French 75 Bistro & Champagne Bar

Man, how did this place last THIS long? With all due respect to those that have given this place glowing reviews, I’d rather have a hairball than have eaten here again.
Anyway, I’m sure Teemu with figure out how to make it PURRfect! MMM, steak!

My wife and I had a wonderful experience at French 75. Not only was all the food amazing, but the bartender and the chef hooked us up for our anniversary too.
Recommendations:
Duck Confit Tacos
Quail Entrée
Chilean Sea Bass Entrée
Multiple rounds of drinks
Happy hour was good too, although the only drinks offered were champagne cocktails. At least they were good.

I had a great time here for our engagement dinner.
Service was great and so was the food and ambiance.
Try the filet mignon. :)

A romantic Friday night date with my honey and it couldn’t be any better.
We had reservations for 7:45 and arrived on time and was promptly seated. I would have picked the outside seating area since it was a beautiful summer night but my girlfriend had decided to sit inside while I was looking for parking.
Our server did a fantastic job throughout the evening of making sure that we were well taken care of. We started off the meal with a bottle of Louis Martini Cabernet Sauvignon which was fantastic as always. The server brought us out bread with an olive spread that I immediately devoured. Its funny that I hate olives but when it is crushed and put into a spread form I have no problem inhaling it. For the appetizer we ordered the Shrimp Provencal with garlic, tomatoes, basil, and fennel sauce. It was delish. And the best part was the sauce that we used to dip the bread with. I would definitely recommend this but make sure not to fill up on bread because it could happen if you try this combo.
For the main course we ordered the Wild Scottish Salmon with wild mushroom burgundy risotto, fennel fern beurre blanc and the Filet Mignon au Cognac with dijon pomme purée, broccolini, peppercorn cognac sauce. Both plates were very good. The Salmon was a little to salty but the risotto that came with it was awesome. The filet was good but I had asked for it to be done medium but when I received it, it was medium rare. I can overlook this but I know some people cant stand the look or taste of blood. For me, as long as it is not rare.
Overall I definitely recommend French 75. My parents recommended it to me first and now I am recommended it to the Unilocal friends.
BTW. The plate of toast for 30 bucks was pretty good too! Wink Wink!

Everything about this reataurant was exceptional. Very romantic!
First, the food:
Drinks: pamagranite martini=perfection pinot noir=above average
Apps: ahi=so good!!! Oysters=fresh, also so good
Dinner: wild salmon= comparable to the beat I’ve ever had. Slightly crispy outside with center that melts in your mouth.
Dessert: Chocolate soufflé = a must try
Attentive welcoming staff, cheff even came to ensure meal quality and Pascal made us feel like VIP old friends and above average live entertainment which set this place over the top. Will be back soon.

We really enjoy it here. The food is good and the atmosphere is great. The servers are very relaxed yet professional. No stuffiness here.
We also like to grab drinks and desserts here in their bar area.

I Like it… I don’t LOVE it anymore.
The thing that hooked me in before was 1. their perfect 10 menu and 2. their butter spread and bread.
It sounds weird to love a restaurant because of their garlic butter, but I simply LOOOOVEEEE their garlic butter. or I did before they changed it.
MY EXPERIENCE IN A (long) NUTSHELL:
I first came to french 75 way back when it was located at Fashion Island. I was out for a friend’s birthday dinner and our servers made the entire experience very enjoyable and memorable. The pricing for their bargain menu was tough to beat, also. Most of us had the filet mignon dish and the vote was unanimous. Best filet mignon you can get for $ 10 AND the dish was quite filling. It was quickly becoming my favorite french dining destination.
Fast forward 2 more years-​ish, and we’re back for another date night to fulfill my nostalgic cravings. To my disappointment, they had changed the butter spread. I know it’s a silly thing to be so attached to butter, but you can’t fight true love. It was still good, but it just. wasn’t. the same. :(The server gave us an amuse bouche of watermelon cubes (they had a fancier name for it. but it was a cube of watermelon on a spoon). We also had the foie gras, which was appropriately good but nothing to widen our eyes or make our taste buds tingle. The sauce that accompanied the foie gras was an odd flavor contrast, but it wasn’t bad — just different. We prefer our foie gras by itself so that’s the main reason it wasn’t to our liking.
They had live entertainment and we sat right next to the pianist (I was thankful we came early to be able to be seated this way).
I had the full filet mignon this time and my SO had the lamb. His lamb was very good and we both agreed the seasoning had been done well. The meat had been cooked perfectly to our liking. The filet mignon was decent, but I’ve had better. I like that they were able to accommodate my preference of medium-​rare/​rare. I’m very picky about that so I know it’s not that easy to get it just right. Subbed my pommes du purée with the garlic flavored alternative and the dish was complete.
For dessert we had the sorbet trio and crème brûlée. Crème brûlée was good as expected and the sorbet trio was a fun surprise of chocolate, strawberry, and rasberry flavors.
OTHER FEATURES OF THE RESTAURANT:
They’ve changed up the menus quite a bit and added some more flexible options. Their happy hour menu and perfect 10 menu have a time limit (as in it ends at 6:30 or 7pm) but I was pleased to see they added a ‘small plates’ menu for the bar, which was cool. I was sad to find out that my beloved tuna tartare (now called a tuna tower) was restricted to the bar only. I couldn’t order it for my meal. That was disappointing.
Bottom line and to summarize: I LIKE it… I just don’t LOVE it anymore. (BRING BACK THE BUTTER!)

