Cotes Du Rhone

My big bro dragged me kicking and screaming to this place. No, not really. But it did take me nearly forever to finally muster up the courage to head here. It’s been so remarked by him that I liked the dream.
Boy am I glad I went.
I have been to Charlie Trotters. I went to Tru. But this place, when you factor in the food, ambiance and friendliness trumps BOTH. Bold statement. When you walk in the front door, you’re magically transported to someone’s living room. Decorations everywhere like Aunt Margaret would have. Tin ceiling. Character that is nurtured, not designed in a studio.
That set the stage. My big bro got us a bottle (or two) of a delicious, tall red. We were in for the long haul and CdR was ready for us. We started with an order of mussels (natch) and an order of mushroom soup which we used as a bread dipping. As usual, this odd pairing made for a satisfying first course as we chatted and met our neighbors who were super-​friendly.
Then the mains: I had lamb and my bro had halibut. With the apps already in us, the main was a good addition without being overwhelming to the waist line. It was just the right size. As he’s more familiar, he invited the chef out to join us for a glass of wine. He sat with us for 20 minutes as we talked about the food and his plans for the future.
All told, this experience was $ 100 without tip. For all that it delivers, this is a magnificent place to sample new French cuisine, BYO and take your time.

Sub– adequate, overpriced French food with a nice ambience but — only one server for a Saturday night is inexcusable so, despite our alerting the server to our pending theatre tickets, we received poor service.
Further, the food was over-​salted and uninspiring.
I’ll not return and recommend readers avoid it.

I’m hesitant to tell you about this place — that’s the kind of gem it was. Everything was perfect — the service, the food, the ambiance. But I have a story to tell. Shortly after my fiancée and I sat down with our bottle of expensive wine to celebrate her birthday, an older couple walks in and sits down. The man starts complaining loudly about the lighting. So they turn it up for him (and tell us, «dont worry, we’ll turn them back down when they’re done ordering). Then he screams across the restaurant about the music. They ignore him. He starts asking around if anyone else likes the «noise.» Another man says, «we don’t like the way you’re acting.» He threatens to leave, so waitress turns lights back down to accommodate the nice couples at the tables. Eventually, he shuts up. Our service was impeccable throughout and they seemed more embarrassed about the guy than we were. Definitely a classy place and one that can handle rude, uncouth people. Did I mention how good the food was? Because that bouillabaise is unbelievable. The pork tenderloin was great. The calamari appetizer was fantastic. Crazy that it’s tucked in non-​descript in a storefront on Broadway.
Oh also, my fiancée left her wine bag there and they opened special two days later to give it to her. The place is classy, yet unpretentious and goes out of their way to make sure their customers are happy.
And it better not be busy the next time we want to go there.

Probably one of the best deals you will find in all of Chicago for very good French food. This BYOB has a great menu with the typical French favorites and the mussels are fantastic. The service is excellent and enormously friendly as we bring our 2 year old with us each night and they make sure to have bread ready for him after just a few minutes from sitting. Overall this is great French food at a very good bargain.

The food we had was very good and the service was very pleasant, but this restaurant is clearly understaffed. The service was not just slow, it was insanely slow, even for a leisurely French meal. My husband and I got the feeling there was only one or two people working in the entire establishment on a Saturday night (we saw exactly one employee the entire 2.5 hours we were there.) If you are understaffed, you underserve. We weren’t able to enjoy the food properly (without bread, how are you supposed to eat pâté? The Cheese Plate may be delicious, but how can we know if you forget to serve it to us?)
That said, the main thing that bothered us was that the restaurant was not clean. I’m by no stretch of the imagination a neat freak, and I liked the general ambiance of the place, but there was dust and grime everywhere, and an unmistakeable odor of mildew throughout the restaurant, especially in the bathroom (even with two cinnamon candles burning.) The bathroom was also filthy. Not just «kind of» unclean… the white door was almost black in places; and truly, the floor was disgusting.
I guess it bothered me most because it’s not that hard or expensive to keep a place clean, or to slap a fresh coat of paint on a door if you can’t get it clean anymore. It just takes effort. It also made me wonder how clean the kitchen was.
I doubt we will go back, which is a shame, because the food was good, served in the kind of spot we love to love, and with just a little effort (and additional waitstaff) the whole experience could have been wonderful.

