Toulouse Petit opened last November, serving an upscale Cajun/creole menu in lower Queen Anne (brought to you by the same owner as Peso’s next door). It’s become known for its insane decor and insaner morningtime happy hour, which offers approximately one billion breakfast dishes for the low, low price of $6 each from 9:00 until 11:00 a.m. every weekday. Six dollars for a hot breakfast at a place approximately one billion times fancier than Denny’s—how can you lose? I went every day for a week to test it out.
MONDAY
Toulouse Petit’s interior design might best be described as aggressively intricate. The high-ceilinged room has more than 600—
six hundred—wood-framed four-by-eight-inch windowpanes. The floor gathers thousands (millions?) of square-inch tiles into abstract mosaics that ebb and flow around the room. Each tabletop has detailed inlaid wood artwork; seating is either lush leather and velour booths (in the main dining area) or wooden chairs (in the bar). Above each table dangles a golden lamp of blown glass suspended from an asymmetrical rod spiraling down from the ceiling, and the large room’s different areas are demarcated with swirly wrought iron railings. The icing on the crazy cake is the heavily treated walls, from which layer upon layer of puckered plaster explodes against a yellow-and-orange spackle, creating a veritable meringue sunset. It’s a lot of stuff happening at once.
And then there’s the food. Confronted by Toulouse Petit’s vast menu—which features no less than 30 breakfast items—I settled on the eggs forestière ($9.50 reg/$6 happy hour), a scrambled-egg concoction involving shiitake mushrooms, asparagus, and fresh herbs that was thoroughly wonderful, with a rich, carefully constructed flavor that was almost smoky while staying light. Also impressive: the coffee, roasted by Caffe Vita and served in a French press with a warmed porcelain cup. Left alone after a few bites: the Toulouse breakfast potatoes, large chunks of (over)roasted potato unremarkable in every way except in their quantity (a lot).
TUESDAY
Day #2 began with Toulouse beignets ($4.50), served with powdered sugar and chicory anglaise and delivered to the table with the smell of the fryer still wafting off them. “The beignets at Cafe Du Monde aren’t any better than this,” said my dining mate as we cleaned the plate, driven in part by the chicory dipping sauce, whose odd brownish-gray color held a complex coffee/hazelnut flavor that was addictive.
My entrée was the classic egg breakfast ($9.50 reg/$6 happy hour), with two over-medium eggs, sliced avocado and tomato (in place of bacon/sausage), and one of Toulouse’s creole buttermilk biscuits. The eggs were fine, the avocado/tomato was plentiful but added little in the way of taste, and the biscuit blew my head off. Toulouse’s biscuits are small—roughly the size of a silver dollar and two inches high—but they produce layer after layer of flaky perfection, ready to be slathered with French butter and berry jam, and rich enough that eating just one makes perfect sense.
My dining mate had the cured pork cheeks confit hash ($10.50 reg/$6 happy hour), a layered tangle of arugula, parsnips, eggs, onion, potatoes, and pork that was so generously portioned she could eat only half and so impressively flavorful she was happy to take the rest home. Our friendly, spiffy server (even at breakfast, the Toulouse staff is in slacks and dress shirts) was pleased to provide a to-go box.
WEDNESDAY
Another day, another dining mate—this one enjoyed the classic egg breakfast with the house-made sausage (“good, but heavy on the fennel”) and another pile of Toulouse potatoes, which he also felt compelled to ignore after a couple bites: “They taste like Ore-Ida.” Meanwhile, I selected another fancy scrambled-
egg dish—eggs with Jerusalem artichokes ($9.50 reg/$6 happy hour), served with the listed shallots and tomato-and-garlic
confit (featuring big soft cloves of garlic) and unlisted parsnips, which were fine but added to the ragbag feel of the dish. Where Monday’s eggs forestière were a thoughtfully accomplished delight, today’s eggs with artichokes etc. seemed tossed together, more like a typical diner scramble.
This is the day that the Toulouse Petit audio component fully sinks in. The soundtrack is a never-ending parade of alterna-rock standard aptly described by a local restaurant-
review site as “dishwasher’s iPod.” For the record, I approve of the dishwasher’s iPod. I would consider attending a club night called Dishwasher’s iPod. But the Toulouse Petit’s dishwasher’s iPod needs to lay off the Citizen Cope.
