We're open for regular business Friday and Saturday this Easter weekend.
We're closed until 9pm today, Thursday, March 28, for a private function. We'll open at 9 for regular business and Thursdays Sparkle - come see us for $6 sparkling cocktails and premium bottles of bubbles sold by the glass!
Thursday, 28 March 2013
Monday, 25 March 2013
Closed till 9pm on Thursday, March 28
Please note we are closed to host a private function until 9pm on Thursday, March 28.
We will open at 9pm (open until 1am) for regular business.
We are open our regular hours this week otherwise:
Sunday/Monday - closed
Tuesday - 4pm - 12am
Wednesday - 4pm - 12am
Friday/Saturday - 4pm - 2am
If you are interested in hosting a private function at Le Petit Bar, please give us a call or send us an e-mail. We're happy to speak with you about some options.
705-775-7384
lepetitbar@nexicom.net
We will open at 9pm (open until 1am) for regular business.
We are open our regular hours this week otherwise:
Sunday/Monday - closed
Tuesday - 4pm - 12am
Wednesday - 4pm - 12am
Friday/Saturday - 4pm - 2am
If you are interested in hosting a private function at Le Petit Bar, please give us a call or send us an e-mail. We're happy to speak with you about some options.
705-775-7384
lepetitbar@nexicom.net
Tuesday, 5 February 2013
Le P'tit Bar Paris - no relation to Le Petit Bar Peterborough
I took my first week away from Le Petit Bar (pretty pleased to be able to have gone, considering we're still in our first year!) and went over the pond.
Roland and I were in Wales for three days and Paris for three days.
Vising family in middle Wales - a very hobbit-y and beautiful land, populated mostly by sheep - and enjoying some real ales at proper British pubs and some lovely food. We lunched with Roland's family at a fantastic hotel bistro on a scenic lake - I can't remember any place names... they're all in Welsh, which, to me, is a crazy language (not a lot of vowels). I had braised Welsh lamb shank and Roland had a trio of local sausages. It was very much comfort food, but very well prepared with carefully selected, mostly local ingredients. Roland's lovely mum made us a lovely shepherd's pie and had a pile of Welsh cheese in for us to try.
In Paris we saw some sights - walked around the Arc de Triomph, visited the Basilica de Sacre Coeur, toured the Musee d'Orsay - and ate some nice food, particularly at Bistrot Paul Bert. But what I really want to tell you about is Paris' own Le P'tit Bar.
It is hard to find the right words to describe Le P'tit Bar. My experience there was truly surreal... Le P'tit Bar is the most unbelievable bar I've ever been to. I had no idea it existed until after opening our Le Petit Bar in Peterborough - the establishments are completely unrelated. As soon as I learned of its existence it became a destination.
I don't have any photos because the proprietress, Mme Polo, didn't seem too keen when I asked if I could photograph her space. You can find photos of this crazy little place on line and I suggest you check them out.
Le P'tit Bar is a dive bar in the 11th arrondissement, or the Bastille; a somewhat trendy area of the city known for its restaurants and bars. Roland and I stayed in this area, and Le P'tit Bar was just around the corner from us. This little, very very little, bar is no more than a quarter of the size of our Le Petit Bar. The sign has mostly peeled off the awning outside and we would have missed it if we didn't know exactly what we were looking for.
At the time of our arrival there was already one patron at the bar - a fairly intoxicated, somewhat slobbery French fellow - and, so, only enough room left for Roland and I. Seriously. Only enough space for three bodies, plus Mme Polo, her canary and her cat (!). This visit was an experience...
It's very dark inside Le P'tit Bar. And very narrow. Mme Polo tends the bar wearing a pink sweater. She is very small. She is 90 years old. She has been operating Le P'tit Bar seven days a week, from 2pm till 2am, for more than sixty years. She opened the bar with her late husband in the 50s. She is perched behind the bar surrounded by personal belongings. Bags of things. Stacks of paper. Photos. Clothes. Mme Polo might be a hoarder. And it appears she literally lives in her bar.
Her cat, a large male Siamese, is rubbing against the French fellow, looking for attention. Cat jumps up, walks along the bar, and sits on an old-school tape player where, as Roland jokes, "il fait le DJ". The bar top is not very clean. There is just enough room for the three of us to stand at the bar. We take up the length of it, and there is minimal space to even turn around. Cat is DJing and the canary is in his cage behind us. The space smells. Like cat pee, animals, drunks and poor hygiene. Beside Canary is a pile of baguette pieces. I think maybe Mme Polo is drying them to feed to Canary. Beyond the drying baguette is a pile of more of Mme Polo's things, including her dry cleaning still in its plastic bags.
