The Normandy

I ate at the Normandy this evening with my dinner club, the service was good, but there was only one other table, the atmosphere did not match the prices and if the food was fantastic, I wouldn’t care. I ordered“Le Steak au Poivre”, the goat cheese potatoes were good, but the meat was horrible. Not cooked the way I ordered, but worse, it was just gristle and I had to fight spitting out the bites I took. AND it was $ 28, the most expensive dog food I have ever fed my three dogs. During my dinner… I ended up, just cutting pieces of meat and took a «doggie bag» home and seriously fed the rest to my dogs. very sad. My wine by the glass was $ 12 and OK… but not fantastic. I will never go back. I hate leaving an expensive meal, hungry. Dang.

I came in here for restaurant week early this summer. I was intrigued by the menu options and even more so when I called to inquire about gluten free options and a legit French accent answered. There are several options here for anyone trying to avoid the gluten and they were very accommodating.
We were there relatively early and it was cute to see all the older couples, who were obviously regulars, chit chat with the servers. The restaurant is pretty small with some random French pictures and decorations on the wall. It certainly makes it feel much more casual, as the website states. Service was great and orders were taken quickly and food came out promptly.
The restaurant week menu featured several of their regular menu items, I can’t say much about quantity because I haven’t eaten here before but the entrees appeared to be slightly smaller than regular size. Not a huge plus but it was a 19.00 tasting menu so. Not bad. Either way, the appetizer, entrée, and dessert were more than filling. I had the mussels in a white wine sauce which were good, my friend had the salmon ratatouille which was quite delicious. For the entrée I had a chicken with cream sauce and my friend the steak and potatoes. Mine was a tad salty for my taste. The dessert crème brûlée was great. Plating was lacking a bit and I do like to have things nicely arranged.
Overall, service was good, price affordable, atmosphere pretty casual diner feel, love the gluten free options, food was pretty good. I’m definitely interested to try it out again.

The Normandy is currently our favorite restaurant in Lincoln! Everything we have tried there we have loved.
The décor and ambiance could use a little work, but that doesn’t deter us at all.

The food was fantastic. The ambience didn’t quite match the price of the food (thus the subtraction of one star).
First-​the bread was great. It’s not the kind of crusty French bread that I expected, but it is nice and it comes with a honey butter which is delicious.
Second we ordered the scallops and the chicken, although we were tempted by both the duck and the lamb. Dining companion said the chicken was the best chicken breast he might have ever had (but I wouldn’t give it THAT high of a review, though it was good). I really liked the snap peas that were alongside the chicken. I thought the scallops and lobster risotto were bomb — and you know that’s coming from someone who doesn’t like rice. Together with the asparagus, it was killer.
Finally, the crème brûlée was the perfect texture. It was cold on the bottom and hot on the top which worked. I’m not a fan of when it’s cold all the way through.

We live just around the corner from The Normandy and have been there 3 times since they moved to 17^th St. The first time was on their first or second day of business. At that time, they were offering meals at $ 15 that included an appetizer choice, entrée, and drink. I think (don’t remember exactly) that dessert was extra.
I really wish they had kept that model going. We would eat at The Normandy FREQUENTLY if they still had the $ 15 plate. However, that option is no longer offered and the prices are very steep.
My favorite dish is not a regular menu item, but has been «du jour» the last two times I was there — a roasted pork loin surrounded by brussel sprouts with some kind of delicious apple mixture as a sauce. I’m sorry, I can’t recall it’s exact «title,» but that’s the best way to describe it. It tastes great, but costs $ 28.
I think their service and wine list has steadily improved with each visit. I read the other reviews and realize most of the people who are very negative have probably never worked in a restaurant. It takes some time to develop systems and staff that work well. The Normandy is still relatively new. They are getting better and little bit of grace and patience goes a long way, especially when the food is so good.
We’ve tried many things on the menu. The chicken a la crème is very good. I’m not such a fan of the Beef Bourginon, though. It’s just not my thing. My palate is not sophisticated enough to have had that dish elsewhere, so I can’t comment on whether it’s the dish or just my personal preferences. Like many, I’ve wondered why the bread isn’t a french baguette. I’ve been to France, and that’s what you get for bread. I would personally prefer a baguette to what they currently serve.
The Normandy has always excelled at desserts, even back to their beginnings at the Farmer’s Market. Every dessert we’ve tried has been wonderful. Save room (and money) for dessert!
Finally, enough about the décor already. Geez, people, do you have any idea how much money it takes to RUN a restaurant — much less redecorate one? First of all, I don’t think they own the building. They lease it, which means there are probably some limits to what they can change. They painted the outside and planted flowers, which was a huge improvement. Someone complained about investing in TVs? The TVs were already there. It used to be a sports bar. I’m sure the owners would love to install new carpet and improve the décor. Give them some time! They’ve made a lot of improvements and I’m sure they will make more.
Bottom line — food is great, wines are great, desserts are AWESOME, ambiance is improving, prices are steep. I’m very glad The Normandy is part of our neighborhood.

