La Petite Dauphine Open for Business

La Petite Dauphine, the tiny, beautiful, cafe owned by Le Bec-Fin alumnus David Smith opened their doors this morning. Smith is offering up pastries and illy coffee starting at 7 a.m. every weekday morning (8 a.m. on weekends), and cheese and desserts are available from 11 a.m. until closing. Smith said that they will have a cart for the food options, which were a big part of the Le Bec-Fin experience when Smith was on the payroll.

The most interesting part of the La Petite Dauphine experience is the "immersion dinners," which will launch later this summer when the kitchen is completed. Smith has signed up some impressive French chefs to cook a series of dinners that will prepare casual travelers and future ex-pats for the real Franco-experience.

"We will have one dinner where we discuss the adventure of getting to France, and how to get to your hotel from the airport, and the next one will be about surviving French menus and restaurants," said Smith. "And we will have a dinner where we discuss French culture, museums, and off-the beaten-path places to see. And, of course a dinner where we explore French conversational language. All while eating a completely classic French meal."

Until then, you'll have to survive on French pastries and cheeses, which have been teased on their Twitter account since this morning.

· La Petite Dauphine [Official]