“If there were no cherry blossoms… How much more tranquil our hearts would be in spring.” - Ariwara no Narihira

After the rain would cease to fall, Chef Mar and her brothers would often wander into the back yard of their beloved childhood home located on 52nd Avenue South. The air was always intoxicating after the rain, filled with scents of wet pine needles and pink blossoms, the sweet aroma from the 20th Century Pear trees that lined the sloped hill to the moss covered Chinese rock garden they’d love to play in, and the crisp freshness of the lake that only a freshly fallen rain can bring. In Seattle, there is something very beautiful about the cloudiness of the sky after it rains- It’s both calming and serene, and a reflection of the home that housed the Mar Family for generations.

“We dream in colors, borrowed by the sea.”- Unknown

Growing up in Varena, Lithuania, Antanas Samkus and his brothers would collect chanterelles to sell at the local market. Running wild through the woods, and then returning home to their mother, Regina. She would often make them a hearty dinner of mashed potatoes and the leftover chanterelles from their forays in the woods. This cocktail is home.

“When eating a fruit, think of the person who planted the tree.” - Vietnamese Proverb

“If you ask the great city, ‘Who is this person?’, she will answer, ‘He is my child.’”- Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

“Nothing is so dangerous as being too modern; one is apt to grow old-fashioned quite suddenly.” - Oscar Wilde

Dr. Mar was a man of few words, but of great humility and strength for many who knew him. A lover of Asian mid-century architecture, the home he built for his family was among the most elegant and understated, and it’s details are reflected throughout Les Trois Chevaux. From the color of his favorite sweatshirt in the banquettes, to the lamps that adorn our bar, to the ingredients on our menu, his influence is profound. He would often tell his children, whom he nicknamed “The Three Horses”, ‘Don’t forget to look up’ so they would never miss the beauty and adventure of actually living life. Pour toi, Papa.