07/22/09

Great Service and a Great new menu

by WhiteCoat

From the start the service was spot on as well as the wine list (with some great selections, hard to find bottles ) and the new menu is great a big departure from the old. The lamb was fantastic as were the steaks. As a whole one of the best bets in Orange County.

• Pros: The service was great, and the new menu is exciting
• Cons: Pricing a bit steep

02/16/09

Bad Service! Bad Food! Overpriced!

by Subscience007

Upon arrival the first thing that bothered me was instead of being seated in the restaurant... they ushered us out into a makeshift patio tent where they crammed as many people as possible into. The heaters were somewhat working to say the least but we didn't make a scene and beared with it even though it was a cold evening. For the 130/person pricetag on Valentine's, you'd think maybe a glass of champagne or sort of holiday cocktail would be in order as part of the menu, but no, drinks were 15 dollars extra. For Starters, a lobster citrus pallete taster... which actually was probably the best item we had all night, even though it was one bite. Appetizer- I had the Oysters on the half, I love oysters, and these tasted like seawater with a splash of their special vinegarrette, which basically hid the taste. Horrible... oh, and probably the smallest oysters I'd ever seen. Dinner- had the Filet Mignon, which, was "just ok". Finally... dessert. I ordered a berry dish with vanilla ice cream, and a cabernet sauce. From the sound of it it sounded refreshing... but what I got was a joke. The Service- From dropping plates, to serving us the wrong bottle of wine, to delivering drinks and food to our table that wasn't ours and having to backtrack, this service was an absolute joke. I ended up spending 400 dollars and I was treated like was at Outback. Oh, and the best part... I get a 25 dollar gift certificate with my bill..Oh AND they gave my date a rose, which would have been great, IF THEY REMOVED the thorns from it! are you serious, a thorny rose? Someone didn't get the memo. The bloody marks on my date's fingers I'm sure have already healed... After signing my check I left the restaurant, apologized to my date, threw the gift certificate away, and said a couple of prayers.I never complained once while I was there ... but thats what sites like this are for.

• Pros: The cocktails.
• Cons: The Food, service, and ambience.

11/10/08

Perfect romantic evening!!!

by hjotis

It's been a few years since my wife and I paid a visit to this Laguna Beach land mark, but we were feeling frisky and needed to get away from the kids so we decided to revisit. What a great night! We were greeted in the charming patio area by a very friendly waiter who escorted us in and introduced us to the cute hostess. We opted for a drink at the bar. The bartender offered a few champagne cocktails (forgot the name, I think it was a Chanel), and they were very well made, not too sweet and very refreshing. The bartender and the waiter who greeted us engaged us in a entertaining conversation about travel experiences. The bartender sweetly showed us a picture of his baby to us and others at the bar. It's obvious the staff is very close and work together well. We had another round then we're taken to our table. Once again the same waiter who greeted us and introduced himself (Michael,easy to remember as it is our sons name) and after a brief conversation left us alone with the wine list.

Some of the best bread I've ever tasted arrived along with a great olive spread. The chef sent out a tasty little cheese dish and we were off and running. After choosing a favorite Pinot, our server described the menu highlights and offered a few recommendations. His culinary knowledge was impressive and he treated us as if we dined there every night, very friendly and amusing. We shared a fantastic scallop appetizer, they were served with a corn and truffle pudding that was amazing. I had the lamb which was perhaps the best I've ever had and my wife had a filet that was perfectly cooked. The service was attentive without being obtrusive. We were offered a souflle but passed,a decision we were soon to regret as we saw one being served at the next table. The Manager stopped by to thank us for dining with them, which I thought was a nice touch. After some nice strong French roast style coffee our check was presented with perfect timing. A fantastic experience! Thanks!

• Pros: Service, Ambience, Wine list, food and all around charm

05/17/08

Lovely Dining Experience

by Martinep

After reading the book A Year in Provence, I was in the mood for good French food. My 24TH anniversary was coming up so I had the perfect excuse to try French 75 in Laguna Beach.It almost didn't happen though after reading some of the previous reviews. I almost cancelled our reservations. However, I always play it safe returning to the same tried and true eateries. Yes, they are always good, but I wanted an adventure so we decided to see for ourselves if French 75 would deliver or not. I am so glad I checked it out. French 75 was a great place for a special occasion. The atmosphere was romantic. Our waiter was attentive and pleasant. Our dinner was wonderful. The sauces are what I would expect from good French cooking and the dark-chocolate souffle was dreamy. I didn't quite feel like I was in Provence, ( a waiter with a French accent might have helped), but the food was great, the wine pairing was perfect and it was a fun time. I hope to go again.

