Photos and reviews

“Lafayette's Chevalier Delights the Senses”

Slashing the top of my puffy soufflé with a butter knife releases a steamy blast of Grand Marnier. The potent vapor is seductive; like a mood-altering breeze. The sweet aromas mingle with my neighbor's earthy coq au vin - a long-burbling stew of Burgundy wine, aromatic vegetables, bay leaf, cloves and thyme. Swirl a glass of Bandol Rouge, and breathe in……You can't help but make some delicious discoveries and brilliant combinations.

-Nicolas Boer
The San Francisco Chronicle

click on pictures to enlarge
photos Pierre Chatel ©2008

Watch Chef Philippe Chevalier on ABC View by the Bay

SF Gate review

Slashing the top of my puffy soufflé ($12.50) with a butter knife releases a steamy blast of Grand Marnier. The potent vapor is seductive; like a mood-altering breeze. The sweet aromas mingle with my neighbor's earthy coq au vin ($19.50) - a long-burbling stew of Burgundy wine, aromatic vegetables, bay leaf, cloves and thyme. Swirl a glass of Bandol Rouge ($15), and breathe in....continued

Contra Costa Times

Philippe Chevalier, whose last name translates to "Knight," has bestowed French cuisine upon Lafayette with his new eponymous restaurant. The chef-owner is offering upscale, mostly Provencal-inspired dishes in the corner of a Moraga Road strip mall. Good reviews weren't enough to keep predecessors Villagio and the Patio afloat in this slightly overlooked spot, but that did not deter Chevalier, who says that good food always will bring crowds....Continued

La Morida weekly

Chevalier means knight in French. A young French chef, Philippe Chevalier, who will soon open a French Restaurant at 960 Moraga Road in Lafayette, certainly has the drive and the adventurous spirit his name carries. “This country is good to those who are daring,” says Chevalier with a typical French accent, “I have proven myself in the East Bay and San Francisco as an Executive chef, it is now time that I start my own business.”....Continued

Diablo magazine

“Bonsoir, Madame,” Eric Lacombe says to a customer reading the chalkboard of nightly specials. “Bone-swar,” she replies eagerly. “Table for une,” Lacombe says, holding up his forefinger. “Doo,” she corrects, holding up two. “Ah, deux,” he says, leading her to a patio table. Lacombe, a native of Montpellier in the south of France, is good-natured about the exchange. The manager loves that people try to speak his language, as many do when coming to Lafayette’s Chevalier Restaurant not just for a French meal, but for a French experience.....Continued

Photography by Joe Budd