Le Coq d’Or

My wife and I had dinner at Le Coq d’Or during the Valentine’s weekend. I realize that this was going to be a «banquet» type dinner so perhaps the expectations should not be as high as a normal dining room service. Even given that, our experience was less than satisfactory — a huge disappointment for what could be a great place to eat.
If you haven’t visited Château des Fleurs, do so — it is impressive structure. With the large crowd, diners were served in the ballrooms: a very beautiful setting. The ladies were presented with a rose upon being seated, a nice touch.
The dinner was «prix fixe» and the menu was set. The wine list was extensive with a good selection of wines by the glass and reasonable prices.
Unfortunately the meal itself was mediocre at best. The appetizer was listed as scallops, smoked salmon, and prawns. The smoked salmon was fine, the breaded shrimp was overcooked, and the scallops were a mystery. What was presented was a olive sized piece of what apparently was a scallop sitting in shell surrounded by a rather tired sauce. It was overcooked and difficult to chew. I couldn’t eat it.
The main course was beef tenderloin with lobster tail. The lobster tail was rather small and was sitting in a sauce of potato and celeriac purée, oddly enough. Drawn butter would have been nice. The tenderloin was served medium which was likely the reason it was not very tender.
Finally the dessert was a strawberry cream cake with chocolate covered «strawberries». The cake was ok, nothing special. The listed «strawberries» turned out to be half of an under ripe strawberry partially dipped in chocolate.
Conclusion: beautiful ambiance and food that would be just satisfactory for an average restaurant but not for a fine dining experience.

Please read the letter that I sent to them below. I never got so much as a phone call as a follow up. No apology, no please come again… nothing. Their French arrogance is going to put them out of business
Dear Le Coq d’ Or,
I hesitated on writing this letter but realized that you can never improve unless you know how your customers feel about your food and service.
I had reservations on January 9^th to celebrate my wife’s birthday. To avoid confusion I called the afternoon of the 9^th to make sure that you had our reservations and asked if there was anything that could be done to honor my wife for her birthday. The gentlemen that I spoke with stated that they would love to honor my wife for her birthday and would even provide a small desert with a candle on it. It was not my expectation that you provide this but I was elated that you had offered. I also asked if the staff could be alerted so that they would wish her happy birthday when we were seated at the table. The gentlemen assured me that both of these things would be done for her. Upon our arrival a lady greeted us at the door and there was no mention of the birthday, the wait staff said nothing when they approached the table, no desert was offered nor was there any mention of her birthday what so ever for the entire evening. This is a small thing but an evening at a restaurant such as yours is not just about the food, it is about the experiences. That is why customers will pay the additional price. We have had better experiences at casual dining spots that charge much less.
Also that evening I ordered, the Branzino. When the dish arrived, it was presented very well but it had obviously sat under the warmer too long. The sauce surrounding the fish had
was as hard as rock candy and I had to crack it off in pieces with a knife. My fork would not even penetrate it. The fish was over-​cooked and mushy. The flavor was very good but not a very pleasant eating experience. On a side note, we recently dined at Barbacoa and the special was Sea Bass, it was flaky and firm and tasted fresh, not over cooked. I did not send it back because I did not want my wife to eat alone while I waited for a new dish, nor did I want to make a fuss on her birthday. On another side note, I noticed that two other tables around us had sent their food back.
Finally, the service staff seemed unorganized. They seemed to be going around almost appearing that they did not know what they should be doing.
We will wait for a while to see if you can stay open and improve your product and service before we try and return. If we do return, I will do it with great speculation.
I did not perceive value for the $ 150.00 we spent for dinner for two.
If you would like to discuss this further with me please feel free to contact me.

We had a lovely evening. We were lucky enough to get in on the Valentine’s weekend dinner. The service was excellent, food yummy and the wine list had some very good choices. We chose a chardonnay from Burgundy, France (a place we will be visiting this summer). The live music was perfect for this evening.

Looking for something special to celebrate our twenty-​fifth anniversary, my wife and I dined at Le Coq d’Or on February 6. We have been a huge fan of Chef Franck since the days of his shop in the mall, and we were not disappointed: the food was wonderful, as was the service, and – this being the week before Valentine’s Day – the restaurant was busy but not packed.
The building is marvelous, and we hope to return in the summer, when we can wander about the grounds. There is, quite literally, no other location in the area to equal this setting.