My family and I came here for Easter Brunch. We were seated in a back corner booth with over stuffed cushions. Very relaxing. I expected this place to have more guests than they did and with the lack of patrons, the service wasn’t up to par. Our first waitress got sent home since they weren’t as busy as anticipated.
My sister got lamb and it was amazing. Very tender, cooked to perfection.
My mom and I, both got the omelet and though it was light and fluffy, I would have fared better with a different dish. I’m bummed out on myself for not ordering a more unique dish. But ultimately everything was top notch.
I love the décor and the jazz man though under appreciated was on his A-​game. Love the old school photos from the 1940’s-1950’s when society was classy and would get dressed to the nines to eat/​socialize here.
Definitely worth a nice night out with your lovely. ;)

Came here for a nice night out with my husband. Asked for a quiet table and got sat near a very loud and large crowd, what can you do on a Saturday night?
I ordered the beet salad, it was good, loved the colors, I am always a fan of a beet salad, so I am easy. My husband had the French Onion Soup.
I had the salmon, it was quite good, especially the risotto, lots of flavor, loved the contrasting flavors and textures, quite rich but not a huge portion, my husband went with the New York Strip, he loved it.
We ended with the Soufflé, which was quite good.
Service was great for us, our waitress was friendly, very helpful with the menu and knowledgeable. We stayed for quite some time and really enjoyed being able to take our time with our food since it was a night out without our daughter.
Although when our waitress said she wished there was a Unilocal for customers, I knew she was laying it on thick :) That’s okay, always nice to have too nice of wait staff than grumpy people.
It was what we wanted, a nice treat for us.

Looking at some of the other reviews, I was hesitant to come here during Orange County’s Restaurant Week. However, when the gf, her sister & bf, and I went on the Friday night of restaurant week, I was pleasantly surprised.
We arrived early for our reservations, and were seated just after the drinks from the bar arrived. It was slightly awkward that we were required to close out the tab instead of transferring over to the table, but only a mild inconvenience.
We started off with the amuse bouche, a carrot-​based item that was unremarkable. The bread, however, was enjoyable with some form of whipped garlic butter.
I ordered from the Restaurant week menu (whichthe duck confit salad, the coq au vin (chicken), and the haut ice cream. Overall, the food was good, unlike some other reviewers, all of my dishes that were supposed to be hot, came out hot. The duck confit was cooked well and had good flavor. I can’t say for sure that I know exactly how a coq au vin is supposed to be, but the flavor of the chicken was there and the meat literally would fall off the bone. The cabarnet reduction made it not exactly the most appetizing dish to look at, however. I really like graham crackers, and the outside coating on the dessert was spot on.
Other dishes ordered:
— Filet mignon croustades — I WISH I had ordered this appetizer instead. Perfectly cooked and delicious. I could’ve probably eaten a double order of these for an entrée instead. Interestingly, not on the ordinary menu?
— Beef stroganoff — After a rather traumatic food poisoning experience from Hamubrger Helper Beef Stroganoff… I very reluctantly tried this dish. It was decent and the crème fraîche went well with the other ingredients.
— Guittard chocolate soufflé — My gf loves a good soufflé, and she rated this as one of the best, if not best, souffles she can rememeber
— Duck breast and the foie gras — However, didn’t try these items.
Overall, the service was good, always there, but without being oppressive. Enjoyed the live music as well. One thing I hope they fixed was the restroom door (wouldn’t lock properly).
In the end, after my initial hesitation, I believe that I would give French 75 another try at a later date.

