Eating Wyoming: Sheridan’s Le Reve Brings French Fusion To Historic Western Spot

SHERIDAN — The building known as the Cady Building has always been something of a dream.

It was built by Nebraska lumber magnate H.F. Cady in 1893 in a newly formed tiny town that called itself Sheridan. Three stories, 22,000-square-feet, and fancy, Romanesque architecture.

“This was a massive building for a little town of I think there were 500 or 600 people living here at the time,” the building’s present-day owner Christer Johansson told Cowboy State Daily. “It was out of place when it landed here. It’s like it came from somewhere else.”

Johansson fell in love with the building the first time he laid eyes on it. Bringing it back to something that resembles its original grand vision became something of a passion project for him. As part of that new dream for the building, he’s just opened Le Reve Restaurant on the first floor of the building.

“The name was something that I actually came up with one night when I woke up at two in the morning, and I couldn’t sleep,” he said. “My mind was running, and I said, OK, I want to get up, and I want to come up with a good name for the restaurant.”

And that’s when the words, “Le Reve,” popped into his mind.

“In French, that means ‘The Dream,’ and I thought that actually is not a bad name, because this is our dream, and we hope to bring others into this dream to appreciate the same vision,” he said. “I hope that locals in Sheridan will take pride in this because this is really the town’s place more than it is ours, the way we think of it, because this belongs to the history of the town.”

Not Just Food And Drink

Le Reve, as the Johanssons have envisioned it, is more than just filling an empty stomach. It’s meant to be an adventure, a journey for the senses.

“Our goal is to allow people the chance of walking in through these doors and feel almost like ‘I’m leaving Sheridan and Wyoming, and I have entered a different place, where I’m going to have, it’s almost like going on vacation or on a journey,” Christer said. “But I didn’t have to get on an airplane to go somewhere else. I didn’t have to pay for a hotel room. I didn’t have to take time off work. I just stepped into a different building and had a different experience.’ That’s the dream we are hoping to provide people.”

The dream begins with the décor of the space, which is nostalgic, vintage inspired. It’s meant to evoke the era.

“We felt that this building deserves something spectacular because of its history and what it once was,” Christer said. “And so, we really wanted to figure out a way to honor the age of the building and the era that it was first built in.”

Not much remained of the original building by the time the Johanssons bought it. And there weren’t any photos of the building’s interior to help guide them.

“That’s why much of the decor here is inspired by things like the Titanic and the early 1900s,” Christer said. “That’s where this is coming from.”

Most of the décor was Gina’s work, including the eye-catching bar, which resembles one in Denver at the Ramble Hotel.

“This building was built in the Romanesque style, which is characteristic of arches,” Gina said. “So, the bar just fits so perfectly with the design and the period of this building.”

But what will probably catch the eye of most guests when they arrive are the huge crystal chandeliers that float from the ceiling, glittering like diamonds in the sky. They were custom-built for the space.

“I think there’s 2,000 strands of crystals that had to be manually hung,” Christer said.

French-Inspired Tapas And More

The cuisine is over-the-top at Le Rev. It starts with things that are definitely not your everyday meat and potatoes.

Market fresh oysters are flown in daily. There is caviar, as well as imported cheese plates with artisanal bread.

A variety of small plates round out the menu. Think Tapas, but with French flair.

Things like seared wagyu carpaccio sitting atop a winter mushroom, smashed heirloom potato salad with a white truffle emulsion and shaved, aged gouda.

Or torched hamachi with a charred elote mezcal puree, watermelon radish, jalapeño chimichurri and tortilla strips. It’s to die for good. But best to order early — it sells out quick.

“We will have other global influences, too,” Christer said. “It will probably have some Italian inspiration, some Spanish, probably some Latin American and some Asian. There’s going to be a mix of flavors that we’re going to pull together. “

All of the dishes are built from scratch using the freshest possible ingredients, Christer added.

“The chefs are just meticulously developing the flavors,” he said. “We’re not buying product that you put into a pan and fry it and it’s done.”

Right now, the restaurant is serving a selection of carefully selected raw foods, or foods that can be cooked with things like a torch. Not that any limitations are readily apparent to the diner.

Eventually there will be a larger kitchen, and then the menu items will expand to match the restaurant’s new capabilities.

The same creative mentality applied to the food goes double for the cocktails. You’ll find unusual drinks here, as well as many classics with a twist. Like the Oaxaca Old Fashioned, which swaps tequila for bourbon or the White Negroni, which swaps Campari out for Suze and uses Lillet Blanc instead of sweet vermouth. They can make an actual negroni, too, if you’d prefer, and it’s a delight, with actual absinthe to coat the glass.

“My wife and I are really into these like unique experiences,” Christer said. “You know it’s not just the taste of the drink or the taste of the food. It’s not just about getting full and, OK, now my tummy is happy. For us, it’s about creating an experience, almost like taking our guests here on a journey. A journey through time and to be able to experience different types of food that maybe aren’t what you normally would have in Wyoming or Sheridan. To really go somewhere, whether it’s like Paris or some other place.”

Wait, There’s More

The restaurant, though, is just the start of the dream Christer has for the building.

He’s also adding a boutique hotel to the venue and has even, at times, entertained the idea of one day rebuilding the third floor. Though perhaps that’s a project for a more distant future.

“This building I think was really always over the top for Sheridan, very different, very unique,” he said. “But they had a fire in 1906, and they lost the third floor. The third floor has never been put back.”

Christer ultimately might not be able to replace that third floor, but he’s determined to restore as much as he can, while also ensuring the building will last another 150 years.

“People have been wondering, ‘What are they doing with this building?’” Christer said, smiling. “’They’re destroying the building.’ Or maybe, we’re saving it from being destroyed.”

The Johanssons have not yet decided whether the hotel will also be French-inspired or perhaps more modern. It is all still a work in progress, and nothing is yet set in stone.

“There are all kinds of stories that you hear about the building’s history, and we don’t know what’s true and what’s false, but we’re going to go with our story, that this was a magnificent building when it was first built,” Christer said. “And it deserves to be created as such, and that’s what we’re wanting to do. Hopefully, the town will embrace it, and hopefully we’ll have visitors come enjoy, even if they’re not eating here. They can enjoy seeing the building and enjoying what Sheridan has to offer.”

Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.