BYOB
First timer and we enjoyed it here. Wednesday night, we were the only table. Excellent server catered to our every need. The server was also the chef. The food was delicious. It seemed to be more American than French. Lamb Chops, Sea Bass were very good. The only French entrée on the menu was Boulabaise and we didn’t try it.
I will definitely be back to enjoy the ambiance and try some other entrees. It reminded me of an old New Orleans restaurant. I love NOLA!

This place is a hidden gem. We went there last night to celebrate Valentine’s Day and were able to make a reservation just a few hours before coming. The food was outstanding. We had the mussels (amazing!) and cheese plate to start. I got the bouillabaisse as my main course and it was evident that all of the seafood was extremely fresh (salmon, shrimp, mussels, calamari). My only complaint was that they didn’t give us spoons to go with the bouillabaisse or mussels. The broth of of both dishes was sooo delicious– I wanted to lap it up. My fiancé had the fish of the day, which was monkfish served with garlic mashed potatoes. He loved it and the sauce was wonderful. These people know how to make a good sauce. We had the flourless chocolate cake for dessert and it was perfect. The ambiance was also lovely –dark with nice candlelight– very romantic.
The service was good but it was definitely a leisurely meal. We brought one bottle of wine, but next time we will probably bring two (maybe one regular size and one split), because the entire meal took about two and a half hours. We will definitely be back.

We’ve been going to Cotes Du Rhone for several years and was glad to have a French Bistro come onto the BYO scene. Our group has BYO’d since ⁹⁄₁₁ and it’s been difficult to find BYOs outside of the usual Thai, Indian, South American, small storefront New American and the occasional Italian style restaurants.
I used to live around the corner from Cotes Du Rhone, back when it was a huge Mexican burrito place. Besides Pasteur, that stretch of Broadway Avenue between Foster and Hollywood was in dire need of decent restaurants and took a nice turn with the addition of La Fonda and a couple of defunct Ethiopian and Bosnian restaurants.
Cotes Du Rhone is dark and chocolate looking inside with fancy lamps, empty wine bottles from previous customers lining the window sill. The dining area is divided into a small room up front with mirrors and a larger room in the back. Miles Davis and other jazz standards can be heard playing much of the time.
Don’t go to this restaurant while in a hurry. The food takes a while and it’s perfect for opening a couple of bottles, letting them breathe, chatting with your friends and savoring the moment. It’s not a factory and you won’t dare be rushed through your meal. At times the chef will come out and chat with the tables so don’t be afraid to send him back a nice glass of whatever you’re drinking in appreciation of BYO status.
Our favorites include the foie gras, escargot, mushroom soup, the wonderful and hot baskets of bread to dip sauces with, any of their white fish dishes, including the sea bass selections, the duck entrees all held together with the wonderful bitter greens, squash and mashed potatoes.
The desserts are phenomenal and our favorites include the peanut butter and chocolate bread pudding and the spotted dick.
There’s a nearby Jewel-​Osco that sells wine but check out the liquor store on Foster and Clark in Andersonville. They’re pretty knowledgeable and usually sell great bottles of French wine for around $ 30 on sale. We picked up a great Châteauneuf-​du-​Pape on sale for around $ 30, regularly priced at $ 70 or so. Was a perfect pairing with our meals.
I miss Cotes Du Rhone.

This is a great little spot in Edgewater. It’s never too crowded, and the staff are always friendly & helpfull. Chef Brain is all too pleased to stop by and say HI, and he cooks a mean French meal. Being BYOB is always a plus, you can spend your hard earned money on the food. It’s yummy & the portions are generous. The mussels & hanger steak are 2 of my fav dishes, and the roast chicken is also tasty.
This is a no nonsense French Bistro, its good uncomplicated food that you’ll enjoy. Bön Appetite.

