Category Archives: French

Clos Maggiore

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**** (4 stars)

Clos Maggiore has a well-deserved reputation as London’s most romantic restaurant. It’s convenient to the West End theatres, and open late enough to go after the show.

The food is reliable and elegantly presented, and the wine list ad Bas Armagnac are extensive and top notch.

But above all it’s the romantic atmosphere of the garden-like (but completely indoor) dining room that draws us back.

Clos Maggiore
33 King Street
Covent Garden
London, WC2E 8JD
+44 20 7379 9696
http://www.yelp.com/biz/clos-maggiore-london-2

L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon

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***** (5 stars)

We’ve dined here both upstairs and down, and at the sister restaurants in Las Vegas and (now closed) New York. Of all of them, this is our favorite, because of the intimate size of the downstairs area. It offers arguably the best tasting menu in London, with wine pairings that superbly match each course.

The artistry of the food arrangement is really unsurpassed, and it’s great fun to watch it being assembled before you, so be sure to ask for a seat at the counter. This makes it easy to chat with the servers and sommelier, making it a friendly, energizing experience. For parties of more than two a few tables are available downstairs, which I recommend over the less intimate upstairs dining room.

L?Atelier de Joël Robuchon
13-15 West Street
London, WC2H 9NE
+44 20 7010 8600
http://www.yelp.com/biz/l-atelier-de-jo%C3%ABl-robuchon-london-2

Bacchus

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***** (5 stars)

Beautiful room, great food, fantastic wine list; what more could you want?

As you might expect from the name, the highlight here is wine. There are hundreds of offerings, and most of the markups are below typical restaurant pricing. We had a wonderful bottle of 2007 Nicholas Potel Chambolle-Musigny that was exactly the kind of earthy, complex Burgundy we were looking for.

The ratatouille appetizer (which I apparently had during its last day on the summer menu) was perfectly cooked and flavorful, and the tuna tartare was refreshing, although I thought it could have been a bit more flavorful. Crispy shrimp was indeed very crispy, and was served with a tasty blend of sauces that combined sweet with a bit of spice.

The halibut entree was perfectly cooked, and served atop deliciously rich fennel.

We finished with a 5-cheese assortment, and found several artisan cheeses that we loved.

Service was friendly and helpful, and our meal was relaxing and fun.

Bacchus
925 E. Wells St.
Milwaukee, WI 53202
(414) 765-1166
http://www.yelp.com/biz/bacchus-a-bartolotta-restaurant-milwaukee-2

Paris Club Bistro & Bar

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**** (4 stars)

This is a classic French Bistro with a beautiful interior and a traditional menu. The highlight of their food offerings is the Spiced Duck for two. It’s beautifully browned and coated five spice, which fills the table with the most amazing aroma. Served with crepes, julienne vegetables, and a delicate (not overly sweet) orange sauce, it was some of the best duck I’ve had.

The wine list is mostly French, and there are a few nice offerings from good vintages, although you get what you pay for (and vice versa).

The next time I want duck, this is definitely where I’ll be.

Paris Club Bistro & Bar
59 W Hubbard St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 595-0800
http://www.yelp.com/biz/paris-club-bistro-and-bar-chicago-2

Bistro CloClo

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ClocloJazzBrunch

ClocloOmelet

***** (5 stars)

Authentic French Bistro food and sidewalk cafe ambience, too. Just as cafes spill out onto the sidewalks in Paris, CloClo spills out onto the sidewalk at the Dr. Phillips Marketplace, but it is considerably more weatherproof than a Paris cafe, a good think on a rainy Orlando afternoon!

The lunch menu offers the starters and lighter fare one would expect in Paris, including “Croque” sandwiches, a quiche of the day, and crepes. For me the highlights are the starters, including the smoked salmon, pates, and especially the mussels, which were perhaps the best I’ve had anywhere, finished in a delicate wine and cream sauce with a touch of herbs and a much lighter garlic dose than most places.

The white sangria, a house specialty, was an unexpected surprise, and very refreshing. There are also a variety of Champagne cocktails.

At night the sandwiches disappear and a few more entrees are added, but it’s largely the same menu.

The wine list is a bit scatterbrained at the moment, although there are plenty of interesting offerings. and it’s in the process of an upgrade.

