French bistro promises affordable crepes and paté

In a little corner restaurant near the Wal-Mart supercenter, a Carson City couple is opening a casual French bistro featuring crepe lunches and cold plates of paté and salami.

A truly French experience, they say. Et beaucoup espresso, beer and wine.

Their business is named for a particular French pronunciation that often confuses native English speakers. It's not The Bistro, it's Z Bistro, said Gilles and Tina Galhaut.

He said their last name can also pose a pronunciation problem, he recommends to say it like the bad wine "Gallo." He's from southwest France, she's American. They plan to open the restaurant in early September.

"It will not be a pretentious place, but as authentic French as we can make it, that which you would get from any café in France," he said Monday.

They are transplants from San Francisco who settled in Carson City to get more space and a small-town atmosphere to raise their son, 4-year-old towhead Logan.

Galhaut said three restaurants have tried and failed in this location. The most recent one was a Philly cheese steak restaurant. Galhaut thinks they can succeed with his cooking.

"Crepes will be our specialty," he said Monday. "I do them in the Brittany style."

Brittany is on a peninsula in northwest France.

Tina Galhaut is an accountant who plans to keep her job until the bistro is financially stable, which she predicts will be in about six months. Z Bistro, 725 Basque Way, suite 1, will add dinner times as it adds staff. She said they'll have invested about $70,000 in the business by the time it opens.

• Contact reporter Becky Bosshart at bbosshart@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.