Ah, the French. They’ve given us so much… kissing, berets, pointy iron souvenirs and, of course, French cuisine. Now, I’ve never been a huge fan of the haute Froggy cuisine that looks more like contemporary sculpture than food, but when you find a cozy little bistro that puts out honest, tasty dishes, there’s nothing like it.
Luckily for me (and you) there is just such a place right down the street. Cotes du Rhone serves inventive, yet traditional, French cuisine in a relaxed and welcoming environment.
We moved to Edgewater about six months ago and would walk by just about everyday. After confirming that the restaurant is indeed in operation (this stretch of Broadway has been an unfortunate victim in the recent recession) we mentally made note that we need to stop by. We did so last Thursday for the first time and I’m glad we did. The restaurant was nearly empty (us and two other tables), which was a blessing in disguise as it gave us time to talk with our server and have a quiet, unrushed dinner.
We already decided on starting with the escargot and mussels (thanks to previous Unilocalers) and our selection was quickly supported by our server. The escargot was a tender, garlicy (in a good way, of course) treat — a perfect dish even for snail novices. But, the mussels stole the show. Sweet, not too big and cooked in a delicious cream sauce. We used about half the bread in the basket to sop up what ever drops were left.
Next came our entrees. My girlfriend went with the bouillabaisse, stuffed with scallops, prawns, fish, mussels in a nice light broth. I went with one of my favorites — monkfish — the special of the night. The fish was amazing, complemented by an unexpected brown butter sauce, garlic mashed potatoes and roasted veggies. Stick-​to-​your-​ribs fare, but at the same time, flavorful and not too heavy.
The food quality here is superb. They take the time to do things right — making sauces to order and selecting only the best ingredients. I much prefer a small, selective bistro menu over the Tome-​like menus of a brasserie. I could easily seeing myself trying everything on the menu at some point.
Prices are fair for the quality and servings. Prices are extremely fair considering that this little French shop is BYOB. That’s right: a BYOB French restaurant. I never thought that I’d be writing that sentence. I think it’s a unique proposition and makes it a little more affordable to treat yourself to a delicious French meal (not to mention splurge on that extra starter or dessert).
Chef Brian came out to chat with us about his philosophy and the history of the restaurant towards the end of the meal. I’m always touched when a chef takes the time and energy to meet his clientele and Brian was obviously a passionate and welcoming host. I was surprised to learn that they’ve been in the same location for three years — a time period when just about every other non-​Asian restaurant on Broadway has gone under. Please come and help keep this hidden gem stay alive and kicking — it really is an easy, non-​pretentious way to have a delicious French meal.
If there is a downside to Cotes du Rhone, it is the fact that it is so dark and hidden away on a fairly industrial street. If only they could get a little livelier boost from more traffic, I think it would solve the problem. Overall, the cozy, jazz-​filled atmosphere was great, the staff and owner were so welcoming and the food was amazing.
If you want to find honest and delicious French cuisine that won’t put you in the poor house, Cotes du Rhone is the place. I only wish we could come by more often. Ah, c’est la vie!

Thought we would give it one more try since we do like to support the local places. Well… we were underwhelmed again. To be honest nothing was great. Compared with our meal at LaTache the weekend before this really wasn’t good.

In spite of l’il Ms. roach-in-the-bread-basket’s review, my pal Eli and I still came here for a belated Bastille Day dinner. Our waiter was attentive without being overbearing, and I even forgot to check the bottom of the bread basket before eating it (voila! no roach!). The escargots and mussels were outstanding, especially the latter. The sauce — heavy with garlic, cream and wine — was so tasty that I would’ve poured it in a goblet and drank it, if I had been at home.
For entrees, Eli had a steak special with a blue cheese topper and I had the rainbow trout. I make trout at home all the time and it’s never tasted as succulent as this. She was happy with her steak as well, and we even found a bit of stomach space left to squeeze in a few bites of crème brûlée.
I’d brought a bottle of white Bordeaux, and it paired well with everything we had. A nice apres meal bonus were the coupons we received for free appetizers and a birthday special deal, guaranteeing our repeat business.
It looks like this spot hasn’t received any reviews since the cockroach review. Are Chicagoans that freaked out by one bad review? Sadly, it appears they are.