Franck! I love you man and I love what you did in the Mall and at Le Coq Rouge. I’m begging you… please, please, please… fix what is going on at Le Coq d’Or. Just ate my second meal with you. Prime rib was Luke warm and under cooked, wife’s tenderloin was tough and overlooked, and the food is really bland compared to Le Coq Rouge, and the best part of our meal was the wine… which I brought from home. Seriously Franck, please fix this. You have an awesome locale, the décor and feel of the physical plant is great! Do it justice. Bring back the Le Cog Rouge level of quality of food, I’m begging you!
Until then… buyer beware. Grit in Eagle is far better and will cost you less than half of Le Coq d’Or, and that includes drinks (killer Tito’s martinis at Grit btw).

Heres our review of the french food. Definately a good place to go for the building’s sake and the history of it. The menue lacked some of my favorite French Foods which was disapointing. I had the duck as a main course which was very good, my wife had phaesant which was dry. I had a beet salad which was good but doesnt touch my wife’s — admited bias. The French Onion soup — excellent. The bread, huge let down, I expected home made or at least something remotely European in quality. The apetizer also not great, crab something or other. Had a coffee cheese cake, not a typical cheescake and it was awesome. Had the petit syrah from Bitner’s which is always great! Cost more than the level of food served in my opinion. Worth going to, and overall 3 ½ stars

We visited Le Coq d’Or in the middle of October for our anniversary. I give them an A for effort and a C– for execution.
This is a beautiful building. They nailed French country château. The restaurant is a small space just to the left of the entrance. When we entered, we were promptly seated. That’s where the problems started. After ten minutes, I had to flag down a waiter to ask him if we could order some wine. We were seated where I could see the wine selection. Every time a waiter went to get a bottle of wine, they stood their scanning the shelves trying to find what they were looking for. The wine list isn’t that large. The staff, although they appeared to be trying hard, seemed to be in over their head. I can write this off new restaurant jitters and hope that they can bring the service up to the level this restaurant is trying to achieve.
The food. We started with the scallops on the half shell and the escargot. Beautiful presentation, underwhelming in flavor. Both dishes were under seasoned. In fact, the only dish properly seasoned was the chocolate mousse we had for dessert, which was superb. As for the escargot, there was an odd flavor I can only associate with how the snails were preserved.
For our main courses, my wife ordered the Coq Au Vin, for which they use half of a Cornish game hen, and I ordered the lamb chops. The Coq Au Vin arrived at the table literally room temperature. As for the lamb chops, leaving the fat cap on is appropriate, but there was as much fat on these chops as there was meat. And I have a serious problem paying $ 44 for three, half inch thick chops. Both entrees had a square of potatoes au gratin on them which was also under temperature. The vegetable was a cabbage roll stuffed with a vegetable stuffing that appeared to be mostly bread. It came across as two starches on the plate.
The «A» for effort. The staff was trying to do their best. A waiter different from one assigned to our table came by and asked about the entrees. My wife told him about the room temperature dish and he promptly took it back to the kitchen. The replacement meal took ten minutes to arrive but in the end, they comped the dish. The aforementioned chocolate mousse was also comped.
I want to like this place. A high end french bistro type restaurant would be a nice addition to the area. But at this point, it will take a litany of five star reviews before I’m willing to endure those prices again.

I am giving this restaurant 2 stars. The setting and the décor of their restaurant are 5 star, as is the service. However, there were 5 people in our party and we each ordered different entrees. Not one of us in the group found our meal to be more than satisfactory. We all had a similar complaint — that the meals lacked flavor and were very bland. In all we ordered wine, soup, entrees and dessert and the one high note was the dessert. We ordered all 5 on the menu and shared — they were all great, however, with a $ 500 dinner tab, I would expect our entrees should be the highlight. I would not go back here. I don’t mind paying $ 100 per person for a fine dining experience, but I expect the food to fabulous!

