Sit Down + Stay Awhile at French-Inspired Restaurant Petite Cerise

The Dabney chef’s new French restaurant encourages leisurely, all-day dining.

“I’m a bit of a romantic,” says Jeremiah Langhorne, chef and co-owner at Petite Cerise. “I love going out in France and sitting down to have coffee and eat a croissant. The world is obsessed with convenience, so it’s a luxury when you sit down for breakfast.”

It’s that French philosophy that inspired The Dabney chef on his latest venture. Langhorne was taken with French cafe and bistro culture and the idea that you could find a balance between fast casual and formal. He saw how these restaurants doubled as a living room for everyone from a businessperson turning a table into their office for the day to a family stopping in for a meal between museums. 

“The first time I went to Paris, it was better than I ever hoped,” Langhorne says. “It’s one of those cities that’s hard to go to and not want to go back again.”

He wanted to recreate that Parisian feeling in D.C. The way he envisions it, you can order a coffee in the morning, sit with your laptop or a book, and decide you might want to stay and order lunch. Langhorne intentionally chose a larger space for Petite Cerise than you might expect, so there’s no rush to leave — no feeling that someone else is waiting for you to get up so they can turn the table.

But don’t expect Petite Cerise to resemble many of the French restaurants that dot the American landscape. With Petite Cerise, Langhorne and his wife Jenny Mooney, who designed the space, wanted to break free from French restaurant tropes. Instead, they wanted to create a place that would reflect their experiences in France, both in Paris and their time outside the city. From taking the train to Lyon to renting a car and driving through Provence, Langhorne realized that it was in the countryside where the breadth of French cuisine came through.

One of those dishes inspired by the French countryside is the gratin d’écrevisses, a crawfish gratin, which is served with a crusty baguette and is a staple on the menu. 

“It’s not haute cuisine; it’s a classic dish someone’s grandmother might make, and it’s so delicious and so simple on its surface,” Langhorne says. “However, it’s not actually simple. It takes three days to make. That’s what embodies French cuisine. Rustic and simple, yet it requires technique and great ingredients.” 

And those great ingredients rely on seasonality, local purveyors and a connection to the landscape that feels decidedly French.

“What makes French food French is that connection with local farmers,” Langhorne says.

He uses many of the same farms he’s built relationships with at The Dabney. On the menu, you’ll find fried squash blossoms with a scallop mousse; a croque madame; an omelet “à la Petite Cerise” with caramelized onions, goat cheese and a gruyère cream; foie gras beignets; and classic French pastries.

The space includes classic French elements, from the marble bar to the millwork, but Langhorne and Mooney also wanted to carve out their own niche.

“It’s a brighter, cleaner space with a little more restraint,” Langhorne says. “We didn’t need to evoke a thought of something else, instead we wanted a bright, energetic daytime spot that could evolve into a nice vibe for dinnertime.”

Langhorne is excited for people to experience that evolution with Aperol Hour — the time between lunch and dinner service, where you can still get drinks and beautifully simple dishes.

“Why I love Paris, or even a city like New York, is that you can always find somewhere good to eat, no matter what time of day it is,” Langhorne says. “We want to create something that fills that niche. People think of French restaurants as fancy, but come hang out, bring your laptop, enjoy yourself.”

Petite Cerise is open Tuesday – Saturday from 9 a.m. – 10 p.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Petite Cerise: 1027 7th St. NW, DC; petitecerisedc.com // @petitecerisedc

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Haley McKey

Haley McKey is an artist and friend to the wild living and working in the DMV. As an area native, she has seen DC grow and evolve over the course of her life. She loves writing about art, music, animals and our environment, especially the city's dedication to conserving wildlife habitat. When she's not writing or working, she's painting and drawing. She loves a sour cocktail.