Well its hard to find a fantastic BYOB french place… however I was hopeful. Regardless, I went to this place to try it out. Well it was a Friday night and there was only one other table in the restaurant. My boyfriend and I were sat at a table in the front by the wall, unfortunately, our table was on a slant so we were like leaning into the wall. The decorations were a little weird and dark. it seemed like an old place, despite the place being open for like a year. Anyway, our waiter came over, brought us water and read the specials off of some pad of paper (mind you the waiter was also the hostess and the bus boy…). We ordered the mussels and a salad for an app… YUM! It was so good. I ordered the seafood bouillabaisse and my boyfriend had the filet… both of our meals were DELICIOUS… the bouillabaisse had so much seafood and the good stuff… not all that filler crap. However, the service wasnt the best and the restaurant just seemed weird… I dont know what it was, it just was. Like I said, it seemed like dusty and musty but it was a fairly new restaurant. Plus, as we ate, I think that they shut off the heat because it was FREEZING in there by the time we left. So I guess I am torn because the food was good (pretty good value, comparatively) but the service and the restaurant itself was off…
Oh I actually went here one other time… another weird thing, no pop… my boyfriend had brought in some jack and wanted a jack and coke… NO COKE! Hilarious, he had to walk to a little store to get some… WEIRD!!!
I doubt I will be back but its not a bad place to try… I think I have had my fill

