Review: Brasserie Mon Chou Chou at the Pearl rates a near-perfect French restaurant experience

"It seems fitting that Brasserie Mon Chou Chou, the ambitious new French restaurant at the Pearl that opened in the dark December days of the pandemic, gets our first star-rated review as the San Antonio scene shakes itself back to life.

In the spirit of optimism and revival, it’s even more fitting that Brasserie Mon Chou Chou earns all five stars in the first test of our new five-star rating system.

Five stars means an almost perfect restaurant experience. At Mon Chou Chou, that means food, of course, the kind of French comfort food that chef Laurent Réa does so well, from a deftly seared and seasoned New York strip steak with handcut shoestring frites to salmon that fell away in layers of coral-colored velvet served with a silky bearnaise that will make you a believer in the power of tarragon."