottle of champagne costs $58.70 in USD.[2]
- The French word for "wine bar" is "bar à vins", however, the producers omitted the grave accent on the "a" when designing the exterior of the restaurant.
- Gabriel wanted to rename the restaurant to Chez Gabriel, but Maison refused the suggestion. After the restaurant broke even, Maison gave Gabriel permission to rename the restaurant once again.
- This time, Gabriel named it in honor for his Norwegian Grandmother.
Behind the Scenes[]
- In real life, Les Deux Compères is an Italian bistro named Terra Nera. The restaurant rolled out a new dish named "Tagliata di manzo Emily" as a tribute to the show. It is a sliced beef tenderloin served with arugula, parmesan cheese shavings and Modena vinegar sauce.[3][4]
- Beginning in Season 3, the restaurant was remade on a set so it could be slightly bigger with an improved kitchen. They still use the real restaurant for exterior shots.
- A real Michelin chef was brought onto the show in Season 3 to sculpt a real menu for the restaurant and dishes for the actors to serve. Lucas Bravo claimed he would eat the dishes at the end of filming.
Gallery[]
