French Restaurant Honored by State on 'Bastille Day'

Patrick Jean's having quite a year.

Not only was the owner of The Brasserie named "Best Newcomer" in ZAGAT's 2011-12 Connecticut restaurant survey, he received a citation from the state's General Assembly on Sunday recognizing his 52 Sanford St. restaurant during "Bastille Day" in downtown Fairfield.

The citation, presented to Jean by state Rep. Brenda Kupchick, R-Fairfield, recognized Jean's ZAGAT's accomplishment and praised him for his "commitment and dedication to Fairfield" and for "providing to your customers delicious affordable French cuisine."

Kupchick said Jean ran St. Tropez, the former name of his restaurant, for about 13 years before deciding he needed to reinvent his restaurant after the economy crashed to keep people coming back.

"When the economy went down, less people were going out for dinner. Instead of closing, Patrick changed his menu to reflect the times. The result: fine French food at an affordable price," Kupchick said in an e-mail. "Patrick has been able to stay in business because of his ability to change with the times. That's a resourceful small business owner."

Kupchick said Jean's longtime staff stayed with him during the transition and that she, who also owns a small business in Fairfield, knows "the difficulties of running a business every day, every year."

"It's your life, you give everything you have in making it successful," Kupchick said. "I think it's important to recognize small business owners who are able to transform their business in this new economy and continue to provide something valuable to the community while maintaining jobs for his longtime employees."