I made a solo trip to Carmel and dropped by Andre’s to make a reservation for that evening, mentioning that I loved their seared foie gras and duck confit. The young woman said they were out of duck confit but she was sure I would find something else. When I arrived that evening, the waitress rushed over and told me that the chef had made a special arrangement to get my duck confit. I was thrilled. It was beyond delicious, as was the rest of the dinner. This 72 year old traveling solo felt like a celebrity getting the chef’s special attention. I even wrote about my wonderful experience on my Doc Flamingo blog.
Beth S.
Évaluation du lieu : 4 Morgan Hill, CA
Always a pleasure to dine here. Benoit, the head chef is fantastic! The service is outstanding and the sommelier/wine manager, Dimitri, is spot on with his wine suggestions for pairing with your entrée selection. Not over priced and stuffy. One of my favorite places to dine in Carmel.
Ingrid L.
Évaluation du lieu : 5 Palo Alto, CA
Soooo good! My husband and I visited on Valentine’s Day and were happily surprised that they didn’t have an overpriced prix fixe menu, just the regular(delicious!) menu. The duck rillette with apple chutney was amazing, but the star was the scallops with risotto and truffle. I wanted to lick the plate it was so satisfying. Staff were lovely as well, slow to get our order, but once that was in, the service for the rest of the meal was impeccable.
Byron M.
Évaluation du lieu : 5 Marina, CA
Incredible French cuisine with fair pricing. Their wine selection is truly phenomenal, too. Try the foie gras and any of their soups(the mushroom is exceptionally yummy). Service is great, too! Highly recommended!
Cindy J.
Évaluation du lieu : 5 La Cañada Flintridge, CA
Amazing food, amazing service, amazing atmosphere. Literally just perfect, I don’t have anything else to say.
Sherry L.
Évaluation du lieu : 4 San Francisco, CA
For the first time in a long time, I didn’t take any pictures at dinner. So I’m sorry there are no pictures to accompany this review! Dinner was great. We went on a Sunday, so it wasn’t packed at all. We got one of the corner two-seater booth tables by the open kitchen. This is by far the best seat in the restaurant. You can overhear all the conversations between the chef and staff and see all the broiler action. Maybe because we went on a Sunday or perhaps they’re about to close for a week, but they were running out of some of the items. The salmon was gone when we got there. Then the foie gras and lobster risotto fell victim. Luckily we didn’t want any of that. We ordered the jumbo scallops with saffron emulsion and the 12 oz ribeye. There was a tense moment when the chef said«only 3 ribeyes left» and we wondered if we were one of the lucky 3.(We were.) The scallops were great, though there were only 3. It was the perfect amount for me since the French onion soup really filled me up. The saffron emulsion was delicious with an oaky Chardonnay. The side vegetables were delicious as well. The ribeye was by far the star of the night. Really great sauce(Cabernet and shallot reduction) with a perfectly cooked rare. The onion soup was fairly good and the salad with beets and baked cheese was really good. Highly recommend if you’re in the Monterey/Carmel area!
Michal H.
Évaluation du lieu : 4 Sacramento, CA
The entrees are smaller, so if you are hungry get an appetizer. I had eaten a lot earlier and was full so we headed directly to the main menu. The venison is delicious as is the seafood risotto. The sommelier gave me a fantastic recommendation for wine in my price range. The service is a little frenzied when they are busy, but is excellent when it slows down a bit. I highly recommend this restaurant. Try and get a reservation to sit at the kitchen bar or the tables looking into the kitchen if you want to be entertained.
Mona k.