We went to Le Coq d’Or several weeks ago. It had only been open approximately 3 weeks and we should have waited. However high end eating establishments don’t open very often in Boise so we just couldn’t help ourselves.
When we arrived we were promptly seated. However it took quite some time before we even had water. When the waiter did arrive we tried to order cocktails but they do not have a liquor license, so we ordered the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape and Bay Scallops au Gratin for an appetizer. The wine list in somewhat underwhelming, some nice options, but not much of a selection. I was told there is no captains list.
When the waiter brought our bottle it was a 2009 not a 2007. The waiter apologized and went off in search of the 2007. It seemed odd that with such a limited wine list they would have the 2007 AND the 2009. The waiter never found the 2007. Eventually we just waived him down and told him that the 2009 would be fine. I don’t believe that they carry the 2007 (at least not at that point) and it was merely a typo. However it seems very odd that in the weeks since opening that NOBODY pointed this out. The list should have been updated. Not a major issue, but not a great start.
Jennifer ordered the Beef Tenderloin Medallions and Prawns and I ordered the Duck Breast with Honey Truffle Sauce. We were very excited about the entrees.
The salads came out and they were nice. My better half enjoyed her Garden Greens and the Caesar Salad of the Château that I ordered was very nice.
The same can be said for the soups, nice.
At this point we had finished our bottle, and since were both going to have a heavy entrée we ordered a nice Bordeaux.
The entrees arrived a full 90 minutes after we arrived. At this point we were ravenous and promptly dove in (notice there is no mention of the appetizer we ordered). Her tenderloin was nice, nothing to rave about, but nothing to rant about either. Maybe it wasn’t the best thing to order at an authentic French restaurant with all of the other choices on the menu.
My duck was somewhat of a bi-​polar experience. The first half of the duck breast was somewhat dry and marginal at best. However, the second half of the breast was tender, tasteful. and exactly what I was expecting. I know that sounds strange, and I can’t really explain it. It was definitely the same breast, so I don’t know what else to say.
The potatoes au gratin and roasted vegetables were both very good. I especially enjoyed the vegetables, fresh, firm and full of flavor.
For dessert we ordered the cheesecake and we are very glad we did. It wasn’t the traditional heavy NY cheesecake. This cheesecake was light and wonderful. I would gladly go back just for it!
Lastly we asked about their Port selection. Our waiter wasn’t familiar with what they carried so he asked another server to come over and tell us what was available. A gentleman with a charming french accent came to the table and showed us the 10 year Port, the 20 year Port, and a third bottle but I can’t remember it’s details. However the prices he was quoting were outrageous! I was shocked that a glass of the 10 year port was approximately $ 40.00. After a brief conversation we realized that he was quoting the price for the entire bottle, not a glass. We all had a good laugh and assured him that we only wanted 2 glasses of the 20 year which he promptly provided.
After we finished our Port we asked for the check. I was again shocked at the price. After inspecting the details it appears that the server made two mistakes. He charged us for the appetizer that we never received despite the fact that we had already pointed out the fact that it never arrived. Secondly he added a THIRD bottle of wine that we never ordered, a Pomerol (I can’t remember the vintage but it was a $ 95.00 bottle), We again pointed out the the appetizer never arrived and he apologized again, and we also pointed out the additional bottle of wine. He was very nice and fixed the bill. I assume that they were honest mistakes, but not a great way to end the evening.
All that being said, we won’t be back for some time. They really need to work out the kinks with the service. We are pretty laid back and have a number of friends who work in some of the Boise areas best restaurants so we don’t like to denigrate people who are working hard to serve others. However when spending over $ 300.00 on dinner for two (before tip) we expected more. Don’t worry, we left a nice tip (25%).
In regard to the food, with the exceptions of half of the duck and the cheesecake nothing really wowed either of us. Pretty much everything was good, but not much was great.
I really hope Le Coq d’Or raises it’s game, Boise needs a 5 star French restaurant.