• Pros: Great food service and ambiance
• Cons: a bit pricey

08/07/07

Paris Top Restaurants

by auberge

This L'Auberge restaurant is not only home to the finest and freshest fish but also boasts of some of this city's best desserts.My friend summarised L'Auberge Restaurant: she described this restaurant as the sort of place that you might enter for an excellent meal meanwhile! Situated Paris 14. Stroll through the streets of Paris' 14th arrondissement.

The decor is simple, elegant and a delicious restaurant for grilled meat, fish and seafood dishes, has without a doubt all the charms of a restaurant. With an excellent welcome and wonderful presentation, this is a great establishment with subtle, original decor and a peaceful and convivial atmosphere.

Their secret: the hard work and smile of an exceptional company. The restaurant has a dining room equipped with 80 place settings and a professional and warm service team ready to take your order between 12h and 14h45 and again in the evening between 19h and 23h30, with or without reservations.

I know that I shall be adding it to my list of Top restaurant to visit both during the day and at night.

07/16/07

Expectations were never met....

by 1mansview

As a resident in the area, I see French 75 everyday I drive down PCH. It has a nice location and the ambience is nice enough.

Thank god for a good wine selection becuase we had to ask twice to see a menu and waited well over an hour for our meals without an apology or an explanation.

The other diners had all eaten, paid their bills and left before we had even received our meals!

Our waiter, who couldn't talk all of a sudden brought out the manager. The manager apologized and explained for 5 minutes that the waiter was a nice guy, good relationships are made this way and we'd be happy to know that our dinners would arive in 5 minutes. 15 minutes later the manager brought our dinners (never saw the waiter again) and we immediately asked for the bill. But was left unattended and had to ask twice for the bill. We couldn't wait to get out of there!

The meals were "fair" at best.

In short, we had:

Good: wine, conversation.

Bad: service, a very long wait, tasteless steaks, dry seafood, questionable staff.

• Pros: wine selection
• Cons: food, staff and having to wait

07/09/07

Absolutely perfect

by claritarejoice

Man, the experience here was perfect in every way - just what I hoped for. I did a lot of research on what restaurant to take my husband to for his birthday and French 75 in LB did not disappoint. So what if it's not traditional French (I have been to France) - not much is in the U.S. We went early for happy hour so we were able to get several drinks each at a great price, and free appetizers. The waiters were very friendly and stood around and chatted with us. I had originally reserved a table on the patio but when we arrived and realized the patio was on the street next to traffic, we were able to move to a booth that usually holds 5 people. the waitress was great. Of course being a meticulous researcher I had picked my entree ahead of time from the internet menu :) Duck three-way was perfect. My husband's dinner was great too - don't remember what it was but the meat was cooked just right. It was quiet and private and very romantic. At the end we were brought a complimentary birthday desert. Thank you French 75!

• Pros: Romantic, friendly service, happy hour, flexible seating, duck three-way.

02/19/07

pork chop was nice and juicy

by pinays

i met up with a friend for dinner and we enjoyed our experience. the atmosphere is a little bit too stuffy. but the food was pretty good. the service was ok.

01/06/07

Two extremes - great and horrible

by maitianci

Wife and I had dinner there a couple's weeks ago and found some things great, some a bit, well "eh". The first room downstairs to the left had a very musty odor to it, but luckily we only passed through to our table on the second floor. We ordered the recommended shrimp appetizer which fell way short of satisfaction. The entrees were an Australian Blue Sea Bass which was fresh, but a bit bland and the three-way duck which was a homerun. The medium rare duck breast medallions, roasted confit leg and sauteed foie gras were absolutely fantastic. Desert was a joke...Creme Brulee was overtorched and cookies were seriously hard enough to break a tooth. The overall atmosphere is great and the food has potential, but only if the kitchen pays attention to the details and retine the menu.

• Pros: Three Way Duck
• Cons: Appetizers & Deserts

11/03/06

Chucky Cheese for adults

by mpascuzzi

Don't you just hate it when a restauraunt can't figure out what it wants to be ? Going for romance I chose this place as a sure-fire bet with my wife. It started out well with an intimate table for two, candlelight, wine, the whole shebang. We ordered our entrees and the appetizers arrived-and then it went down-hill very quickly. Soon we were surrounded by a party of 20 women each holding a photo album and a bottle of wine. It got loud , obnoxious, and we didn't see our waitress for over 30 minutes let alone get our meals. What we had was great, but the management needs to decide whether to go for romance or volume. They can"t have it both ways.

• Pros: Ambience
• Cons: Crowded, noisy