Over the narrow zinc bar is a thatched roof - tiki style. Liquor bottles hang empty behind the bar and (this is for real) Mme Polo is drying Cat's hairballs on these bottles. The bottle labels appear to be from the 70s, and every glass in her bar is very dusty. We have read warnings online to only order bottled beer as "Mme Polo does not like to clean very much".
Lying on the bar, rolling in a sticky pile, is a collection of empty beer bottles. Roland picks one up and says he'll take two. Mme Polo pulls herself up off her seat behind the bar and disappears for five minutes behind a curtain. She returns with two bottles of Belgian beer for Roland and I, and one for the French dude. Dude takes a liking to Roland and wants to get Roland's opinion of Celine Dion. Using our best French we tell Mme Polo she and her bar are famous. She agrees and tells us she meets lots of Canadians, Americans, Australians... Mme Polo and Le P'tit Bar have become an attraction for tourists looking for something off-the-beaten-path.
While we are in Le P'tit Bar a young guy stops at the window and looks in. It's clear there isn't any space for anymore patrons.
We chat with Mme Polo and Dude, and it's really quite charming, despite being also mildly disgusting. Dude is a bit too drunk and gets a little angry when Mme Polo says he can't have another. He remembers all her old cats, he says, and I start to feel badly for Mme Polo; she's probably dealt with this dude for years, day in and out. We ask her if she's tired, working her little bar non-stop on her own. There isn't anything else she wants to do.
I wonder how she stays open. Only enough room for three bodies at a time. Charging 3 euro for a beer. It's obvious time, and the health inspector, have forgotten about Le P'tit Bar. I do not imagine it is frequented by many locals, with the exception of Dude, and probably a few more dudes like him. You won't find Le P'tit Bar in guidebooks or suggested as a hot spot on many well recommended websites. Ninety-year old Mme Polo has stamina, that's for sure. Much more than I have. It's all very remarkable.
We down our beers and leave. One is enough. As soon as we are out the door the young guy and his pal, who have been waiting on the street, take our place at Mme Polo's bar.
Le P'tit Bar, 7 rue Richard Lenoir, 11e
Roland and I were in Wales for three days and Paris for three days.
Vising family in middle Wales - a very hobbit-y and beautiful land, populated mostly by sheep - and enjoying some real ales at proper British pubs and some lovely food. We lunched with Roland's family at a fantastic hotel bistro on a scenic lake - I can't remember any place names... they're all in Welsh, which, to me, is a crazy language (not a lot of vowels). I had braised Welsh lamb shank and Roland had a trio of local sausages. It was very much comfort food, but very well prepared with carefully selected, mostly local ingredients. Roland's lovely mum made us a lovely shepherd's pie and had a pile of Welsh cheese in for us to try.
In Paris we saw some sights - walked around the Arc de Triomph, visited the Basilica de Sacre Coeur, toured the Musee d'Orsay - and ate some nice food, particularly at Bistrot Paul Bert. But what I really want to tell you about is Paris' own Le P'tit Bar.
It is hard to find the right words to describe Le P'tit Bar. My experience there was truly surreal... Le P'tit Bar is the most unbelievable bar I've ever been to. I had no idea it existed until after opening our Le Petit Bar in Peterborough - the establishments are completely unrelated. As soon as I learned of its existence it became a destination.
I don't have any photos because the proprietress, Mme Polo, didn't seem too keen when I asked if I could photograph her space. You can find photos of this crazy little place on line and I suggest you check them out.
Le P'tit Bar is a dive bar in the 11th arrondissement, or the Bastille; a somewhat trendy area of the city known for its restaurants and bars. Roland and I stayed in this area, and Le P'tit Bar was just around the corner from us. This little, very very little, bar is no more than a quarter of the size of our Le Petit Bar. The sign has mostly peeled off the awning outside and we would have missed it if we didn't know exactly what we were looking for.
At the time of our arrival there was already one patron at the bar - a fairly intoxicated, somewhat slobbery French fellow - and, so, only enough room left for Roland and I. Seriously. Only enough space for three bodies, plus Mme Polo, her canary and her cat (!). This visit was an experience...