«Always trust your first instinct; it’s usually correct.»
Truer words never applied more than last night for dinner, and on reflection, the disaster here had far less to do with New Year’s Eve «Amateur Night» then with what I attribute to year-​round amateur management, amateur staff, and a fundamental lack of class.
First instinct: bring delicious food to GF’s lair; cook dinner, drink Veuve, and stay in, as I have stayed in on NYE most years for countless recent NYE’s. With this holiday, I just don’t bother.
Doomed instinct: 4 pm, home from work, don’t feel like going to Whole Foods for delicious food; figure it’s almost equal money at WF as in a restaurant; I suggest dinner; we make 8 pm reso here.
Scene: 12 degrees outside. Enter restaurant. No host at host stand.
Servers milling around. One asks: «Yes?» I want to say «No,» but I resist my smart ass gene.
Upon being seated, I take off my very long winter coat, and hand it to the server-​host-​not-​sure-​what-​he-​is kid. He says, «we don’t have a coat room, really.»
«Really?» He takes my coat.
Amateur Hour begins. NYE in Chicago; it’s COLD here on NYE. A coatroom or the like is a nice touch.
Menu Perusal: Hmmm, looks interesting. Reasonable Price Fixe.
We order:
Appetizers: Foie Gras and Escargot.
Salads: Spinach salad with beets.
Entrees: Lobster stuffed with Scallops, and Veal Chop.
Dessert: will decide later
Young Waiter Dude who has the attention span of a flea appears:
«I forgot to tell you we never got our veal shipment today. We’re out of the veal chop.»
I order a «Double Thick Pig Chop» with garlic/​ginger mashed potatoes.
Our Appetizers: Foie Gras and Escargot. Delicious.
We’d been finished with our appetizers for two minutes.
Young Waiter Dude, who now seems to have the attention span of a flea’s crack baby, re-​appears:
«Your entrees are done now. Would you like me to wait to serve them and have your salad now?»
I say: «No, bring the entrees now so they don’t sit around. We’ll have the salads after the entrees.»
I must pee. I excuse myself and go to the «WC» area. There is literally NO heat in the back of this restaurant. I choose not to take my stuff out and pee in 12 degree back-​of-​the-​house environs. I return to the table.
Entrees arrive:
Lobster stuffed with Scallops is a lobster SHELL which has even the tail excised, and is stuffed with what appears to be a no longer identifiable foodstuff which presumably is scallops mixed with the now minced lobster tail meat. No drawn butter or cocktail fork for extracting lobster meat from the claws.
«Double Thick Pig Chop» with garlic/​ginger mashed potatoes: overcooked and dry as hell. No garlic or ginger discernible in the mashed potatoes.
I see Young Waiter Dude, who now seems to have the attention span of a flea’s crack baby, but I can’t get his attention BECAUSE HE HAS NO ATTENTION.
I get up, because now as is not my desire, I’m getting too annoyed. I summon other Older Waiter Man from the kitchen.
«You know, I hate to complain. Really. But, how do you guys manage on a multi-​course meal to cook the entrees so fast there is no time to serve the salads, but you also manage to overcook the chop? Can you please come to our table and look at my chop?
Older Waiter Man comes to table, obligingly, and immediately sees this dried up pig specimen on my plate and removes it.
«May I please just have Filet Mignon: RARE?»
«Of Course.» And I wait.
Filet Mignon arrives. It’s cooked medium rare to MEDIUM.
I summon Older Waiter Man. «Did you guys pre-​cook all this stuff in anticipation of NYE, and now the Chef is just throwing stuff back on to warm it up?»
Older Waiter Man gives me officious and unconvincing denial about how that’s absolutely not how they roll.
I hand him my overcooked beef. «Here, just forget it. I’m not eating that. I’ll skip my entrée.»
Older Waiter Man returns to apologize and says they’ll comp my meal. He asks that we return to try them another night. We agree, politely.
Back to the stuffed lobster shell. It’s salty and cafeteria quality blech. No better, honest.
Young Waiter Dude, who now seems to have the attention span of a flea’s crack baby, re-​appears.
«Do you want the salads now?»
«Sure.»
We wait a ridiculously long time for the salads, which I ate without regard or memory for how it tasted. But they skimped all to hell on the red beets.
Dessert:
Lemon Tart and Tart Tatin with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.
Lemon Tart: non-​descript taste and the portion was way too large.
Tart Tatin: lukewarm apple tart maybe made thoughtlessly with crappy cooking apples, because the apples seemed well on their way to becoming purée.
Blech. Blech. Blech.
Pay bill. Tip 15% on the price of one dinner, not two. The hell with them. No one deserved any tip.
We walk to the front of the house, where no one could be found to summon my coat. There is a grease ventilation problem; the place is smoke filled.
Finally, my coat. Good Riddance.
PS: None of the flatware matched.

