Best Contemporary French Restaurants in San Gabriel

For full disclosure, we were already huge fans of their Tsubaki. With Camelia, Chef Charles Namba and the superb Courtney Kaplan have created a remarkable dining experience. The menu offers choices for everyone at the table. By offering small plates or larger communal options, Camelia allows you to enjoy an exciting and delicious dinner. My husband and I happily cruised through just a small part of the menu. Starting with Chef Charles' version of Uni toast and his spin on Dungeness crab on purple yam blini, we were primed for the elevated Chicken liver mousse toast that followed. These small bites each built flavors and tastes. Our meal was further enhanced with Courtney's perfect choice of sake. Her deep knowledge and instinct for what a guest will enjoy is unique. If there is any such thing as a "Sake Sommeiler," Courtney would be the grand master. We moved to larger plates with Scallops, dashi lime cream, maitake & king trumpet mushrooms, Tokyo negi, and chestnut date purée, a series of complex tastes. And the Abalone and Florida wild pink shrimp pot pie!!! A perfect sized bowl of magic! We finished up with the Koshihikari risotto, grilled Monterey Bay squid was a perfect ending, creamy with and rich with deep flavors. The grilled squid were lightly spiced, crisp, soft and with a bit of chew all at the same time. GM Kristen Dumandan leads a warm and welcoming staff. Everyone was knowledgeable and helpful guides through the menu. Happily, dinner was perfectly paced, without more plates arriving to distract from what we were enjoying or getting cold. We didn't leave room for dessert. But we're coming back because there is so much more we want to enjoy.

The food is nothing short of outstanding, Shawn (sp??), our server, was super friendly and helpful, my wife and i have been to restaurants all over N Am and i said to her The Little Door had the best ambiance of any restaurant i have ever been in

The escargot, the beef bourguignon , and the duck leg confit were all excellent. The frisée salad is also delicious and has a fantastic dressing. The lavender earl grey tea is really fantastic.

I’ve been to Bar Chelou a few times but they have really hit their stride. The service was on point, the drinks were fun and delicious, and the food was incredible. Every dish had an unexpected twist, from the mini peperoncinis in the salad to the tang of peanut butter in the carrots to the umami in the tempura mushrooms, lovely surprises all around! And they coursed everything out beautifully and got us to the show at the Playhouse right on time, chef’s kiss!

Fantastic, beautiful venue. Service was top notch! We asked why they didn't have an item this year on the buffet as they had in the past, and they went and made that special dish for my wife.