This space was problematic when it was Press 101 because of an awkwardly placed ordering counter and bar. That has been corrected, and there is now an elegant indoor dining room in addition to the sidewalk area.

Food and beverage pricing is very reasonable.

Bistro CloClo is a great addition to Southwest Orange County, which really needed an authentic French restaurant. The fact that is it a Bistro with great ambience is a real plus.

Bistro CloClo
7600 Dr. Phillips Blvd
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 745-5045
http://www.yelp.com/biz/bistro-cloclo-orlando

Melisse

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**** (4 stars)

This is a good, but not great restaurant. The preparations are elaborate, and most results are quite tasty, but it is rare that things come together in that transcendental experience where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

The wine list is good if, expectedly, pricey. There are some hard to find gems, although no great depth of vintages.

Service is efficient and accommodating, neither stiff nor particularly friendly.

Atmosphere is understated although the open room and fairly bright lighting aren’t particularly intimate.

A fine restaurant, but after two visits to check it out, not one that beckons me back.

Melisse
1104 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 395-0881
http://www.yelp.com/biz/melisse-santa-monica-2

Bouchon

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bouchonsb

***** (5 stars)

What a cozy and cute place. The outside dining, where you’re almost engulfed by a tree, is very romantic, and the inside is a quant and charming bistro. Service is friendly and professional. The standout dish when we visited was the scallop trio, a special with three very different preparations. The winelist offers hundreds of selections, almost all local wineries. Wine recommendations were spot on.

Bouchon
9 W Victoria St
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
(805) 730-1160
http://www.yelp.com/biz/bouchon-santa-barbara

Chez Vincent

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***** (5 stars)

For us, Chez Vincent is like a little trip back to the neighborhood restaurant we always ate at in France.

The service is amazing, professional, anticipating every need, offering tastes of the wines by the glass, just perfect. The fact that our waiter handled the nearby table of French patrons (an endorsement in itself) fluently in French, then switched to us with no detectable accent was impressive.

The food is completely authentic. The house made pate is served just as it should be, with mustard and cornichons. My escargot was perfect–tender and just the right amount of garlic butter (which is to say, a lot!) I had the corvina in caper butter, a lunch special, and it was perfectly pan seared and then finished in the oven.

Food prices at lunch are reasonable for the quality, and there are many decent wine prices as well. My only complaint was that several of the wines I tried to order were unavailable; it’s time to update the very extensive list to reflect reality.

We loved this place, and will be back soon.

Chez Vincent
533 New England Ave W
Winter Park, FL 32789
(407) 599-2929
http://www.yelp.com/biz/chez-vincent-winter-park

Jilly’s Cafe

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**** (4 stars)

Jilly’s is a casual French cafe with friendly service and a fairly traditional menu. One of the more interesting aspects is that there are almost as many specials each night as there are regular menu items.

The meal begins with excellent crusty French bread, butter, and chicken liver pate.

I had the escargot, which were the traditional preparation, topped with small croquettes and served with a slice of lemon. The escargot and garlic butter were good, especially with the French bread. I’m not sure the croquettes and lemon added a lot.

My second course was my favorite, a poached pair and bleu cheese salad. It had just the right mix of bitter and sweet ingredients.

An intermezzo of pinot noir sorbet cleared the palate.

For my entree I selected their specialty, the skinless duck breast and confit. Both were good, but the breast was swimming in a very sweet sauce, so I stuck with the confit.

Service was extremely friendly at all the tables, and they were reasonably busy on a Tuesday night, with a crowd composed of about half regulars. Wine prices is reasonable, although the website version of the wine list is out of date.

Jilly’s is a good choice if you are in the mood for traditional French food in a friendly atmosphere.

Jilly’s Cafe
2614 Green Bay Rd
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 869-7636
http://www.yelp.com/biz/jillys-cafe-evanston

Bistro Bordeaux

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***** (5 stars)

I’ve now been to Bistro Bordeaux many, many times over four years, and it is always superb. Favorites are the chicken for two (better than at Alain Ducasse’s Louis IV in Monaco!), the house salad, the French onion soup, whatever the day’s tart is, whatever the current preparation of the foie gras, the Cognacs, the decaf teas, pretty much everything. Great authentic ambiance, great food.

Bistro Bordeaux
618 Church St
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 424-1483
http://www.yelp.com/biz/bistro-bordeaux-evanston