THURSDAY
On this post–St. Patrick’s Day morning, Toulouse Petit fills up early with the usual neighborhood crowd of businessfolk and tourists, along with more than a few bleary-eyed hangover cases. But all I can think about is Sandra Bullock, forced into the morning headlines by her husband’s alleged adulterous affair with a literal contender for the Worst Woman in the World. There’s nothing like the man you love cheating on you with a Nazi stripper to make even a beautiful Oscar-winning actress feel like a sack of shit. To offset the unfairness of life, I order dessert for breakfast: crème caramel French toast ($7.50 reg/$6 happy hour), featuring big fat slices of French bread fried in a light egg batter and served with Belle de Brillet pear-brandy caramel and fresh strawberries. The caramel-bread was delicious by definition, and the strawberries did a good job of offsetting the face-puckering sweetness. Jesse James remains a tool (in part for forcing me to have sympathetic feelings for Sandra Bullock).
FRIDAY
Day #5 brought the fullest house yet to Toulouse’s breakfast happy hour, which is clearly filling a niche on lower Queen Anne, especially for those put off by the nearby Mecca Cafe (which offers comparably priced diner food in a much grungier setting). Joining me were two guests, both of whom investigated the meatier corners of the menu. Guest #1 ordered the biscuits and spicy creole sausage gravy ($8.75 reg/$6 happy hour), featuring a pair of those miraculous mini-biscuits drizzled with garlic sausage and cream gravy. He was underwhelmed, as the glory of the biscuits was hampered by the unimpressive gravy, which he described as “thin” and “lacking body.” Guest #2 had a similarly bumpy experience with the crawfish étouffée and eggs ($12.75 reg/$6 happy hour), which offered admirable spiciness while suffering from a “funky grease dispersion” in the less-than-emulsified étouffée and almost entirely lacking the promised creamy corn grits (“I got like one grit!”). Meanwhile, I had a comparatively good experience with a fried egg breakfast sandwich ($9.50 reg/$6 happy hour), served on light rye toast with the triple whammy of shredded lettuce, tomato, and avocado making the whole thing a flavorful if lukewarm mess. On the side: pomme frites, a big tangle of thin-cut fries that were appropriately crunchy and salty but also lukewarm.
Over the course of the week, I’d managed to sample (either firsthand or vicariously) only a fraction of the breakfast menu, but I’d learned everything I needed to know on the first day: Toulouse Petit has a massive breakfast menu, and some of it is very good, and some not so much. For six bucks, though, it’s worth taking a chance. 
the owner of Toulouse Petit is a complete jerk. just go to Yelp and see how he badgers anyone who criticizes anything negative they have to say. i only choose to give people my money to people who actually appreciate their clients. Toulouse Petit does not.
Why the fuck would a restaurant with an “aggressively intricate” interior have a “never-ending parade of alterna-rock” as their soundtrack..? That part of the review really came as a shock to me.. Also, why do they insist on misspelling “Kurobota” on their menu??
I think I’ll have to try those beignets some day, though, as well as the eggs with smoked trout and chives..
The beignets at Toulouse are gooey and undercooked in the middle and taste of old fryer oil, if you want your life changed by beignets go to Lola. Otherwise completely agree with the review. Repeat visits have shown inconsistency in the quality of their dishes, but when they do it right it’s amazing.
Also – the interior is beautiful (the tables!) but marred by the awful swamp vomit wall treatment. Like the menu they went a bit too far and can’t quite reach perfection, they need to scale down their entire vision a bit. Please. Change. The. Music.
@3 – When did they start having beignets at Lola? That’s awesome!
i’ll agree w/ almost everyone’s comments .. what is good is super yummy, what isn’t, really isn’t.. just like the interior, the menu sorely needs an editor. Pick 10 things do ’em well. It is really that simple.
RE dishwasher’s iPod, it’s probably the bartender’s iPod as I’ve yet to come across a restaurant in Seattle with an indie dude in the dish pit ..
I had breakfast there once. Got food poisoning. Complained to the the owner and has was a dick about it. Never going back.
