Bistro Vendome

I was supposed to go to my favorite French restaurant in Vail on my birthday...the day after valentines day. But 70 was closed so i had to make alternate plans at the last min. My boss....a professional Chef...recommended Bistro Vendome. I was able to make a reservation online which was very convenient! We were running late for our reservation so i called ahead to let the hostess know. When we got there almost 20 min late because of parking and traffic, we were still seated immediately! Our waiter was very knowable. He knew the menu very well and made some suburb recomendations on our food and our wine. I was very impressed. The terrine of fois gras was amazing! The onions went great with it really complimenting the flavors of the fois gras the arugula salad was perfectly seasoned and dressed and was a very nice accompaniment to the fois gras. I had no problem eating it with my fingers it wasn't messy at all. My date had the crepe and it was very delightfull. The crepe was very delicate and the fillings all complimented each other, and was truely an experience for the mouth with different flavors and textures the way good...no...great food should be. Our main courses were just as good. I was very impressed that because it was my birthday that i did get a free desert which i didn't expect and i did get a birthday card with a hand written note that was signed by all the staff which i thought was a very nice touch and one that was very unexpected. For desert we had the trio of ice creams or sorbets that are made in house. The flavors were great, not too sweet. The texture of both the ice cream and sorbet was perfect. I had such a fabulous night and meal and i would recommend Bistro Vendome to anyone who is looking for a suburb meal. more

At first the service was promising as we were greeted by a pair of hostesses who were sincerely sweet and friendly. Unfortunately they seated us at what is clearly the worst table in the house, right next to the kitchen where one diner literally would be force to have their head bumped and chair kicked by bustling kitchen and wait staff throughout the evening (it happened several times in the minute we remained at this table). To place guests at such a table without proper warning, apologies of the house and a token mea cupla such as a complementary dessert shows a startling lack of savoir faire and was slightly insulting. We were, thankfully, upon complaint, politely and quickly moved to a more appropriate table. Service for the evening was friendly and well informed but spotty. After arriving at our new table a full 10 minutes passed without any attention whatsoever. The food was a mixed bag of mediocrity. The terrine of fois gras was itself well done, buttery and not overly seasoned or soaked in too much armagnac as often is the case, but the caramelized onion marmalade served atop it was cloyingly sweet and ruined the dish. It was too messy to be eaten with one's fingers (as one often does in a bistro) and the brioche toast points the fois sat upon were too crisp and dry to cut with a knife. The beet salad left little to rave about. The blue cheese was poorly chosen and far too salty and the greens were under dressed. The cassoulet was mostly good, crisp confit and succulent rabbit sausage, but the white beans were lukewarm and mealy. The steak frites was also a disappointment. The frites are served with a champagne vinegar gastrique that was not mentioned in the menu. We hated it. They should warn people since, as the waitor confessed, 10 per cent of their customers hate it too. The bearnaise would embarrass a student chef in their first week of training but the steak was fine. Coffee was good, desserts okay, wine list impressive. more

We had a wonderful meal. We enjoyed the Steak Frites with Roquefort and a port reduction. The steak was cooked perfectly and the pairing with the cheese and reduction was divine. The fires were delicious covered in herbs and a slightly sweet sauce served with a lemon aioli? The Bordeaux by the glass was a good value. We were very pleasantly surprised at the end of the meal with a complementary dessert (it was my boyfriend?s birthday) and a card signed by the staff! It was a wonderful ending to a romantic meal. Pros: food, service, wine Cons: tables are cramped more

this restaurant features amazing food and wine, a great atmosphere and the most ridiculously rude manager/owner I have ever seen! He suffers from a napolean complex, and continually and publicly berates his wait staff! The first and last time I will ever go - we actually heard him swearing and yelling at some poor staff member in the kitchen. don't support such a terrible person ! more

I had not returned to Bistro Vendome for over 2 yrs. We had the most awful service there. (I guess you can say, I'm one of those people who don't complain but just won't go back to a restaurant when I have a bad experience) Pros: food Cons: parking, no air conditioning more

I've eaten at Bistro Vendome more than 10 times in the past 18 months. The food is consistently good, with a menu that changes seasonally, regular nightly specials, and standard bearers like steak frites in three varieties and mussels. Even on a busy night, the front staff, especially Scott and Katie, have worked hard to seat me on time, even when showing up unexpectedly without a reservation. The bar, small though it is, is special and the bartender an unexpected and welcome source of information about good wine at a reasonable price. Eat at the bar if you're jammed for time and cannot wait for a table. When summertime comes, there's no better place than the patio. Javier, one of the longtime waiters, is a gem in his own right and will point you to the best of the menu if you know to ask. Pros: Good value wine list, attentive service, great food Cons: parking more

Unfortunately the problems with leadership in the front of the house continue. The 2 women working the hostess stand were confused and not up to the job, and the little man in charge of the dining room is an embarrassment to himself, his staff, and restaurants everywhere. I won't go into details, as I would simply be repeating very similar situations to those already described in earlier posts. more