I write this review in the spirit of hoping to come back and update it in the near future. I was a huge fan of Le Coq Rouge and was eagerly waiting to go to have my first experience on a very special occasion, my 10^th wedding anniversary. We went and as many have stated the actual restaurant itself is stately and beautiful. You really kind of get taken aback with the grandeur of it. It is like every guest gets their own crystal chandelier. I was like well it is definitely different. The last restaurant (Le Coq Rouge) was more quaint and cozy but I can roll with swanky and I knew what I was in for so it was not surprising.
The meal was well, unfortunate. That is the best one word to use. The food was not at the level of delivery I would expect. The dishes were warm, not hot. The food needed to be seasoned a bit more. The crème brûlée was not properly cooked and the sugar bruleed appropriately. I won’t even get into the dishes themselves as I don’t want to turn this into a dish by dish dissection. The one thing I will say is the salad came in this odd little jar that was cute but really not a functional serving device. I had to dump it out of the jar into the bowl to eat it.
Overall Le Coq d’Or has some work to do and I hope that they are rolling up their sleeves and getting back to it.

We had a very underwhelming experience last night. Monkfish was very tough and over cooked, the salmon was overcooked and the risotto it was served upon was nearly raw and had crunch with every bite. The Cornish hen was cooked to perfection but with no flavor at all. The garden pasta was a junior varsity dish and looked like an Applebee’s dish. Seasoning was short or non existent on every dish on the table. Everyone was reaching for salt and pepper to bring out whatever flavor was in their respective dish. $ 300 + tab with no fond memories of our experience. This place has a long way to go. I agree with the rest of the reviews in regards to plating… no creativity. When you drop 3 plus bills on dinner/​experience you deserve much much better food. Our waiter was great… Very charming. That’s about it.

My wife and I went last night and this is our humble opinion of Le Coq d’Or. We used to go to Peter Schotts back in the day and I put this restaurant right up there with Chandlers (nice atmosphere, great steaks), The Dish (Jareds great still miss the 616), State and Lemp (more eclectic) and Barbacoa. So if you’re looking for French/​European cuisine, this is the place.
I have to say this restaurant across the board was excellent. First off, one of neighbors said that they are still in the shakeout cruise period and that is not true. This restaurant is up and running. We ordered a bottle of a French Malbec (not Argentinean) and was one of the better ones that I have ever had. Rolled into the escargot, also excellent. We used up the baguettes which were promptly replaced with the same fresh quality.
Next up, I had the endive which was also excellent. I even had to ask the chef (who came out) how he got rid of that slightly bitter taste that you seem to always get with endives. My wife had the house salad, she like it but said it was a little too sweet. I finished it an really liked it so I think it’s a matter of taste.
Next we ordered the French onion soup to share. Again excellent and NOT SALTY! I was told this was one of things to have and was not disappointed. Next up was duck breast for me (continuing theme here) excellent with amazingly fresh vegetables from their own garden. My wife had the bison also cooked perfectly (little pink on both the bison and the duck). By the way the potatoes au gratin were excellent. Finally we had the cheese cake which my wife who was stuffed by that time said she would only take one bite but ate half!
If you think this is light portioned «foofoo» dinner, we took half our entrée’s home and were stuffed.
Also, I liked the staff they were attentive, French, but with a sense of humor so not so French (does everybody remember the wine steward at peter schotts?).
Minor criticism were it was cold but in Idaho the weather can change fast and my wife thought they need to turn the lights down a little but those chandeliers are beautiful.

We really looked forward to the opening of a nice new 4 star restaurant in Eagle and booked our anniversary. The new restaurant was very appealing (maybe the white ceiling wouldn’t fly in Europe), and the two large banquet rooms look appealing. Sadly, it was a disaster, and hopefully management notices. I ordered the seafood pasta dish, $ 39.50, and it was full of shellfish and black and white pasta. Every bite of pasta included black shells, so they didn’t wash the clams and mussels, etc. My wife ordered the cornish hens and said it was «C» at best. Her cornish hens were served with a scallop potato piece that could have been made days before. They were short staffed that night, so while very nice to us, we didn’t see him much without flagging him down. In short, if you’ve eaten in France and you’ve got your hopes up this might not be the place. You might wait until they get it together. We won’t be back and have heard from others they experienced the same let down. So much promise.