Not sure about food poisoning, but the food here is BAD BAD BAD!
Yelpers are wanna be food bloggers and total loser hacks.
It’s Kurobuta, unless you were copying the misspelling so we’d get it. Buta is Japanese for pork – Kurobuta = “black pig”
Went once, got undercooked beignets, and then waited 50 minutes for our breakfast entrees which were mediocre at best. Will never return.
@11, yes, I was copying the misspelling. That’s why I put it in quotes and bolded the wrong o. Admittedly it didn’t really make sense to say that they misspelled the misspelling, though… (Trying saying kurobota as a Japanese word without cringing, though – isn’t it tough?)
–> *Try saying
Poor service and BAD food, will not be returning.
This place serves the worst food I’ve ever had. Can you say FOOD POISONING!?!?!
Wow. I just looked at the Yelp reviews for this place. The owner (manager?) Brian truly is a dick. Whenever anyone raises the slightest niggle they had about their experience he jumps on them and insults them. There was even one poster who mentioned the conflict between what she thought was a nice place, and her dislike of how the owner had treated other reviewers. He responded a day later by sarcastically insulting her! I mean, if he gets defensive and a bit rude when people have a bad experience at his restaurant, ok, at least it kind of makes sense even if it’s unnecessary and ugly. But to do the same when the subject is actually your own rudeness? Not OK at all.
This guy’s Yelp comments are really going to end up killing his business, surely.
Before assuming that the owner has earned this reputation for being a dick, go read the Yelp reviews in chronological order. He responds to reasonable criticisms in a reasonable way, apologizing where necessary and giving details of how he will address real problems. In the later cases, where the sarcasm comes out, he still comes off as much more reasonable than the people he’s responding to.
Have dined there several times and yet to have a bad meal. Wait staff are attentive and so far removed from the usual Seattle passive aggressive BS that one can get in some dining establishments here. Sure the menu needs to be scaled back as what restaurant can hit the mark every single dish; better to offer less selection but make the ones you serve truly fab. As for fatty mcfat’s comment, I’d like to see you stand by that defamatory statement about the owner…. yeah right!
i use to work for peso’s . i hope the new restaurant does great
Apparently, Brian is not only a douchebag on Yelp, but he’s a xenophobe. This is from a 2002 article in the Seattle P-I:
“For men who are Arab, Muslim and under the age of 40, it’s part of the deal. Guess what? Your people from your religion and descent have targeted innocent people in this country. It’s unfortunate you happen to be included in that set of people,” said Hutmacher, who operates the hip Queen Anne hangout Peso’s when he’s not espousing his conservative views. “If we were at war with Japan, it wouldn’t make sense to be targeting people from England.”
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/86485_isl…
Shame – such a fine idea for a restaurant run by such a jerk. I’ll keep getting my beignets from that little stand in Seattle Center.
I moved to Seattle from New Orleans a few years ago. I’ve had many pleasant dining experiences in and around Seattle. Toulouse Petit is AWFUL! Food was terrible and the service… not so good. The menu is out of control. There were 8 of us total and everything was totally over seasoned. Total bummer because it’s a great building and location. Way too many options in this city to waste time and money at this place.
I went once. Was just as disappointed in the food at the new joint as the food at the restaurant next door. Won’t be back. There are better better places in the city.
There’s something to be said for a simple one page menu. Gimmicks like $6 morning happy hours won’t get me to return — just as a $6 pair of pants at Kmart isn’t going to have me shopping there. I prefer quality. I deserve better than feeling like I’ve been punk’d when the food arrives.
As a former (and longtime) resident of New Orleans I’ve had more excellent Louisiana cuisine than assclown Petit Toulouse manager Brian has had blowjobs (count on it, fucker…I know you’re reading this). The food at Petit Toulouse is on par with the fake Cajun shit you can get around the NO Convention Center: fancified, inauthentic garbage. It’s the sort of Louisiana cooking I’d never ever let an out of town friend eat (unless I didn’t like him). As frequently hungry as I am for a taste of home I’ll stick to making my own. At least in my own kitchen there’s not some self-deluded asswipe screaming asinine, combative comments every time I have an opinion about my étouffée.