Our first visit was a quiet romantic evening for two. Gary, our waiter, was fantastic. We leaned on him for recommendations and each one was perfect from the P.E.I. mussells, to the pomme fritts and his suggestion of wine! He took such good care of us that we decided to go back for Easter brunch with the family. We did have reservations but we wanted to wait for a table in Gary's section. After 30 minutes the manager and staff brought a table to us outside of the patio area and we enjoyed a fabulous brunch under the beautiful trees and sunshine and again Gary's service and the food was exceptional! I can't thank the staff and management of Bistro Vendome enough for taking such good care of us! I think it was great for our kids, however, they are older. We will make Bistro Vendome a regular dining experience. Pros: Service, Food, Value more

We received the most amazing service at Bistro Vendome. Four of us showed up on Friday night during the last night of 5280's Restaurant Week with no reservation. Without any prompting, Scott (the owner), mentioned that they were pretty booked but immediately called a few other restaurants nearby to see if we could get in. Every place was booked. So then he walked us over to Lime (no affiliation), bought us a round of drinks & told us to come back to Bistro Vendome and he would have a table ready for us in an hour. We were stunned! Sure, he's the owner & wants to make his patrons happy. But they were already booked - he could have easily said ""come back next time"" but he went out of his way to accomodate us. And a delicious meal, fun atmosphere & friendly server to boot! Thanks Scott! Pros: service, food, value Cons: busy, parking more

The service here was wonderful. We had the mussels to start which are the best I've had. The duck was cooked perfectly and the steak frites were great. And the wine is reasonably priced. A good date place that won't break the bank. Pros: Reasonably Priced, Unique, Delicious Food more

From the moment we arrived, the two young ladies at the front of the house made every rude and insulting gesture , perhaps not even intentionally, they could possibly make. From losing our reservations and blaming us for that, to giving the table they just told us we could have to a party arriving after us without a reservation, it is a miracle we did not lose our appetite. After losing our table, we expressed exasperation, and were promptly told not to ""get hostile"". The manager came out to apologize, and almost made matters worse by defending his is ""usually professional"" help. The wait staff was embarassed, and thankfully tried to make up for the very unprofessional front of the house. The food was quite good, but not good enough to tempt us to go back. more

I am shocked at some of the reviews on here for service. Although many of them were for 2004 - so I am assuming any problems listed have been resolved. I have been twice to Vendome for brunch and both experiences were above and beyond any expectations I could have had. The service was excellent - great recommendations. The food was to die for. What is on those french fries? C'est Magnifique! Pros: Service, Food, Ambience more

We celebrated our anniversary and this was our first visit to Bistro Vendome. We thoroughly enjoyed the complimentary champagne, our French-speaking waiter, Xavier, and the excellent food and wine. Service was outstanding, starting with making the reservation and ending with a thank you from Xavier and the owner. The menu has something for everyone, and the atmosphere is reminiscent of our travels to Paris. We will return soon! Pros: Atmosphere, Food, Friendly more

Really, it is! The food is fabulous, the service is friendly, and the atmosphere is amazing! A great place for romantic nights, but best of all the breakfast/brunch on the weekends (which are cheaper too) If you go for brunch I suggest the Steak and Eggs with Potato Lyonaisse. And if you like Coffee theres is great! more

food - awesome... 9/10 bartender nate - awesome... 10/10 service - so so... 5/10 awful napoleon like maitre d' (purportedly owner) - rude and offensive... 0/10 good food and ambience spoiled by awful maitre d' Pros: food, ambience Cons: maitre d', maitre d', maitre d' more

The atmosphere takes me away. Service has always been friendly with me. I have only gone in for brunch and always make sure to order something with their french fries with a side of bernaise sauce. Mussels are excellent. Pros: pomme frites, patio, atmospere more

The food was exquisite. The service could not have been better, nor the employees nicer or more helpful. I highly recommend this restaurant if you are looking for a nice night out. Pros: great food, amazing serivce, great atmosphere more

The steak frites au poivre was marvelous, as well as the pommes frites coated with herbs (including lavendar) and honey! I wasn't sure if I would like slightly sweet fries, but dipped in the garlic ailoi it was served with, they were heavenly. Staff was extremely attentive and the manager was wonderful at making we feel welcome. Coming from San Francisco, this restaurant impressed me and I wish I lived in Denver so that I could eat here more often! Pros: great location, intimate Cons: , small bar more

I love the atmosphere - very French, warm and romantic. Food is very close to that of Brasserie Rouge, which I love, but the wine list is weak and very expensive - no values to be had at all. Great date spot. more

I like this place for their brunch. They have the best french press coffee and for that reason alone is worth going there. We have tried their omlete and steak and eggs and they both were very good. I tried their tuna nicoise salad and for $13 i felt they didn't give you enough tuna and the egg had an ugly grey line around the yolk. I was not happy about that. How hard is it to cook a perfect egg? We also had a lamb burger and that was OK. Nothing special about that. I think they have a good steak frites. So i would recommand their steak and their brunch. Pros: brunch, great coffee Cons: value more