The Normandy has exceeded all expectations both times my family and I have eaten there so far. It is our new favorite neighborhood restaurant, and it truly feels like you have stepped out of Lincoln, NE and into a Parisian bistro. They offer amazing wines – their Bourdeaux Superior is one of the best reds I have ever had! As far as food, the Beef Bourginon, Chicken a la crème, and Salmon are our three favorites and definitely standout dishes. We also enjoyed an appetizer plate with local cheeses from Shadowbrook Farm that we all agreed was amazing and a wonderful start to the meal. Service was very professional and our waiter definitely knew his stuff and helped us select our wine and entrees. Prices are a bit higher than most people are used to paying but the food, wine and atmosphere is well worth it. Give the Normandy a try – you won’t be disappointed!

Very disappointing. The cute building has potential, but the décor leaves much to be desired. It did not feel clean. I agree with Laurel and Cecelia reviews above, the basket of bread and butter were very stale, I spit my bread into my napkin. The quiche tasted days old, if not a week, and was very hard, requiring some wrist effort and a knife to cut off a couple bites. It was not hot. The iced tea had one ice cube floating in it, and had that really old tea taste when sun tea has been in your fridge for too long. Very disappointing.

I really wanted to like this place. After spending an afternoon craving French food, I dove straight in with little expectations. Good thing I did. arriving at a French restaurant and seeing butcher paper covering linen tablecloths was my first clue that this place cuts corners. Started off with two appetizers, the soup of the Day (corn chowder??? Not exactly French) and the cheese plate. The soup was straight out of a Sysco bag and the Cheese plate was stale and presented on a Target plastic plate. Not to mention the old bread that was set on the table. Ugh!
After receiving information that the «Le Steak» was a 12oz ribeye cut, I decided that this was something that with a $ 28 price tag had to be edible. The flavor was bland and the best part– it was the thinnest cut of meat I have ever had. No more than 8 oz and ¼ inch thick!
All of this sitting in a place with dirty carpet, butcher block paper on the table, limited wine list and a inexperienced wait staff. This place unfortunately is why Lincoln is cautious to support establishments that are not in the Applebee’s price range…

I would highly recommend this French bistro. The wine exquisite and the food is delcious. (Small place maybe call for reservations). Entrées cost anywhere between 16 and 28.

If great food is what you desire look no further. If you want a fancy environment this is not for you. While the food was perfect and the service was great and the presentation was really appealing it is hard to get past the feeling you are sitting in a fast food Mexican restaurant. I hope the owner can make the transformation happen as I think it will make or break his restaurant. If he had opened this restaurant in a more upscale setting he would have one of the best restaurants in Lincoln. 5 stars for food 0 stars for ambiance and 3 stars for price only because of location. The prices are comparable to the Venue and because of location you feel like you have been overcharged. Still the food was delicious and i hope you give them a try but I would steer clear of the beef stew type dish.

This was our second visit to The Normandy. The first visit, shortly after they opened at their 17^th street location, was pretty disappointing. The food was not bad, but it didn’t live up to my expectations, especially given the price, and the staff were very inexperienced.
Tonight we returned to give them a second chance. Let me start with the positives: the food was greatly improved. I ordered the gazpacho, and the plate du jour, a pork cutlet with heirloom carrots in a white sauce. The soup was very good. The cutlet was a bit small, but the carrots were cooked just right and the sauce was savory and rich. My wife ordered a salad and the Chicken a la Crème, which came with perfectly cooked sugar snap peas and mushrooms. The chicken breast was tender and the sauce was delicious. We also ordered the Pâtisserie du jour, a wonderful cherry pastry that was quite good. So kudos on the food.
I think all that’s needed to make this an amazing restaurant is a better trained wait staff, and attention to a few details. The décor is shabby, but I’m sure that food and service can overcome it.
Here are the issues we experienced:
1. As soon as we were seated by the window, my wife looked to her left and there was a not-​quite-​dead fly kicking its legs on the windowsill. Not an auspicious beginning.
2. Bread and butter were served. The bread was delicious, but the butter tasted old, like it had been sitting open in the fridge.
3. My wife was served a salad in a metal bowl that had a round bottom, which made it wobbly. She had to wrestle with the salad to eat it. How about a simple bowl, or a plate?
4. An ant appeared on the table. Not freaking out about this, but it happened.
5. The server brought my entre carrying both a steak knife and the plate in one hand, and the knife was pointed at me as she placed the plate in front of me.
6. The server removed my plate before my wife finished her entre. She then returned to offer us dessert menus before my wife was done.
We also ordered a glass of wine and a beer, and the total bill came to $ 72 with tax but before tip. For that kind of money, they really must do better. For comparison, try Henry’s On South, which has excellent food, better service, and lower prices.