The manager here, Brian, is an obnoxious douche.
I never worked at Peso’s and i don’t know Brian. I have, however, eaten at both Peso’s and Toulouse Petite. I can honestly say that the food at both of these places is beyond horrible. The complaints of dirty kitchens and drug activity in said kitchens are not a surprise to me. The service is worse than the food. On top of all that, I would never give my money to an ignorant racist xenophobe. I’d venture to guess that Brian Hutmacher is also a homophobe.
You wanna know the best part of this comment thread? We all know that Brian Hutmacher is reading each and every word of this, but is unable to respond because his PR firm has told him that he sounds like a total douche when he does. They are right. It’s hard to hide douchyness. Especially when its true.
Hey, I found the slander section of the Stranger!
I’ve eaten at both establishments. And enjoyed my food. And not gotten food poisoning. Was it outstanding? No. Was it good and sometimes even delicious? Yes. Is the service bad? Sometimes. Did I do drugs in the kitchen or see any? No.
I have seen first hand the rampant drug use and sales that happen in the kitchen of Peso’s. Judging by the rest of the comments here and throughout the internets, Brian Hutmacher is a known drug user and possible dealer. It is also undeniable that he holds ignorant racists beliefs. The food at Toulouse Petite and Peso’s may be great (it is not), but that would not negate any of these facts. I welcome Brian or any of his defenders to deny any of these true allegations that those of us who have been in the kitchen of Peso’s know very well.
Wow, slander and libel do run rampant here. As well as adolescent name calling and indulgence of misplaced resentments.
Whatever makes anyone want to call me a xenophobe, racist, possible illegal drug user or dealer, or anything other such nonsense . . . has really nothing to do with me, Toulouse, Peso’s, or anything in reality. That probably has a lot more to do with the individuals who choose to spend their time on such adolescent dramas and nonsense.
And there is no Philip Hamilton who has ever worked for Peso’s in any capacity. What he has posted above is true libel and his invitation for a response from me is indicative of his need for petty public dramas and confrontation that have nothing to do with anything in reality.
I’d like respectfully point out that I have never sold any kind of illegal drug in my life, nor do I engage in any drug use of any kind, other than moderate alcohol consumption that has never hurt anyone.
I am also an active father of four, who takes my responsibilities with them seriously. Illegal activity and drug use has no relation to anything that happens in my life, nor theirs.
Any suggestions that I have engaged in any kind of criminal activity of ANY kind is truly slanderous, and the quote in the PI was taken completely out of context during a long conversation with a young reporter on the sticky issue of how law enforcement should identify Islamist persons in particular who may wish to commit a terrorist act.
The conversation itself was in the wake of 911, and I was not sure why the reporter was even asking for my thoughts on the matter, but I was offering what I thought was just a commonsense perspective on what will be effective and what will not.
Jumping from there to xenophobia or racism is patently ridiculous and the hiring record of my companies and my personal relationships and history make my actual personal views on such matters rather obvious.
Not to mention that my father is a cross-dresser and he was a great father. I grew up in a rather tolerant, non-judgemental environment. And thinking that one group of people is superior to another was just not part of our values or how we thought about things in general.
Many of the posts above are reminiscent of an ex-employee from several years ago who has sent me several incendiary and hateful e-mails after his brief employment with us was terminated.
Lastly, suggestions of the possibility of food poisoning from either Peso’s or Toulouse are patently absurd as well. We’ve never found one credible case of a food borne illness ever coming from either establishment.
Toulouse features one of the most capable kitchen staffs along with one of the best equipment and food handling environments in the nation. And I can state with complete certainty that we are as safe and circumspect as it gets with respect to proper food handling, storage, and preparation.
I find it unfortunate that the kinds of things that have been posted here about me and my companies are so caricaturized, over the top, and libelous, but I cannot control what others choose to say.
I think the best response is to simply state the real facts, shrug my shoulders, and wish that those who feel the need to write such things will find something more productive, positive, and affirming to do with their energies.
Warmest regards,
Brian P. Hutmacher
Brian Hutmacher’s ignorant racist beliefs are well known in the restaurant industry. As are his rampant drug use and other illegal activities.