Fleur de Sel in Post Falls announces closing May 19, sale to Embers by the Lake

Laurent Zirotti, chef and owner of Fleur de Sel, is closing his celebrated and fine-dining French restaurant in Post Falls, with the last day of service scheduled for May 19.

Zirotti, who received a James Beard Award nomination in 2017 for Fleur de Sel, and his wife, Patricia Zirotti, made the announcement via Facebook on Tuesday afternoon.

The post notes that the space has been sold to Allison and Rob Burnett, who own Embers by the Lake in Hayden.

Fleur de Sel opened in 2008, and the Zirottis also ran Fleur de Sel Creperie on the lower South Hill for 4 ½ years before shuttering it last year.

(Fun fact: Fleur de Sel Creperie was my first breakfast in Spokane when I moved back here in April 2019.)

Here is the Facebook post, which has been edited:

Dear friends,

The time has come for Laurent and I to hang our apron. We have been honored by your continued support through our 13 successful years.

You have allowed us to share our love for our craft and our culture. We hope to have brought you a little bit of adventure during your visits. We will miss your smiles and camaraderie, and you will not be forgotten.

We cherish the friendship we have made with George and Mary Balling from the dinner party during our years of wine dinners together. They are memorable.

Most of all, we will be forever thankful for our loyal staff. We could not have built what we have without them. They have been the best ambassadors of Fleur de Sel over the years.

We are losing employees but gained family members and friends. Closing Fleur de Sel will never take that away from us.

We now want to give a warm welcome to Allison and Rob Burnett, owners of Embers by the Lake for making this location their new home soon.

We will close our doors on May 19.

Merci,

Patricia et Laurent

Clover, another elevated dining experience in the area, announced its closing on Sunday, and the property in the Logan neighborhood is up for sale.