Photograph by George Sakkestad

Le Mouton Noir owners Karen and Jeff Breslow are doing what they love again.




Fire couldn't destroy restaurant's spirit

By Steve Enders

The smell of smoke still faintly hangs outside Le Mouton Noir's back door, even though new paint, fixtures and appliances adorn the popular restaurant that was forced to close after a late December fire.

Since then, owners Jeff and Karen Breslow have taken full advantage of their misfortune to do a little remodeling and are now ready to re-open to the public.

As of Aug. 10, the Breslows are again doing what they love to do: serving up memorable moments and great French cuisine.

Inside the restaurant, the smell of fresh paint has replaced the smell of smoke from the fire that brought business to a grinding halt during a normally busy New Year and Christmas season last year.

The fire was originally investigated as a possible arson, but the Saratoga Fire District quickly ended its query, deciding that the fire had started outside the restaurant in a laundry sack. The fire eventually climbed the wall, ran across an entryway ceiling and came into the building through a duct that normally channels air inside.

The fire was considered suspicious at first because it tripped the burglar alarm. But when Santa Clara County Sheriff's deputies arrived and saw flames, they quickly alerted the Saratoga Fire District, whose rapid response confined the fire to the kitchen.

Although it didn't spread, the fire still ruined the kitchen and rear of the restaurant, doing about $300,000 in damage to the 143-year-old house. Smoke damage was prolific, and most of the roof needed to be replaced.

The damage estimate doesn't include lost business over the eight months they've been closed, the Breslows point out.

"When I first drove up," Karen Breslow said, "my first thought was that this isn't only our house and our restaurant, it's the community's. This house is so historic. To be able to restore everything is especially gratifying."

Luckily, the Breslows were able to turn a potentially business-ending fire into an opportunity. Almost everything in the restaurant was restored, right down to the ornaments and customer-designed needlepoint works that have always hung on the walls.

The disaster also became a dream opportunity for executive chef Deane Bussiere.

Bussiere stuck around after the fire--much of the staff stayed put--and helped redesign the restaurant's brand-new kitchen. Besides the fact that he loves his job at the restaurant, Bussiere said, the chance for a chef to help build an entire kitchen is a rarity. "I call it the Holy Trinity," Bussiere excitedly said of his space. "We've got fire [the stove], water and refrigeration all within about three steps of each other."

The fire also allowed Bussiere to slightly tweak the menu. "We're going organic now," he said, adding that most of the menu will still be the same high-quality French provincial fare he's served for years. However, most of the fruits and vegetables used will be as fresh as they come. Bussiere added that he's focusing more on healthy eating than before.

Still, Bussiere plans on seating customers only twice a night, and treating them to exquisite, nine-course meals.

But the backroom spaces is only one area that the Breslows overhauled. They decided to make the house even more cozy and homey with the addition of thematic dining areas, including a "kitchen" and "living room."

Inside the kitchen area, the Breslows will grow live herbs and hang copper utensils from the walls. In another area, a private dining area--notable customers include author Tom Clancy and 49ers coach Steve Mariucci--has been completely sealed off.

Just adjacent to that will rest a new bar, where, the Breslows said, they'll offer wine and cocktails for customers even if they're not eating. They'll also host caviar tastings and serve appetizers from the regular menu at the bar.

But, the Breslows said, they just look forward to rejoining the special moments in patrons' lives--one of the reasons they bought the restaurant three years ago.

It was really a matter of fate for the Los Altos couple. Breslow, a retired school superintendent, said he was with Karen to pick their daughter up from camp one day in Saratoga, but arrived early and decided to have a walk through town. With thoughts of owning a restaurant already on his mind, he passed Le Mouton Noir and thought, "That's the one."

The next week, the Breslows returned to eat. They loved it. They returned home, called a broker the next day and found out it was being sold. Within two weeks, it was theirs.

Jeff Breslow said the best part about the restaurant is participating in customers' fateful moments, including engagements and anniversaries. The staff, he said, goes the extra mile to make those times special. And customers, he said, can be sure the owners will be quietly lurking around a corner to enjoy the happy reactions.

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