Boulevard 18

We have been going here quite frequently over the past 3 years. Went last night and what a disaster. The service was the worst ever. The food order took forever and was wrong when it arrived. When we asked for the manager we were told he is no longer there. What a shame as they ran a great restaurant. We won’t be back.

This is one of the few French options in Fairfield County, quite shocking there aren’t more given the 1 percenters make up over 25% of the population. Having lived in Paris, I can say the menu is authentic. The restaurant has great ambiance. the only downside is service can be a bit slow, but still giving it five stars since it is faster than what you get in France. Typical French menu with the usual favourites, great wine selection, and a romantic atmosphere. It is a great date night setting with a significant other. The boef tartare is perfect!

Food is great, service ok when we ate there. This week we ordered 2x via phone and picked up. First time they got the order wrong, pulled pork instead of pork crackling. Ok thats forgiveable. Second time they got the pork crackling right but tried to get away with half a pound when we ordered and paid for a pound. We have a food scale in our kitchen so we checked. We called, lady who picked up did not even apologize. They want my husband to drive out again and pick up. We asked them to reverse the amount we paid for food they did not give. Initially the lady did not know how to do it. 15 minutes later she figured it out. Wish they can just get the orders right.

Great food… Nice outdoor patio seating for summer. very consistent … Good wines

Sat night dinner, very helpful service though a little rocky at times. Oysters were really cloudy and one of the women at the table actually spat hers out. Mushroom ravioli tasted great but it was overwhelmingly rich (cream sauce, ton of parmesan, butter), I couldnt finish. Salads were ok. They get a fair amount of good reviews but as far as I am concerned, it was a totally unremarkable meal.

Just great! Chilled corn and coriander soup — fabulous. Hanger steak not to be missed — Delicious. Wine, dessert and our server were equally wonderful.

Dined here with friends for the first time. Enjoyed it very much. Lovely wait staff and welcoming hostess. The food was delicious. Also appreciated the fact that there are several vegetarian options.
My only criticism would be the bartender. She gets an award for being the least personable bartender we’ve ever encountered. With these friends we enjoy getting drinks at the bar before we dine. She was dressed in a t-​shirt and jeans and NEVER cracked even a slight smile or said a pleasant thing. Placed our drinks before us without saying a word.

Ate here for dinner and drinks last night at the bar with two of my close girlfriends from high school and enjoyed their steak tartar, deviled eggs, and grilled octopus. We we’re lucky enough to meet one of the owners of the restaurant at the bar, Mr. Semaya, who happens to live in the same town we all grew up in and he was very interested in our feedback on the restaurant. The bartender provided great service and overall it was a wonderful experience. This has become one of our favorite restaurants to visit in New Canaan. I highly recommend it.

I’ve been many times and it never disappoints. One of my favorites in New Canaan, or anywhere for that matter. I just told my wife I was writing this review and she instantly started craving their Lamb Burger.

Had a wonderful dinner outside on a crisp fall evening. The staff rushed to light a fire and overhead heater for us and service was so accommodating! Food was excellent and wine selections were very good also. What a nice restaurant !!!

We just stopped in there for after diner drinks. It was perfect. We didn’t get to taste the food but hung out at the bar and really enjoyed ourselves. The décor is old NE with a French flair. The owner and employees were very friendly and attentive. The menu looked great but can’t count my review for that. Just wanted to say this is a place we’ll come back to eat.

This is a FABULOUS place to come! The food, bar, and service are incredible. The fire put outside is inviting, even during the summer on a chilly evening! I spent a Saturday evening here with my family, enjoying the bar, cheese platter, and desserts. The owner ensured we were having a great time, and made wonderful suggestions on both drinks and foods to try. I will absolutely be going back next time I’m in town!

The food was good, especially the ratatouille (my favorite) and the appetizer special. Our waitress was nice. She did her best to accommodate, but to the management team:
I went with my family last night and used a Groupon for a dinner for 4. I ordered the Nicoisse salad, and nowhere on the menu did it mention anything about anchovies, which I cannot stand. My salad was permeated with anchovies and so was the dressing; it was overpowering and I could not eat it at all.
The classic version of this dish does not have anchovies, at least from my experience. It was also missing the cornichons (mini pickles). I’ve been making this dish for years on my own and ordering it elsewhere. While I’ve had variations with different types of fish, I’ve never come across a vile anchovy on my plate.
I informed the waitress of this, and she came back to relay from the management team that because we had a Groupon, the dish could not be subtracted from the bill.
1) Why couldn’t the value be subtracted from the extra bottle of wine? (One was included.)
2) And, how about changing your menu or alerting your clientele to an ingredient with such a pungent flavor that overpowers the entire dish?
Sorry, but I don’t think I will be coming back.

Bistro with ambition in a very warm and inviting space. Covers the bistro bases quite well and adds some unexpected Italian and other influences. Good wine list and by-​the-​glass choices. Onion soup, escargot and steak frites all very good. Lamb burger good but a little salty. Service attentive and skilled. We’ll be back. And soon.

We went here for our weekly date night. We use coupons to try restaurants. Boulevard 18 was available and we decided to try it.
The menu had so many interesting things that it made it difficult to make a choice. We decided to have Steak tartare, oyster/​crimini mushroom tarte as and appetizer. The beef was fresh and well presented. The tarte gets an A for taste, but it was ‘muddy’ looking. The mussels and fries as a main course worked. The mussels in wine were cooked with spinach so that you could eat a mussel with the taste of wilted spinach — another A. The fries were good but over salted. We also tried the lamb and ratatouille, which was outstanding and plentiful Desert was Chocolate bread pudding with coffee ice cream another A. When we finished they brought is a slice of beautiful carrot cake as a present, Good experience and we will go again.

