Paris is widely considered one of the most beautiful and inspiring cities in the world. Lucky for Birmingham, self-taught pastry chef Kristen Hall found herself in the City of Lights for the first time last year and returned with her sights set on bringing some of that Parisian magic home with her. Along with partner and chef Victor King, Kristen fulfilled that dream last week with the opening of the new Paris-inspired hotspot Bar La Fête, which lands among the ranks of the duo’s other two wildly popular local spots: The Essential and Bandit Pâtisserie.
Kristen graciously welcomed us for a look inside their new bar, located at Mercantile on Morris, to get a feel for the sophisticated space that stylishly — and deliciously — offers a taste of dreamy European flair to the Magic City.
“There is so much hype around Paris that I was a little nervous traveling there for the first time because I was worried it wouldn’t live up to it,” Kristen says. “Thankfully, I couldn’t have been more wrong. There is such an energy in Paris. It’s hard to pinpoint all of the things that drive that energy, but what kept speaking to me were the cafes full of people and the buildings that have been there for hundreds of years and lived so many lives.”
Heavily influenced by the many spaces she experienced during her travels, Kristen was determined to design a space that exudes a similar feel, especially considering the location of the new wine bar — a historic site at Mercantile on Morris. “Coming back to Birmingham, I had an interesting perspective renovating a space that had been here for decades, breathing new life into it, and giving it a new identity,” she says. “I was inspired to take my experiences in Paris to create a space where others could have what I hope to be a similar experience, just here in Birmingham.”
As the wine bar’s designer, Kristen was careful about every detail. Each design decision was approached through the Parisian lens to ensure no element was overlooked. “We are very purposeful in noting Paris instead of just France because Paris, specifically, is very eclectic,” Kristen tells us. “There’s an eclectic nature to most everything in Paris, and that’s how I envisioned Bar La Fête.”
The design began with limewashed walls, providing a textured, been-there-forever feel. In other spaces, she added a peony patterned wallpaper (by House of Hackney) that creates a sense of moody romance. “It’s romantic, but because of the midnight blue, it’s also a little dark,” she says. Throughout the space, there are a variety of antique vignettes on the walls, some from Kristen’s personal collection and others purchased while in Paris or at local vintage stores. Kristen also had large custom mirrors made. Though it’s brand new, the space offers vintage vibes for days.
The bar’s atmosphere also seamlessly layers in other materials and textures to complete the look, such as dark mauve marble countertops, brass and lead glass dividers between various seating spaces, and lots of natural unlacquered brass. “That helps give some age to the space,” she adds.
Perhaps the most “perfectly Paris” design Kristen introduced to Bar La Fête is not even in the main space — it’s in the delightfully selfie-friendly bathrooms. Kristen was heavily inspired by a visit to Bambino, a wine bar in Paris, where every bathroom had its own personality. “I chose three different patterns of terrazzo and small subway tile, playing off the scale of the larger and smaller pieces,” she says. “It perfectly illustrates what is so commonplace in Paris.”
Not overlooking the purpose of the space — it is a wine bar, after all — Kristen had massive custom wine cabinets installed right inside the front doors to greet everyone who walks in. “Practically every wine bar in Paris has beautiful cabinets filled with wine right inside their doors,” she explains. “We wanted to communicate that we are more wine-focused here by installing them, though we did so in a modern way with custom steel cabinets made by our friends at Blackshop here in Birmingham.”
As for the wine list, Kristen and Victor partnered with Patrick Sizemore, the bar’s wine director, to curate the menu’s expansive, international offerings. While well over half of the wines are French, you will also find wines from other parts of the world, including wines from Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, and California.
They also thought ‘outside of the bottle’ by instituting a guest sommelier program. Every Thursday through Sunday, the bar has a different guest sommelier on site, adding to the breadth and depth of knowledge available to guests and staff.
The culinary offerings pair perfectly with the atmosphere and wine list. Though the space features a full kitchen, it certainly has a European wine bar feel — the menu leans more toward snacks and small bites to share with friends over a shared bottle of wine. With Victor at the helm, the menu includes a curated selection of à la carte French-inspired small plates, such as Potato Pavé, Beef Cheek Au Poivre, and Parisian Gnocchi. Classic French pastries and desserts — made from scratch by Kristen — comprise the dessert menu. Guests looking for a truly unique experience can request to “Burn the Boat,” a term coined by Kristen and Victor for their all-in tasting experience.
From the wine to the menu to the overall design, every detail inside Bar La Fête is meant to create a fun, celebratory environment, allowing guests to truly enjoy themselves. That idea is part of the bar’s name — la fête means party in French — and Kristen feels there’s no better way to achieve that than by providing a comfortable yet chic space that shares her favorite travel destination.
“It’s truly an honor to be able to travel places and bring back what inspires me and create a physical space for others to experience,” Kristen says. “I wear many hats [from pastry chef to owner to designer], but I believe I’m in the transportation business — my goal through it all is to transport people to another space and time. I want guests to walk in and forget the hectic life on the other side of those doors and enjoy themselves.”
Bar La Fête officially opened on September 2 and is open for dinner and drinks Tuesday through Sunday, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
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