Mistral Reopened on Ventura Boulevard, and It Cuts Your Bill 25 Percent After Nine

A thirty-eight-year-old Valley institution, reopened, with a discount for anyone who eats late.

Mistral has been a French bistro on Ventura Boulevard since 1988, one of the last of a breed that once filled Sherman Oaks and has almost entirely disappeared. It closed briefly. It is back, taken over by restaurateur Jonah Freedman with Josh Migdal, and the reopening reads as a restoration rather than a gut renovation.

Red leather booths, white-shirted waiters, and the same Wine Spectator award-winning list that built the room's reputation, now overseen by French sommelier Julia Djoui. LA Mag reported that the new ownership has carried over house accounts for longtime regulars, which is an unusual thing to preserve and tells you what the team is trying to protect.

The night owl menu

Here is the part worth planning around. Mistral runs a night owl menu that cuts the bill by 25 percent for anyone seated between 9 and 9:30 p.m. on weekdays, or between 9:30 and 10 p.m. on weekends. No reservation needed.

Freedman's reasoning, as he put it to LA Mag, is that Los Angeles can be hard late at night, and that he wants the room to transition into more of a drinking scene as the evening goes on. For a Valley neighborhood where most kitchens are closing at 9:30, a quarter off a French bistro check after nine is a genuinely useful thing to know.

On the menu

The kitchen runs bistro classics with small updates rather than reinventions:

• Crispy goat cheese cigars with honey.

• Escargot with Pernod butter.

• French onion soup capped with a Comte grilled cheese.

• Caesar salad topped with baguette chips, and mussels simmered with sungold tomatoes and wine.

• An entire steak frites section, with a choice of four cuts of beef.

• The chocolate souffle, which has been on this menu for decades and remains the thing regulars order without looking.

The house cocktail is the Mistral 75. There is a section for martinis, which in a room like this is the correct decision.

What is coming next

The adjoining space is set to become a raw bar called Henri's in late fall. Freedman's idea is that guests start there with a cocktail and oysters, then move next door for a full meal. That would give this stretch of Ventura something it has not had.

Visiting

Mistral is at 13422 Ventura Boulevard, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423, between Woodman and Fulton. Reach the restaurant at (818) 981-6650.

• Hours: Sunday through Thursday 5 to 9:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday 5 to 10:15 p.m.

• Night owl seating: 9 to 9:30 p.m. weekdays, 9:30 to 10 p.m. weekends, for 25 percent off. Walk-ins.

• Reservations: on OpenTable.

• Parking: valet in front, plus metered street parking on Ventura.

• Private events: handled by Aron at (818) 981-6650.

• Note: the room is small. Not the choice for groups over eight.

One detail from the restaurant's own site worth carrying over: the valet stand is run by Mike and El, and Mike has been with Mistral for more than 30 years. In a room whose whole appeal is continuity, that is the sort of thing that matters.

A note on hours. The restaurant's site still lists a pre-reopening schedule, with Monday closed and lunch Wednesday through Friday. The reopening coverage lists dinner-only service. Until the site catches up, confirm on OpenTable or by phone before you go.

Menus and details are at mistralrestaurant.com.

Follow along with more LA restaurant news, see what else has opened in our guide to new restaurants in Los Angeles, or browse our picks for the best food in Los Angeles.