End of story: Classic French Bistro food in New Canaan. Go there for the steak and frites.
We go to Boulevard 18 quite often, probably the most of all the restaurants in town. I would have given the restaurant 4 stars but have noticed that food consistency is going down a little bit. For example, I was blown away by the French onion soup the first time I had it, but most recently, the soup I had was too sweet. The potato-​wrapped sea bass was succulent and crispy the first time I had it and flaccid the second time. Not good.
Still we go for the gougeres and steak and frites, which my kids love. I also love the kale salad. Service is also very good.

Meh. Really nice and cozy ambience, quiet enough for a meal with friends.
Visited with a group of 4 and only one dish stood out as being delicious.
The grilled octopus app was very tender and very good, except for the overly strong warm potato salad (with too much vinegar and olives?).
My french onion soup was much too sweet.
Chopped vegetable salad with fava beans and grilled chicken– entirely lacked flavor.
Short ribs special — neither of the guys flipped over this dish. Must say the homemade short ribs I have had taste a million times more tender and flavorful. This dish was a real expensive letdown.
Best dish — the special arctic char. Fish was prepared perfectly, served over the most delicious sauteed vegetables (swiss chard, perhaps).
Now if the rest of the meals were like this dish, I would definitely return. Given the prices though and the fact we had 1 excellent item out of so many, it is yet another one on the list not to go back to.

I’m excited to finally have a French restaurant in town. Relaxed atomosphere, wonderful waitstaff, and very good food. The wine list is also extensive.
The bar area is small (about 8 stools) but friendly and comfortable. The dining area isn’t too small or cramped but also not so large that it gets very noisy.
I hope to go here often!

One of the very best dining experiences I have EVER had. No, really.
Perfect combination of cuisine, wine parings, atmosphere, interior design, music, lighting, comfortable chairs & fine linens.
Apps: Roquefort stufed olives– crunchy, salty, creamy wonderfulness, shoe string fries with truffle oil & herbs– crunchy truffle fun, house made Torchon Foie Gras– divine!, Escargo in herb butter– tender, buttery.
Main: Exquisite seafood– the 3 tier Fruits De Mer was sublime. Grilled octopus w warm potato salad– words escape me– tender & perfect execution, seafood sausage (i didn’t try it), wild mushroom raviolli w truffle butter– delicate pillows gently encasing earthy meaty mushrooms dressed in truffle buttery dreaminess…
St. Germain cocktails, French Pino Noir– perfect paring with our choices.
Stupendous service! Attentive, knowledgeable, unpretentious, very gracious.
There was a party of 10 of us and the whole exsperience was seamless and just excellent all around.
The chef (a very, very adroit woman!), and the fabulous proprietors of Strada 18 in SoNo have struck culinary gold again– THANK YOU!!!

Another great addition to New Canaan. The four partners from Strada 18 in SONO decidied to open in town and Chef David Raymer went back to his culinary roots and hit it out of the park. The noise level is much better and the food is outstanding.
A large selection of Charcuterie, Cheeses and house-​made Sausages, including Merguez, Boudin Blanc, Duck and Red Wine, and Seafood are offered as appetizers as well as a classic Steak Tartare,
A traditional rendition of Onion Soup is a combination of chicken and beef stocks that present a mild and flavorful resultthe soup is topped with a combination of Gruyère and Comté cheeses that were perfectly melted for a delicious result.
The Salad of Chopped Seasonal Vegetables has tremendous colr and flavors and includes lettuces, micro-​greens, Gigante beans, watermelon radish, sweet peppers, carrots and tomatoes, all lightly dressed with a vinaigrette. The Frisee Salad is delicious and is topped with a perfectly poached egg to complement the lightly dressed frisée and lardons.
The Seafood Sausage is my favorite The sausage is comprised of shrimp, lobster, scallops and bronzino, along with a little cream, but contains no bread. There is a slight ‘kick’ in the spice level which I found a great addition. The Bacon and Leek Tart is reminiscent of a slice of quiche with a delicious and buttery crust to encase the creamy and leek flavored custardy interior. The tart is served with a very lightly dressed and salted green salad.
Chef Raymer’s Steak Frites includes a choice of a delicious NY Strip steak or a Hanger steak, each perfectly grilled to my requested medium rare. The two cuts of meat are delicious, extremely tender with the Hanger Steak adding a deeper and richer flavor. The frites are incredibly crispy on the exterior with a light and airy interior. Overall, both were excellent choices. The Duck Magret with caramelized baby turnips and a prune-​Armagnac reduction includes a large breast that delivers a smoky and peppery taste, and is prepared rare, unless requested otherwise. The aged breast meat is incredibly flavorful and the sweetness of the reduction was a perfect complement to the richness of the meat. The caramelized baby turnips add another sweet element to the dish.
For dessert I enjoyed the Apple Tart and the Chocolate Mousse. The Tart is delicious. The buttery crust is topped with thinly sliced layers of apples with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce to complete. Each part is delicious and together this is a perfect way to end the meal. The Chocolate Mousse has a great texture with a soft and silky consistency. This dessert includes a small dollop of sweetened cream atop.
Great new restaurant