Candles flickered on the pastel walls, couples lingered over $200 bottles of wine and waiters pattered back and forth from the kitchen over a thick floral carpet. And in the center of the dining room, roaming from table to table in his chef’s whites, was Peter Gilmore, laughing and chatting with customers about the evening’s menu.
Only, this wasn’t Le Bec-Fin, where this master chef spent nearly a quarter-century. This was Gilmore’s Restaurant, his own dream realized.
Tucked in an 18th-century townhouse on East Gay Street in West Chester, Gilmore’s eponymous French cuisine bistro opened just a few years ago to rave reviews, quickly garnering the attention of foodies as well as both local and national press. Sparking a food renaissance in West Chester, it landed on Zagat’s top-10 restaurant list and earned a name as the best French restaurant on the Main Line and one of the most romantic dining experiences in the greater Philadelphia area.
Gilmore, who spent 22 years at Georges Perrier’s Center City landmark Le Bec-Fin, eventually serving as chef de cuisine, happened upon this quaint restaurant space in 2001 and hasn’t looked back since. With only 11 tables seating a total of 36 people, weekend reservations are booked at this BYOB nearly two months in advance. But while reservations are always encouraged, Gilmore vows there are empty tables on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
We were able to easily make our reservation the day before we went—a Thursday—but the first available seating was still late in the evening, at 8:15 p.m.
But it was a meal worth waiting for. Stepping off trendy Gay Street into the dimly lit, romantic restaurant was like stepping into a living room in New Orleans’ Garden District; the floral fantasy, designed by Gilmore’s wife Susan, featured an ornate carpet, eclectic artwork, a cozy fireplace and ceiling-mounted palm fans gently swaying overhead.
The cork promptly popped on our 2006 Masa Canali pinot grigio, we turned to our menus, and waitstaff returned to pour us complimentary glasses of Champagne (another incentive to take one of those later weeknight seatings). We found the staff particularly knowledgeable and endearingly chatty, offering suggestions and full descriptions of the entire menu. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, Gilmore offers his “Le Bistro” prix fixe dinner, a four-course experience for $35, as well as a $60 chef’s tasting menu: five courses, including his trademark, a hand-blown sugar apple filled with chocolate mousse.
But we ordered from the two-page à la carte menu, which includes the staples that draw loyal customers back time and again—from lobster bisque laced with scotch to succulent liver and onions ringed with tempura-fried shallot rings—as well as offerings that change seasonally.
We started with poached Chesapeake Bay oysters, nestled in a pastry cup with an anise-infused Hollandaise and crisp, nutty asparagus nibs. The sweetness of the anise was an ingenious complement to the earthy oysters. Next we sampled the chef’s salad composé, which changes weekly according to Gilmore’s whim. On this night, he coated a crisp crepe with goat cheese and apple chutney, serving it beside a bed of field greens topped with a pear-flavored vinaigrette and a tangy balsamic reduction. The creamy goat cheese was the perfect foil for the tart apple chutney.
Finally, we were wowed with the presentation of the smoked salmon parfait, a terrine layered with sour cream, salmon and cucumber, and topped with Topeka caviar. Served on an upside down martini glass that doubled as a cloche for a fresh orchid, the salmon was perfectly smoky. However, we thought the other components in the dish were too chilly; a slightly warmer temperature would have helped to bring out the full flavors and mouthfeel.
We debated over our entrée choices, but finally settled on the mignon of pork Normande and the Galette de crab. The pork was served pleasantly pink with a side of herbed spaetzle, but it was the sauce that made the dish special. The demi and cream creation wasn’t too heavy, and its combination of applejack and shiitaki mushrooms sparked the flavor in the pork. The crab, a jumbo lump dream cake, was light and airy with its inclusion of shrimp mousse and scallions. The final touch, a lemon beurre blanc sauce, was sweet and tangy, while a side of piped mashed potatoes was a creamy, delicious counterpoint.
For a sweet ending, we chose the quirky “beer and pretzels,” as well as the profiteroles drizzled with warm chocolate sauce. The beer portion of the beer and pretzels dessert was in fact a creamy, beer-infused ice cream, thick and rich with a hint of bubbly brew; it was unique and refreshing, but served with small chocolate-covered pretzels that looked and tasted like store-bought snacks and could have used a little zip. The profiteroles were a hit, perfect pillows of crisp pastry outside and vanilla cream inside, though the chocolate wasn’t quite warm when it reached us.
By meal’s end, the ever-genial Gilmore had made his way to our table to introduce himself, a wide smile across his face. And from the looks of things at Gilmore’s Restaurant, this chef has a lot to smile about.

Gilmore’s Restaurant

133 E. Gay St., West Chester; 610-431-2800

gilmoresrestaurant.com