Oh, my. It is with a tear in my eye that I write this review, and a resolve to stick with original plans — esp. on New Year’s Eve.
Original plan: cook delicious food with hawt man, at my hut and swill Veuve. Now that I can cook a lot better (honestly, thanks x-​husband) going to a restaurant is sometimes fraught with trepidation. Getting a reservation on NYE a few hours away — priceless, and at one of my favorite restaurants, stellar. I babble like an idiot, so excited to turn a new diner (my seven star companion) onto this great boîte that I love, in my ‘hood.
BYOB Veuve tucked under arm, we walk over. Enter restaurant. Front dining room — empty. Hm. Second dining room — empty. Okay, quiet is good. The prix fixe menu comes out — okay, this is why, we’re early for the 8 PM seating. The menu looks great — but honestly, my profuse praise of this place was about their regular menu — simple French country food with luxe touches. We pop the Veuve, and it tastes like stars.
Appetizers: my escargot and his foie gras — best part of the meal!
This is when it started to go south. Our server, flitting around like a mosquito, forgot to tell Seven Star that they were out of the Veal Chop he ordered until he ordered it — mon dieu! I ordered Lobster Thermidor anticipating juicy decadent lobster goodness.
The mosquito (he was a sweet, cute guy, but perhaps a little overwhelmed as a server) flitted out again — our entrees are ready, did we want our salads at the same time? Hm. Um, just the entrée, salad later.
The entrees arrive. 7 Star’s Pig Chop (oink — hehe!) is wayyyy overdone, and dry. The parsnip purée stacked on top is just sort of weird. My lobster is large, but apparently filled with. .. StoveTop stuffing. What?! The first few bites were okay, but then I just started to get bored with the mealiness of it. Why tart up a lobster? Scallops and asparagus would be good on their own — just Let There Be Lobster — don’t go all Red Lobster on me, man! The Pig Chop gets sent back (and on to my companions THIRD entrée choice) — a simple filet, done rare. Easy to cook, right? It arrives. .. overdone. I start to ponder — did they cook everything up ahead and just throw it on the grill again to warm it up? *sigh*
By this time, we’re bored with eating, and are both wistfully, I think, leering at that other bottle of Veuve which is, alas back at my apartment. But, being the snarky elitists we are, we’re still having a fun dinner — snarking! We get the salads, and they are, at best — mediocre. I consider myself something of a vinegarette dilettante, and this one did not have tangy sour bite that I love so much about this type of dressing. I’m also always amazed at how stingy the beets are in most «beet salads» — this is not an expensive vegetable, people!
Dessert: An afterthought at best. My Lemon Tart is wayyy too large, and needs to read the book «French Women Don’t Get Fat» — which emphasizes SMALL but toe-​curlingly DELICIOUS portions. This thing is Cracker Barrel proportions — almost a quarter of a cheesecake. Companions apple tartin — standard issue apple pie a la mode.
Usually, I am apologetic, and will forgive an off dining experience. But dammit, I LOVE this restaurant, and this was so below the several excellent EXCELLENT dining experiences I’ve had here. I also noticed that some of the quirks — harried severs, smoke-​filled front dining room, had not been fixed since the opening, some two years ago. And, I’m sorry, but they still need some sort of a bar/​reception/​foyer/​hangout area in the front. It’s jarring to walk in, and immediately be in the dining room. Plus, I always a enjoy a leisurely drink at the bar before dining, what soignee urbanista does not?
I beg of you, CduR, go back to your original delicious menu and serve what you’re good at. You don’t need to tart it up for New Year’s Eve like a bargain-​priced escort. You guys are a high class call girl (with delicious boullaibaise!), and that’s what I love about your restaurant. I’ll be back to give you guys another chance, but stick to what you know, s’il vous plait!

What a peculiar place. Located on an industrial strip of Broadway, near the old, burned-​out Pepitone’s, lies the dim, dungeon-​esque Cotes du Rhone.
It seemed this summer they had set up a patio dining-​area out front, but who wants to sit out there? I have been various other times, starting with this past Valentine’s Day. It was packed on that day, but we had made a reservation and were seated promptly.
Go for the mussels, arguably the best thing on the menu. I have never before craved mussels, but these days I find myself a-​hankerin every now and then. The other dishes were also very good, and very reasonably priced for the quality.
I remember seeing something about a birthday special that struck me as absurdly cheap at the time, though I can’t remember what it was now.
And speaking of cheap, it’s BYOB, and by the Jewel (or a little bit of a walk to In Fine Spirits on Clark if you’re feeling fancier).
Service is hit or miss. The busier it is, the better service I have had. The slower and more desolate, the slower the service ironically. But the mussels eventually came so it was all good.
No one ever seems to greet you. Usually someone from the kitchen comes out to seat people. Hire a host, already. On a few times, we have already bought wine elsewhere all ready for the mussels, but have been turned away, despite there being only a few tables and it being within their hours. Like they just decided to close early because it was slow.
To sum up: mussels good. BYOB also good. Service so so. Atmosphere odd. Being greeted and seated, arbitrary.