Love everything about this place. Friendly staff can make or break the best restaurants. Being a vegetarian the menu may be slight but they ALWAYS make my risotto something special-​different everytime! Their dishes are varied and my husband always leaves full and happy. Crème brule like it should be.
If you want fast hurried food– don’t stop by here. if you want to relax, chat with friends, drink nice wine and enjoy some accordian music– you’ll love it.

I was delighted when this French restaurant opened just around the corner from me. They seem to be always busy, and they don’t take reservations. On our third attempt, we arrived at 5:45pm on a Friday and were seated immediately.
The service was good – the waiter arrived quickly to take our drink orders and brought bread and butter. The waiter told us about the daily special, which was a lamb dish that sounded delicious. He neglected, however, to mention the price ($ 35ish) until after I had ordered it, which led to an embarrassing mental budget calculation and change of order.
My husband and I shared an appetizer order of ratatouille and enjoyed it – the veggies were tender and flavorful.
The main dishes came out soon after we finished the appetizer. My husband got the boeuf bourguignon, and we were both unimpressed. It was basically bland beef stew – unremarkable. But my chicken a la crème was to die for. I had to resist licking the plate clean, and only grudgingly shared with my husband.
We shared a crème brûlée for dessert, and it was lovely, with the perfect combination of creamy custard and crunchy sugared top.
My advice to the owner: Keep up the charm and personal attention (and the caramels!). Be upfront about prices. Consider taking reservations, at least on Fridays & Saturdays. And check the flavor of the boeuf.

Fantastic food in a less than fantastic environment.
Lincoln has been in dire need of a French food spot for some time — enter Normandy. I had lunch early on when they were in the railyard. The food was incredible and the small desert included was the perfect lunch indulgence.
My second trip was down to their new south location. I had the special — lamb and crispy kale — and it was out of this world fabulous. The rest of my group had equally good food, good wine and good deserts.
The environment is a bit on the dodgy side, but it has some redeeming ‘european dive’ qualities. An accordion player added some interesting ambiance and the wait staff was super friendly and helpful. They could improve their plating because the food flavors vastly outshone the presentation.
I’m certainly going back — it’s the perfect place for an off the beaten path date night or the foodie who knows all the best places to get the most unique food.

Well I waited 18 years to eat french food in Lincoln and after that experience I will wait another 18!
The décor is still tired after being El Sitio, they kept the same stained old carpet which was awful. The bar looked modern and clean and had a decent selection of wines, but where’s the Perrier and Evian? They had about 5 TV’s showing French television with no sound, I still don’t know why they spent money on useless TV’s? Better to have spent it on new carpet. The bathrooms were dire, when I went to leave the Gents I looked at the decorative light switch and it was black with dirt. I could tell by the outline at sometime in the 1980’s when it was installed it used to be yellow. Nothing like clearing your hands and then turning off the light, nice to be dirty again…
The server was incompetent, firstly had to ask our order 3 times over and left to the bar to keep writing it. It was not an essay, just two appraisers and 3 mains. We had the Tomato and Potato soup, both were delicious. But we were offered no bread or butter. Whilst waiting for our mains the server then decided to bring bread, I asked why not with the soup and she just smiled. Then we had to ask for butter, I think you get bread and butter together in prison? I guess not at The Normandy.
For mains I had a crêpe with fat filled ham and undercooked slimy egg with flavorless crêpe that did not even have salt or pepper. My wife had asparagus quiche which had no seasoning and barely a taste of cheese, it was poor.
I finished my food first and while my wife and child were still eating the server decided to offer me dessert. I informed her that was rude and not the time, you wait until everyone has finished especially the women.
I know French food after living with two french families, going to a language school in Monaco for an entire summer and additionally visiting France at least another 5 times. Au Revoir!