La Goulue makes a case for French tradition in Palm Beach.
owner Jean Denoyer
“It’s not a New York or Palm Beach restaurant,” says restaurateur Jean Denoyer of the new La Goulue. “It’s a 1900s-style French bistro and it’s very important to express it the way it should be.”
The man would know. He opened his first La Goulue in New York City in 1973 and that original remains open to this day. He’s also helmed 40 openings, nearly all restaurants, although he’s also dabbled in patisseries, discotheques and fashion boutiques.
La Goulue’s dining room
Named after the glutton character in French can-can shows, the 138-seat La Goulue Palm Beach is marked by signature banquette seating, Majorelle chandeliers, wood paneling, a pewter bar and French doors that allow for cross breezes throughout the space. In terms of design, Denoyer dug through the attic of his family’s hotel to find the accessories and spare pieces of paneling that lend the decor an unmistakable French Art Nouveau style and atmosphere.
When it came to cuisine, Denoyer tapped chef Gwenaël Le Pape (a season 14 winner of Chopped), who had worked at the Manhattan La Goulue back in 1990s, and together they crafted a menu featuring the restaurant’s most iconic dishes: cheese soufflé, onion soup, foie gras terrine, steak frites and tuna tartare.
It doesn’t get more French than that... and that’s just the way Denoyer wants it. 288 S. County Road, Palm Beach, 561.284.6292
duck a la orange with wild rice
an Art Nouveau sconce on the wall
Photography by: photos by Annie Watt/courtesy of la goulue