From the moment we heard about a new French restaurant opening in Eagle and placed our reservation, we were looking forward to an evening of excellent food, service, and ambiance. Upon arrival at the magnificent Château, we were confident such a meal was ahead of us. But alas, ’twas not to be.
While the venue itself is grand, from the chandeliers and paintings to the flatware and waitstaff in black and white, the service was awkward, slow, and unrefined from the moment we were seated. There was apparently a printing issue with the menus, so my date and I had to share a single one. We were not given water for several minutes, and it was probably 10 minutes later before a waiter finally showed up to take our drink order, offering no recommendations on wine or attempting to make conversation. This pattern of reluctant, inattentive service continued throughout the night.
My date and I ordered salads – her a riff on caprese and I an endive, honey, and bleu cheese assortment – which were solid in flavor but nothing special. We followed with a crab and Gruyère gratin, which was the highlight of the night, but I really shouldn’t say followed because it was disappointingly brought out at the same time as salads, bread, and beverages. For mains, my date’s ribeye was ordered medium but came rare to medium rare, and my duck flambé that sounded so good on paper was amateurishly and tragically tough and overdone. The vegetables were also underdone and underseasoned. With Chef Bacquet’s resume and the $ 35-​$ 40 entrée price point I expected much, much more. On top of the execution, plating was very pedestrian with my dish and my date’s presented exactly the same – parsley gratuitously scattered around the edges along with cucumber slices that felt very out of place.
All in all, this place has the potential to be the European gem the valley has long needed, but it needs significant improvement in both front and back of house before I’ll consider going back or recommend it to my friends.

We went the second week they were open. The restaurant is BEAUTIFUL. The French onion soup was one of the best we’ve ever had. The mini French baguette took us right back to Paris. Unfortunately when we asked for additional bread we were served a sliced baguette that looked and tasted like the ones I get at Albertsons. Not bad, but nothing compared to the first. I would have gladly paid more for the mini baguette. I ordered the ribeye flambé medium rare but it came out medium. No pink at all in the middle. It was supposed be served with au gratin potatoes (which I was sooo looking forward to) but came out with just sliced potatoes. For now I’m going to chalk this visit up to them just opening. I look forward to giving a better review next time we go.

As a past fan of Chef Bacquet we were excited to try his new venture in Eagle. The first impression of the facility is quite impressive albeit not quite finished. It is obvious that great thought was put into the design of the large event type center. When completed, it has the potential to be a significant addition to the the valley.
Regarding the dining experience, there is room for improvement in a few areas. All of which are possibly related the «newness» of the operation. The menu and food was praised as very good by our whole table of four. Nice job on the truffle ravioli and escargot! Entrees included the monkfish, salmon and Cornish hen. All were quite tasty with plating presentation rated as good with some room for improvement. The wine list is small and offers a representative wine or two from appropriate world wine regions tied to the menu. A significant expansion of the wine list would add a level of sophistication consistent with the building and menu. A must in my mind.
Service was plentiful but inexperienced. It was a real treat to be greeted by a maitre’d with a French accent. The wait staff was cordial but lacked the professionalism and/​or training you might expect in a high end restaraunt. As an example, the first bottle of wine ordered was opened and poured without a tasting for any potential faults (corkage, etc.). The meals were delivered in stages– ladies first, mine was brought next and there was a delay for the fourth plate. A preferred method would be to have all plates set on the table at the same time. It appeared there was adequate staff to do this.
These issues are more than likely growing pains and offered as constructive suggestions rather than criticisms. It is obvious that the owners have invested in a first class facility and chef. It only makes sense to raise the bar in all areas. We will be back with continued high expectations.

Le Coq d’Or will make you forget you’re in Idaho. But they use Idaho ingredients — many of them from their own farm. Don’t visit if you’re in a hurry for a quick dinner — you’ll want to take your time here, sit back, and soak in the atmosphere. Just like the Europeans do :) Dining at Le Coq d’Or is an experience, not simply a meal.
The food is wonderful, as to be expected. The truffle ravioli and endive salad were delicious and full of flavor. I especially appreciated the vegetarian and vegan options, which is typically rare for French food. My fiancé ordered the halibut and said it was the best halibut dish he’s ever had. Even the house bread was great — a warm, fresh, French baguette.
The dessert was decadent. We ordered the cheesecake with strawberry mouse and the peach cobbler. Definitely getting the peach cobbler again.
The wine list is extensive and features Idaho and European wines. They have a few beers, but no liquor. I’m hoping they eventually obtain a liquor license, because I could definitely see them creating some fun and unique cocktails.
Wonderful service, beautiful tables, and stunning art on the walls. All in all, Le Coq d’OR is an awesome addition to Idaho.