Say “bonjour” to Brasserie Royale, the newest culinary venture from the owners of Local Provisions in Sterling.
The restaurant awaits Loudoun County permitting, but owners Michael and Ally Stebner have a clear concept developed for the new eatery. Using their learned experiences from Local Provisions, one of our 50 Best Restaurants, they hope to open the French endeavor by February 2025.
“I think what we’ve accomplished with the farm-to-table idea at Local Provisions is that we have given ourselves a little flexibility in being able to cook kind of Mediterranean food,” says Michael Stebner. “With the brasserie, we want it to be fun; we don’t want it to be a French restaurant that is so serious — sometimes with French food you fall into that lane. We want it to be lighthearted and not take itself too seriously.”
Brasserie Royale is conveniently located adjacent to Local Provisions, where a Corner Bakery restaurant used to be until 2019. The Parisian-style restaurant promises to offer fresh takes on traditional French fare. The cuisine is being developed by the Stebners, both of whom are accomplished chefs.
“The menu, as it evolves, is obviously going to have some of the classics on it,” Michael Stebner says. “We want it to be light and we don’t want it to have a half a pound of butter in every dish.”
Diners will choose from traditional dishes like French onion soup, beef Bourguignon, steak frites, burgers, Nicoise salad, and profiteroles.
The dynamic duo of Stebner chefs will divide time between Local Provisions and Brasserie Royale to get the French eatery off the ground. The proximity of the restaurants allows for the back and forth.
“We have some great people at Local Provisions that are more or less running the restaurant right now,” he says. “We feel very confident in stepping away from Lo Pro—at least for the first few months.”
A sold-out preview of the coming brasserie’s cuisine takes place September 26, as the Stebners present a four-course wine dinner at Local Provisions. Their goal is to give their already solid fan base a taste of what is to come at Brasserie Royale.
“We just want to make delicious food and not be so serious about it,” Stebner says.
Feature image of a meal at Local Provisions by Amie Otto
For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine’s Food & Drink newsletter.