It's very dark inside Le P'tit Bar. And very narrow. Mme Polo tends the bar wearing a pink sweater. She is very small. She is 90 years old. She has been operating Le P'tit Bar seven days a week, from 2pm till 2am, for more than sixty years. She opened the bar with her late husband in the 50s. She is perched behind the bar surrounded by personal belongings. Bags of things. Stacks of paper. Photos. Clothes. Mme Polo might be a hoarder. And it appears she literally lives in her bar.
Her cat, a large male Siamese, is rubbing against the French fellow, looking for attention. Cat jumps up, walks along the bar, and sits on an old-school tape player where, as Roland jokes, "il fait le DJ". The bar top is not very clean. There is just enough room for the three of us to stand at the bar. We take up the length of it, and there is minimal space to even turn around. Cat is DJing and the canary is in his cage behind us. The space smells. Like cat pee, animals, drunks and poor hygiene. Beside Canary is a pile of baguette pieces. I think maybe Mme Polo is drying them to feed to Canary. Beyond the drying baguette is a pile of more of Mme Polo's things, including her dry cleaning still in its plastic bags.
Over the narrow zinc bar is a thatched roof - tiki style. Liquor bottles hang empty behind the bar and (this is for real) Mme Polo is drying Cat's hairballs on these bottles. The bottle labels appear to be from the 70s, and every glass in her bar is very dusty. We have read warnings online to only order bottled beer as "Mme Polo does not like to clean very much".
Lying on the bar, rolling in a sticky pile, is a collection of empty beer bottles. Roland picks one up and says he'll take two. Mme Polo pulls herself up off her seat behind the bar and disappears for five minutes behind a curtain. She returns with two bottles of Belgian beer for Roland and I, and one for the French dude. Dude takes a liking to Roland and wants to get Roland's opinion of Celine Dion. Using our best French we tell Mme Polo she and her bar are famous. She agrees and tells us she meets lots of Canadians, Americans, Australians... Mme Polo and Le P'tit Bar have become an attraction for tourists looking for something off-the-beaten-path.
While we are in Le P'tit Bar a young guy stops at the window and looks in. It's clear there isn't any space for anymore patrons.
We chat with Mme Polo and Dude, and it's really quite charming, despite being also mildly disgusting. Dude is a bit too drunk and gets a little angry when Mme Polo says he can't have another. He remembers all her old cats, he says, and I start to feel badly for Mme Polo; she's probably dealt with this dude for years, day in and out. We ask her if she's tired, working her little bar non-stop on her own. There isn't anything else she wants to do.
I wonder how she stays open. Only enough room for three bodies at a time. Charging 3 euro for a beer. It's obvious time, and the health inspector, have forgotten about Le P'tit Bar. I do not imagine it is frequented by many locals, with the exception of Dude, and probably a few more dudes like him. You won't find Le P'tit Bar in guidebooks or suggested as a hot spot on many well recommended websites. Ninety-year old Mme Polo has stamina, that's for sure. Much more than I have. It's all very remarkable.
We down our beers and leave. One is enough. As soon as we are out the door the young guy and his pal, who have been waiting on the street, take our place at Mme Polo's bar.
Le P'tit Bar, 7 rue Richard Lenoir, 11e
Monday, 31 December 2012
What are you doing new year's... new year's eve?
Le Petit Bar. 7pm - 1am
Sparkling wine. Cheese. Charcuterie. Tiki. Bossa Nova.
Sparkling wine. Cheese. Charcuterie. Tiki. Bossa Nova.
Thursday, 27 December 2012
Thursdays Sparkle
We're open! Hope you had a lovely holiday with family and friends.
Thursdays Sparkle at Le Petit Bar
Every Thursday: discounted sparkling cocktails and premium bottles of bubbles sold by the glass all night!
Thursdays Sparkle at Le Petit Bar
Every Thursday: discounted sparkling cocktails and premium bottles of bubbles sold by the glass all night!
Tuesday, 18 December 2012
Holiday Updates
Hard to believe that this time last year we had taken possession of 399 Water Street and were preparing to start building our dream.
So much has happened in just one year... In October of 2011 I was plotting my next move - was I going to focus my energy on building my communication writing portfolio, or should I follow my heart and stick with food and wine? In November we decided to pull the trigger on Le Petit Bar, and by December 2011 the space was ours. Now in four months we'll celebrate our first anniversary.
I am not surprised that my years of experience in this industry still didn't prepare me for the stresses or rewards of owning my own business, but it is also a little amazing how comfortable running Le Petit Bar became in a relatively short time.