5 star service
5 star food
5 star drinks
5 star chef Greg Moro
Not enough good things can be said about this place, I came in here for my dads birthday and cause I had one of those living social coupons. The staff greets you at the door and is beyond pleasant, we were seated right away next to the piano player, who is awesome and plays great hits while enjoying an even better meal.
Started off with the escargot, never had snails before and this was the perfect place to try them for the first time, I was blown away that a snail could taste that good I had like 6 of them, we also got a sauteed shrimp appetizer, the sauce was mind blowing, I would love to figure out how to make it.
For dinner I asked my server what she liked better, the duck or the mussels, she suggested the mussels. BEST MUSSELS I HAVE EVER HAD… And I love mussels and get them all over the place. My mom ordered the beef stroganoff, which was just as good if not better. My brother got the new york steak cooked perfectly medium rare.(no steak should be cooked more than this) awesome flavor and the ratatouille that accompanied it was superb. My dad got the Macadamia nut crusted mahi mahi with artichoke purée, I kept coming back to his plate to sneak bites it was SOOOO GOOD!!!
ASIAGO CHORIZO MAC AND CHEESE as our al a carte side. Probably one of the best Mac and Cheese’s I have ever had.
Dessert we had the soufflé… They did not disappoint at it, It was top notch. I pretty much ate like 10,000 calories being here but every bite was worth it.
Now for some exception cocktails… Bacon infused woodford reserve, need I saw more. The «New Fashioned» and «Madhattan» were solid drinks during the meal. My after dinner drink was the «French Press» Vodka and espresso and espresso beans and a bunch of other great liquors make up this perfect way to end a meal.
If I could give this place 10 stars I would. This was the best dinner my family and I have had in a long time. Thanks Greg for making fabulous food, keep up the good work

Anniversary Dinner!
Small place — waitress tried to seat us in a crowded area — we requested otherwise and she happily obliged. The décor is of an old french restaurant — very cute and kind of homey.
While we were looking over the menu — the waitress (who had a trainee) brought out a dish of amush bouche (call me an uncultured bumpkin, but i didnt know it was a real dish) which was nice, but i cant say i remember anything about how that tasted –it was pretty bland.
I had the duck breast — and it was phenomenal! So moist, tender and melt in your mouth delicious! Im already craving it again, and im sure i will from now on out! My boyfriend got the macadamia crusted trout — also delicious and flavorful (not as good as the duck though). To finish everything off — we ordered the grand marnier soufflé. sooo yummy also. I wish i had a larger stomach to keep stuffing my face!
Overall the bill was 110 — 120, and it was worth every penny of it. Thats a lot from me, because I love cheap mom and pop places and usually think you can find top notch food at bottom notch prices. The only complaint about French 75 i have is — the waitress was very aloof and ignored us for most of the night, even though it was a pretty quite night, but I was too busy stuffing my face to notice.
I totally recommend French 75 — for a nice night out or special occassion — just be weary that you will pay for it, but its worth it!

3÷10÷12 — Frank Family Vineyard dinner at French 75 and one of the best Saturday nights I’ve had in a while.
Yet another place that I’ve been meaning to visit but for one reason or another, it just hadn’t happened. I’d been to both of the other locations when they still existed but while they were good, they didn’t seem terribly French, per se.
This night was different. From the moment we walked into the restaurant for a pre dinner cocktail I knew this place was more authentic than the other two. The restaurant is dark, it’s warm and instantly comforting. It looks like a little storybook cottage with traditional furnishings and dark wood.
Excellent menu created to highlight Frank wine. The amuse bouche was escargot. I’m a little ashamed to say this was my first escargot experience and it was sort of how I imagined it. Probably won’t repeat based on the texture. Second adventurous course of the evening: crispy sweetbreads. I was a little turned off when I looked up exactly what sweetbreads were, but… they tasted great! Like chicken, only more tender. The main courses were rabbit and venison. The dinner finished up with a port soaked pear.
The one thing that stood out the most was how well the wines paired with the courses and how well the courses incorporated the wine used to cook them with. It was pretty stellar!
The service was excellent. We were never without a full glass of water. Quick, efficient and professional wait staff. Based on the entire experience, I’ll try to make it out to all the French 75 wine dinners and if you have the means to, I’d recommend you do as well. The price was $ 85 pp which included wine with every dish and not just a measly one time pour either. If that worries you, there are plenty of great hotels within walking distance. The next time, we’ll take full advantage of that!

Excellent service. Wait staff constantly checking for finished plates and emptying glasses. Tomato soup just okay but filet steak top notch. Crème Brulee had perfect sweetness: definitely a dessert but not overly sugary. The price makes this mostly a special occasion restaurant but is definitely worth it.

