A fancy dinner here is always an A+
Bertrands at Mister A's, San Diego CA
2550 5th Avenue # 406, San Diego, CA 92103
(619) 239-1377 www.bertrandatmisteras.com
Who doesn't like fine dining? This place has OUTSTANDING food, service, and ambiance. It is a bit pricey but this place is perfect for a special occasion. The restaurant is located on the top floor of a building located in North of Downtown. You get an awesome view overlooking Downtown. Now let's talk about their food. My first time here was for during restaurant week. Their lobster streudel appetizer is one of a kind; it was very well prepared. But so is everything else. I was told their baked mussels and escargot was pretty good too. My brother had a steak and it was cooked perfectly. It came with a side of grilled bone marrow and potato. He was very satisfied with the side of bone marrow that accompanied his steak. My friend enjoyed his salmon and tempura vegetables. The picture of the lamb chops was my entrée and I have to say that was one of the best tasting lamb chops I've ever had; came with fried polenta and pesto sauce. I'm very picky when it comes to how my lamb is cooked; I'm not crazy with that gamey aftertaste. The lamb I had here was cooked so well that there was no gamey aftertaste. Then there was dessert, each plate had cake and ice cream to accent the flavors. The food was good from the beginning appetizers to the ending desserts. I've gone back during happy hour and was quite please they have happy hour on cocktails and food; their famous mac n cheese was on it ;p I have to say hands down one of the best mac n cheese I've had. I also tried their snicker mousse and strawberry shortcake; both were heavenly divine. They do live up to their name ;) I give them A+.
Sophisticated French cuisine that is all about the details
Le Fontainebleau at the Westgate Hotel, San Diego CA
1055 2nd Avenue, San Diego, CA 9210
(619) 557-3655 www.westgatehotel.com
Another top French restaurant that I've been to would be Le Fontainbleau in San Diego. The food kept on coming (in small portions that is). We had several appetizers and some were complimentary of the Chef. The plating of the dishes were very creative and was carefully thought out. All the different elements worked well together. They even give you an icy before your entrée to clear your palate. My friends enjoyed the steak they ordered while I enjoyed my fish entrée that night. Dinner was great but dessert was my favorite part of that evening. All dessert plates had mouses, cake, and or ice cream. There was a chocolate dessert plate, and 2 sweet fruit dessert plates.
Locate This French Gem
La Bastide Bistro
10006 Scripps Ranch Blvd # 104 San Diego, CA 92131
(858) 577-0033 http://www.labastidebistro.com
Now let's step down from fancy for a bit here. How often do you find a good French restaurant that's affordable these days and a bit more casual? Well I found La Bastide and you'll be please to know they are affordable and don't skimp out on their portions. This place is located in a strip mall next to Vons off of Caroll Canyon Rd and Scripps Ranch Blvd. Odd location but ideal for good food. I recommend coming here for their happy hour. Their happy hour menu has a large number of dishes served on the normal menu for half the cost. It's a great deal if you want to get in on early dinner. Happy hour ends at 6pm but they're pretty good at putting in your orders before it ends. The first time I came here with a friend was during restaurant week and we have gone back here since for their food. We were impress with their 1lb (yes that's a lot) steamed black mussels in their garlic chardonnay sauce; perfect for dipping their complimentary bread as well ;p I use to love the foie gras served with argula salad. Unfortunately, I won't be getting anymore of that because foie gras has been banned in California. I love their rack of lamb plate; 2 bones are accompanied with au gratin potatoes and a blueberry sauce. I think the lamb is cooked perfectly the way I like it (not gamey at all) and the sauce adds a hint of sweet and tartiness to the meat. The seared scallops in port sauce with homemade mushroom ravioli is genius; everything on the plate sings in harmony. The scallops are seared just right and not overcooked and the fresh pasta is soft and chewy and stuff with mushrooms in a nice rich sauce. My friend had their duck confit and she says it's pretty good; not the best she had but it's pretty decent. My friend and I shared the truffle macaroni and cheese au gratin which was good but was too much in portion for us; you only eat so much of macncheese so we had leftovers of it. As for dessert, the chocolate mousse with the orange madeline was a delightful treat. I remember we couldn't figure out whether or not the madeline had a hint of orange until we confirmed with our waiter ;p I had the apple tart with vanilla bean ice cream and that was a good note to end the meal. The tart was flaky and the apples were caramelized sweet. Makes me want to have dinner there tonight. Bon appetite ;p
Do you like enjoy the blues? You'll enjoy this kind of blue
Blue Bohemme, San Diego CA
4090 Adams Avenue, San Diego, CA 92116
(619) 255-4167 www.bleuboheme.com
This place was recommended by my brother. I usually trust his taste in food (because it's relatively close to mine). Therefore, I went and tried it with one of my good friends. The place had a very nice and romantic ambiance to it. Real stand up candles were lit next to extraordinary textured wall. The food came out and I was quite impress. Their salami and cheese appetizer board was very nice. Their parchment wrapper salmon was baked to perfection. And their desserts ended the night very well. Although we ordered off the restaurant week menu, my brother had ordered items off their regular menu and he claims they were good as well. I will definitely go back and get their baked salmon ;)
Lunch done the French way was good
Cafe Chloe
721 9th Avenue, San Diego, CA
(619) 232-3242 · cafechloe.com
Cafe Chloe is located in the heart of Downtown, San Diego. It's small but it has the charm of what you envision a French restaurant should have. Fresh flowers and glasses of water are on each table. The menu for lunch can be a little confusing if you're not familiar with their selective ingredients. Do ask your waiters what's in the dishes. The food was very tasty. I had ordered their hanger steak sandwich and I really enjoyed it. The steak was tender and seasoned well; it was served with fresh mix of garden salad with a light tangy dressing. My friend had ordered their crab cake sandwich and it was bigger than his hand (okay exaggerating but it was big). Their fries or how they call it 'pommes frites' were good to share. Their macaroni, pancetta, and french blue gratin could have been a dinner for two. Everyone enjoyed their lunch and it's definitely a spot to come back to.
A cute French Restaurant
Bernard's Bistro
15 Via Bel Canto
Henderson, NV 89011
(702) 565-1155 montelagovillage.com/
This restaurant is located on the Ravella Resort on the outskirt of the Las Vegas Strip in Henderson. This place is in an unexpected location next to a beautiful lake. My brother had said "coming to this restaurant made the trip worth it".We came here right when they were opening and were the first customers in that morning. The decor is very unique. This place is so cute! There's pieces of decor from the Titanic era to pieces from the classic Hollywood era. There's something to see at every corner; you'll be surprised. You also get to see a side of the kitchen which is really neat. The staff was very friendly and attentive to our orders. We were also greeted by Bernard himself; he's this sweet old man who is proud of his restaurant and will strike up a good conversation with you about it. The menu was open to all breakfast, lunch, and dinner items. My brother had the smoke salmon benedict; it was served with a side of potatos and fruit. He had requested the eggs to be more on the well done side and he was very pleased on how it came out exactly the way he wanted it. My quiche was hands down the BEST quiche I've ever tasted in my life. The quiche was soft and fluffy light like whipped air. I don't know how they do it. The argula salad and fruits accompanied my quiche very well. My mother's planko fish and chips were freshly hot and fried quite nicely. I don't think I'll ever find a cute and charming place like this anywhere else ;)