While I can never predict what every week will bring - what challenges we'll face, how many people we'll serve, if we'll surprise, disappoint or please anyone - it's more routine than I ever expected. I can almost tell what my Monday and Tuesday will be like, and by Friday I know I'll start feeling the weekly burnout, but also start gearing up to brave those crazy weekend nights. Sundays at home are much needed and very appreciated - wish I could say the same for Jamie, who is up and using the St. Veronus kitchen early Sunday morning. His hard work, and the hard work of all our staff, is always motivating.
I'm still trying to sort out if this job is less stressful than I anticipated, or if I'm shouldering such a constant level of stress that I no longer notice how stressful it is... until a problem arises. I mean, either way, I knew that this job was going to be hard but also very rewarding, and that it is.
The five of us, Jamie, Sarie, Katie, Bill and me, who work really hard every week to deliver the Le Petit Bar experience are looking forward to a brief break over the holidays. I can tell you it will be very welcomed by all of us. Please note our holiday hours below. I hope we see you over the next few weeks.
Happy Holidays!
Le Petit Bar Holiday Hours:
CLOSED Sunday, Dec 23 - Wednesday, Dec 26
Open at 4pm Thursday, Dec 27
CLOSED Sunday, Dec 30
Open at 7pm Monday, Dec 31, New Year's Eve - we'll serve charcuterie, cheese, wine, cocktails and beer all night. Please ring in the new year with us!
CLOSED Tuesday, Jan 1
Resuming regular business on Wednesday, Jan 2
So much has happened in just one year... In October of 2011 I was plotting my next move - was I going to focus my energy on building my communication writing portfolio, or should I follow my heart and stick with food and wine? In November we decided to pull the trigger on Le Petit Bar, and by December 2011 the space was ours. Now in four months we'll celebrate our first anniversary.
I am not surprised that my years of experience in this industry still didn't prepare me for the stresses or rewards of owning my own business, but it is also a little amazing how comfortable running Le Petit Bar became in a relatively short time.
While I can never predict what every week will bring - what challenges we'll face, how many people we'll serve, if we'll surprise, disappoint or please anyone - it's more routine than I ever expected. I can almost tell what my Monday and Tuesday will be like, and by Friday I know I'll start feeling the weekly burnout, but also start gearing up to brave those crazy weekend nights. Sundays at home are much needed and very appreciated - wish I could say the same for Jamie, who is up and using the St. Veronus kitchen early Sunday morning. His hard work, and the hard work of all our staff, is always motivating.
I'm still trying to sort out if this job is less stressful than I anticipated, or if I'm shouldering such a constant level of stress that I no longer notice how stressful it is... until a problem arises. I mean, either way, I knew that this job was going to be hard but also very rewarding, and that it is.
The five of us, Jamie, Sarie, Katie, Bill and me, who work really hard every week to deliver the Le Petit Bar experience are looking forward to a brief break over the holidays. I can tell you it will be very welcomed by all of us. Please note our holiday hours below. I hope we see you over the next few weeks.
Happy Holidays!
Le Petit Bar Holiday Hours:
CLOSED Sunday, Dec 23 - Wednesday, Dec 26
Open at 4pm Thursday, Dec 27
CLOSED Sunday, Dec 30
Open at 7pm Monday, Dec 31, New Year's Eve - we'll serve charcuterie, cheese, wine, cocktails and beer all night. Please ring in the new year with us!
CLOSED Tuesday, Jan 1
Resuming regular business on Wednesday, Jan 2
Friday, 7 December 2012
Niagara Food Specialties at Le Petit Bar
I'm really excited to tell you that we are now serving Niagara Food Specialties products on our boards, in particular their Pingue Prosciutto.
If you've ever purchased Niagara Food Pingue Prosciutto in Toronto, at St Lawrence Market or some other very fine retailers, you've had the pleasure of enjoying this superb ham. It's some of the best prosciutto I've ever tasted, and, I think, the best prosciutto made in Canada.
It's rich, not too salty, buttery, full of pork flavour and melts on your tongue. This is the real deal. And you can get it at Le Petit Bar.
If you've ever purchased Niagara Food Pingue Prosciutto in Toronto, at St Lawrence Market or some other very fine retailers, you've had the pleasure of enjoying this superb ham. It's some of the best prosciutto I've ever tasted, and, I think, the best prosciutto made in Canada.
It's rich, not too salty, buttery, full of pork flavour and melts on your tongue. This is the real deal. And you can get it at Le Petit Bar.
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