Eight years after his first L.A. restaurant Petit Trois began its famed journey, Michelin starred Chef Ludo Lefebvre has stepped out of his coveted California-based comfort zone with his new joint in lower Downtown Denver, at the recently opened Thompson Hotel. In his new diner Chez Maggy, the James Beard Award finalist has brought “a little bit of ‘him’” to Denver, mixed with the classic Colorado charisma.
The Restaurant
The restaurant is named after Margaret Stewart Braun, the late mother-in-law of chef Ludo Lefebvre. Braun passed away in 2019 after a tragic car accident in Colorado. This new endeavor is a homage to her memory. Chef Lefebvre has stated that this new restaurant would reflect his French background, but with an openness to all that Colorado has to offer.
The Menu
The French, brasserie-style menu of Chez Maggy reflects the unique and tastefully understated approach of chef Ludo Lefebvre to classic French cuisine, with dishes inspired by French mountain ingredients and traditions of various regions across France. Maintaining the chef’s signature take on traditional French dishes, the menu includes escargot, duck à l’orange, different takes on steak fries with a choice of mustard sauce or cognac pepper sauce, steak tartare, trout almondine, pate, classic French onion soup, smothered Croque monsieur, decadent ‘Frenchified’ Denver omelet, and many more. The chef also plans to cook with fresh seasonal Colorado produce, changing out 30-40% of the menu every few months.
The Service
Along with the regular dining services, Chez Maggy will also handle room service offerings for the guests at the Thompson Hotel Denver. This means that the guests can enjoy the Denver omelet, pate, Croque monsieur, or steak — all without leaving the comfort of their suites. The boutique hotel and the in-house signature restaurant opened on February 7th this year.