Évaluation du lieu : 3 New York, NY
This homey French restaurant was a mix of hit and miss. We ordered fois gras, lobster bisque, beef tenderloin and duck confit. HIT: Fois gras was great. I never had it seared before, it was delicious with its sauce. The beef tenderloin was so tender(duh) and was perfectly cooked. MISS: Lobster bisque was way too watery and there wasn’t not much flavor. Very little lobster meat visible nor I could taste it in the bisque. Duck confit… Alas… Duck confit is one of my favorite French food and it was devastatingly awful. It was swimming in butter, way too salty, no other flavor than some note of parsley and over cooked to a point of tough exterior. The decadent smell of duck was no where to be found and what was left tasted something like rotisserie chicken from Safeway. The staff is fantastic and the recommendation from in house sommelier is worth noting. They have an extensive wine list if you are a wine connoisseur. Overall, not bad but not great. 2.5 stars.
Qi Q.
Évaluation du lieu : 2 West Covina, CA
I can only say that everything sounds better in the menu. its was ok but not good or great.
Amanda L.
Évaluation du lieu : 5 Monterey, CA
One of the best restaurants in Carmel! The foie gras a la poire and the truffle risotto for apps were mouth watering. The wine, perfection. Thanks to the help of our sommelier. All 4 meals we chose were absolutely amazing! Props to the chef! We will definitely be going back and referring friends and family. Thank you for the wonderful experience!
Sherry M.
Évaluation du lieu : 2 Livermore, CA
I’m getting ready to plan our annual trip to Carmel, and I’m researching restaurants. I’m still traumatized by my experience in this restaurant last year, so writing a review will be part of letting this go. I will preface this with saying, «I should know what sweet breads are.» I didn’t know, so I asked. Specifically, I asked, «Do the sweet breads have meat in them?»(Pretend you’re completely ignorant of sweet breads and going off the name and vague description alone.) Our server told me no, they did not, with the exception of the demi glacé. I decided to be brave and order them, feeling assured that it wasn’t some sort of shocking meat. As you likely know, they are exactly that. I ate every bite, thinking, «This sure has a meat-like texture, but it’s yummy.» When my plate was clean, our server told me what I’d eaten, saying, «I didn’t want to tell you what it was until you tasted it. Usually women won’t order it if they know what it is.» At that point, I felt like puking; my entire«special, romantic» dinner was ruined. I hope tricking people into ordering exotic dishes isn’t a common practice here. I would guess not, since my friends all laughed that I didn’t know what it was… it seems that I was uniquely ignorant. This is particularly egregious when folks avoid veal(and their glands) on principle. Meh. I just won’t go back.
Jessica K.
Évaluation du lieu : 4 Carmel, États-Unis
Tout simplement délicieux et très bien accueillie !! Je recommande fortement ce restaurant français au cœur de Carmel
JJ G.
Évaluation du lieu : 5 Santa Clara, CA
This place is excellent! Loved everything — Seared foie gras — escargot — seared tenderloin w foie gras(lol) — steamed mussels The portion was just right and both of us were very satisfied! Will definitely come back!
Carolyn H.
Évaluation du lieu : 1 Emeryville, CA
DONOTGOHERE! Food was ok. Customer service: BAD! The worst customer service we have ever met. I hate to give 18% tipping for the rude and impatient waitress. She ruined our Carmel vacation. Zero star! When we came in, no smile, no greeting. After she set up our table, I said Thank you, she simply ignored me. I was feeling weird. I said THANKYOU again. She murmured without even raising her head. I should’ve chose to walk away but I didn’t since we had a big group, I didn’t want to disappoint everyone else. Right after we sat down, it took a while for her to hand us the menu. Then nightmare began, she was totally unhappy to take our orders, inpatient to provide our drinks … All of us could obviously see her attitude. What’s wrong with this lady? Manager, I ll find her name on the receipt. You should fire her!
Alyse P.
Évaluation du lieu : 5 Burlingame, CA
My boyfriend and I celebrated his 29th birthday here tonight. It was delicious! We found the restaurant on opentable and were able to make a reservation. The hostess was very sweet and was even able to seat us early even though the restaurant was full. Lauren was our server and she was fabulous! Very attentive, but still gave us space to relax and enjoy our evening. The bartender was the sweetest gentleman and came to our table to go over wine options. For the food. Mmmmm. Loved every bite and ate ever last morsel. The foie gras was heavenly, melt in your mouth goodness. A must try! So was the mushroom soup. I’ve never had better(a recommendation from our server). Main courses were the salmon and beef filet. Both were cooked perfectly. Overall we loved our experience and will be back again soon! Ambience is romantic. food is excellent. Service is wonderful. To me, that makes a great restaurant! Thank you for a wonderful evening!