My girlfriend and I recently had dinner at the french 75 and the surroundings were astronomical. We arrived on a friday night around 8:00pm with no reservations and were promptly seated, given a bread basket and offered wine. The servers were right on point they brought us everything we asked for and even suggested items that might entice us based off what we ate.
The food was just marvalous we started with the champage poached oysters with arugala and melted cheese on top followed by a salad with an amazing dressing. Our main course was Beef stroganoff and the fish filet. Just when we thought we were done Chef Greg heard that it was our first date and sent out the perfect desert to end a meal I’m positive that I will be dinning here quite frequently.

I love a champagne cocktail. I mean like we are best friends and lovers for life, but, even the delish champagne cocktail menu does not save this place from my wrath.
The inside is very loud and claustrophobic. Although there is a piano player, which I would automatically give it a star bump, you can hardly hear it with the clattering of dishes and the overly stuffed room. It is very cramped and uncomfortable. You know you are too close to a table when you can hear the intimate details of their romantic conversation. It is also unbearably warm: we, quite literally, asked to move outside, with a heater. The service is inelegantly slow. It felt a little chain-​restaraunt to me.
As to the food, I ordered a seafood crêpe, which was overly sauced and inauthentic. As a lady of upstanding virtue, I drowned the food in overpriced, albeit excellent Champagne cocktails, as I waited and waited for each course to arrive. All in all, I thought the food was very heavy-​handed and unduly rich and the service was poor. It was also shockingly expensive for what we ate, it was probably the mind-​erasing champagne.

This place is like the Buca Di Beppo of French restaurants.
Buca Di Beppo is higher than Macaroni Grill & Olive Garden, but its still a chain restaurant.
Enter French 75…
Years ago when the restaurant was still owned by the amazing chef David Wilhelm, it was truly a hidden gem. Family and friends raved about how great the food was and I recently visited this place.
The food here is pretty good (not spectacular) but still…
It’s a bit over priced and the portions are not that big.
I highly recommend the steak with crème sauce, seabass and wild mushroom ravioli.
For dessert you MUST Get the chocolate soufflé, its moist, rich, crispy edges and hot yummy goodness.
I am giving this place 3 stars because it is a pretty decent joint, but a bit over priced for what it is.
I have been to other french places that charge 20% less for better food (like Café Camelia in Bellflower and La Rive Gauche in Palos Verdes)
So minus one star for being over priced
Minus one more star for having smaller portions and too dim lighting.
It you are really really hungry, you may still be hungry afterwards…
THE VERDICT:
3 stars and an A Ok french place. I recommend it for a date, or if you live within a 5 mile radius, its great for a date. This place is really only worth going to if you are a local.
Otherwise, save your gas money in this horrible recession and find other french places closer to your home.

I’ve been eating here since it was owned by David Wilhelm, expanded into a chain and then it all went to hell with the economy. They have gone through quite a few changes– it’s now run by the Pascal Olhats group.
That being said, I have never had a bad meal here in dozens of visits. One year, we even had our office Christmas party out front in the tented area.
Earlier this year, I had one of the best tasting menus ever (see pic). For $ 55, it was just superb. The Maine lobster with potato gnocchi alone was worth the price of admission. And the cheese course, wow!
Wonderful ambience, great food and rotating specials make this place one of Laguna’s best values, although not inexpensive.
Since they have live music on the weekends, if you actually want to hear your date, ask to sit in the small room with the fireplace to the left as you enter. Otherwise, sit as close to the entertainment as you can, ha!

This is one of my favorite spots to relax at in Laguna Beach. Since moving out of town a while back, my girlfriend and I regularly meet up with my dad and his steady for a night of stiff drinks and succulent appetizers. Neil, his favorite bartender, always takes great care of us, often refreshing drinks the moment they’re down to the ice. The appetizers here are so amazingly delicious, I can’t get enough of them. We usually end up order 3 or 4 of the same thing because they’re so damn good. My personal favorites are the sliders (any style… in fact, I’d recommend getting the slider sampler plate) and, though I don’t even know the name, there’s this shrimp dish they make with a creamy sauce which is outrageously good. I highly recommend dipping something from the bread basket in the sauce once you’ve devoured the shrimp; it’s mouthwatering.
They recently made some changes to what items are available as part of their happy hour. The current menu has an impressive list of delectable selections, most of which will set you back under $ 10. On my last visit, my gf and I split the petite filet mignon with mashed potatoes and onion rings, and I got an oyster shooter (w/​Ketel One) for only $ 3. It was a slow Wed night, so we were able to secure a window-​side table with a great view of PCH. Coupled with the ambiance inside, and a sultry singer belting out classics at the piano, it was about as serene an evening as you could want.
As was mentioned before, valet if you’re getting here early. But anytime after 7pm, there is ample free meter parking to be found either on PCH or Glenneyre.

Loved Everything! Dinner was amazing and music made it really romantic.