My girlfriend and I decided to try out this place last Tuesday night. We walked in at around 8 and there was only one other table in the entire restaurant. This is not usually a good sign, but we were hungry so we walked in. We were told to sit anywhere and we cozied up.
Since we were only one of two tables in the restaurant, our service was fine. It wasn’t stellar, but good enough. We popped open our bottle of wine (BYOB) and chowed down on the escargot. It was pretty delicious.
She got the steak and I got the scallops and both were to die for. My scallops were perfectly cooked and served in a rich buttery sauce of love. Near the end of our meal, the chef came out to ask how our food was. I like it when chefs do this normally, however, this guy was wearing a grease splattered t-​shirt and looked like a ragamuffin. But, who am I to judge? The guy can cook.
I really wanted to try dessert, but I was far too full.
Overall, I really enjoyed the meal and the romantic atmosphere. Based on the other reviews, though, I’ll stick to dining here on the slow days.

My Memorial day weekend part 1 (seriously after you read all of these you will either say that’s cool or will be as tired as I was).
I have to say that I am shocked that nobody has written about this great little French Bistro. The perfect place for a romantic dinner. It is very French from the food to the service. The food was very flavorful but I would expect no less from Brian Moulton, the longtime chef at Café Bernard now owner of Cotes De Rhone; named after a bottle of wine which he says is because «They’re delicious, bold, full-​flavored and, in many cases, affordable. That’s what I’m trying to do here.» Which I believe he has done so very well. I will some of the best mussels I have ever had they were perfect. They really know how to cook a fish. It’s not a big menu but it doesn’t have to be.
The décor and atmosphere gives you feeling like your in a French underground jazz bistro. It’s very very dark in there but the candle light is sufficient enough. The live Jazz band is very loud but just adds to the experience plus I love jazz so it can never be loud enough.
The Staff is rude and they ignore you and never make eye contact with you, but at the same time when they do come around they are very nice and inviting. weirdest thing. We ended up order something that had an ingredient in it that we were allergic to and they were so fast on getting another dish out it was unbelievable.
Overall a very nice place to go and I am sure I will be coming back, especially since they have a little patio.
FYI-​make reservations and it’s BYOB

I was really looking forward to dining here, but was disappointed.
The atmosphere is absolutely charming. It is warm, intimate and romantic. I loved the old books, empty wine bottles and subtle lighting.
I got to the restaurant before my friends and had to wait in the front area for about 15 minutes before the hostess appeared.
We started with the mussels and the duck liver pâté. Both were FANTASTIC! I really could have made a whole meal out of the mussels and a small salad. The appetizers are the highlight of this restaurant.
The entrees were not so great. I had the veal shank and asked for it medium rare. It came out well done and tough, but had good flavor. The potatoes were nothing special and the roasted vegetables were overcooked. I have to agree with a lot of the other reviews, they are very generous on the black pepper… it was a bit much.
My friend got the lamb chops, and it was not good. Again, she asked for it medium rare, and it came out well done. She had to send it back. The second time, it came out blue. She changed her mind and went with the scallops.
The scallops were very good. Four huge scallops, perfectly cooked. It was the best entrée of the evening.
The menu is very reasonably priced. However, I feel like the quality of the food was not that great. I could have made the dishes better at home.
I’m not sure I’ll come back. I would much rather go to Café Bernard or Red Rooster.

I had a few friends rave about this place and then a few say it was just so-​so. I am more in the so-​so camp.
I went there last night. I had the escargots and my friend had the pâté. The pâté was great, the escargots was pretty uneventful. It could have used more garlic, I think, it tasted just like snail and butter. All was well up til this point, other than having to hear a 10 minute intro from our server about the chef, the restaurant and the menu that was a little long winded.
I had the rack of lamb entrée and he had the monkfish. But, both plates came out and looked just like a big olé mish mash of stuff on the plate. It wasn’t very thoughtful presentation or flavor combos. Just too much going on. My rack of lamb was underseasoned, although cooked well. The butter sauce on the monkfish didn’t really compliment it well.
It’s great to have a BYO french place like that, but I don’t think I will go back any time soon.