Clara B.
Évaluation du lieu : 5 Los Angeles, CA
The best dinner what can I say, Wow! Oysters from Morro Bay truly very fresh and tasty too. The fish was amazing and the lamb chops were great too! The staff really personable and very attentive. I can’t wait to return for another amazing dinner… Thank you for making our vacation memorable!
Aggy B.
Évaluation du lieu : 5 Santa Clara, CA
First time trying French cuisine and my gosh… The Foie Gras is to die for. It literally melts in your mouth. And while the texture may be a little off-putting to some(it’s like you’re eating melted fat), I absolutely loved it, especially because it comes on top of a little toasted baguette-type bread. I also tried veal for the first time, and it was SO good. I just can’t describe how good it is. Definitely a new experience for me. Unfortunately, I was partially full when we went, so if I go when I’m starving, the food will probably taste 100x better than it already was. If I have the chance to go again(it is very pricey), I am definitely getting foie gras again. Best thing on the menu!
Mary L.
Évaluation du lieu : 5 Reno, NV
Love this place!!! Loved everything about our dinner!!! The restaurant is a carling little place in a side street. You would barely know it’s there! The moment you walk in, you feel the 5 star elegance everywhere! The tables are set to perfection! The staff of professional and kind! And the ambiance is soft and romantic! Ordered the French onion soup(it’s called something different on the menu) as an appetizer… It was heaven! The hubby got the lobster bisque, also amazing! Not sure which was better! They both were lovely! I ordered the pan seared beef tenderloin and the hub ordered the grilled rib eye. We both ordered them medium rare. Both were cooked to perfection!!! Mine was tender and flavorful! The truffle glaze was to die for!!! For dessert we ordered the crem brûlée!!! It was so good!!! Order the crem brûlée! It will Make your night!!!
Angela T.
Évaluation du lieu : 4 Laguna Beach, CA
If you’re a fan of French cuisine, I highly recommend this cozy bistro located in the heart of downtown Carmel. I also advise dining at the kitchen bar where the magic happens. We gave Chef Jacques(a fun Frenchy character from Nice) cart blanche and the experience did not disappoint. They also have a great Som w/sensational wine offerings. Owned and operated by the lovely Elizabeth Lemaire, you must give it a whirl. A few highlights from dinner: white asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, perfectly prepared white fish, a savory crusted lamb ending with a simple cheese plate.
Anna V.
Évaluation du lieu : 4 Oakland, CA
This place was great for a nice, romantic dinner. We came here shortly after foie gras returned to California menus — foie wasn’t listed on their web site menu at the time, but we were delighted to find it on the menu when we were seated. You can view the kitchen if you sit in the back half of the restaurant. Much of the staff speaks French to each other, which is great for an added touch of authenticity :) Service was excellent, ambiance was great, and everything was delicious — I would love to come back during our next trip to Carmel :)
Joanna S.
Évaluation du lieu : 3 Burlingame, CA
Four of us tried many dishes at this traditional French restaurant. Like an updated version of the French restaurants we loved when we were young The onion soup was perfect, with the broiled Gruyère on top. The mussels were also perfect and the green salad with baked cheese was good. I had a special – duck breast with mushrooms, which was good, but not great. Not sure what it was missing, but it was not the same caliber as the other dishes. Desserts were excellent. We had the warm chocolate cakes and apple tart. I like the tart tartin, which reminded me of French tarts. Too many American bakers add a layer of almond or custard next to the crust. This was a perfect flaky tart Even though it was a very nice meal, my husband and I were dying of thirst that night. This probably means that the food had too much salt, so I have reduced the rating