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Review content:
What a disappointing experience again... I am French, fond of good French food, have been to many refined restaurants and could not begin to fathom how this place remains notorious. \r
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I will being with the positive comments: \r
The service is impeccable, the high class hostess and waiters are very attentive and the ambiance is undeniably French. Yet this is pretty much where the resemblance stops and I am sorry for not being able to be more supportive of a business that I was hoping to be the Embassy of good French food. \r
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The food (since this is what it's all about) is highly disappointing, with no flavour surprise. I gave La Vie en Rose two shots before writing this. \r
I visited it two years ago, had the frog legs. These were way too oily and did not really taste like frog legs. Apart of the creme brulee, there is really nothing I recall of the menu. There were four of us and none of us really thought the food was worth the price. Yet, I did give it another shot recently (quite honestly more because I had a gift card for la vie en rose than because I wanted to go). \r
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My husband took a mushroom soup while I had a French onion one. The mushroom soup may as well have been taken from a Campbell soup can while the onion soup had no particular flavor... Let's be honest the onion soup at the soup plantation when they have it (I am pondering my words) is way way better than the one I had at la vie en rose, how surprising!\r
We had two other appetizers... the mussels which were just ok, being very weak in seasoning and a pate de campagne plate. How can I say this right without sounding like I am bashing La vie en rose... This is the WORST pate I have ever had, it did not seem fresh, the taste was like ""gone"", even its dark color looked like it had been in the fridge uncovered for a few days, it had obviously not been freshly sliced - the only good thing in the plate were the cornichons (French pickles) and the Saint Agur cheese. \r
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Entrees: my husband chose a chicken cordon bleu and I had a Tournedos with a lobster tail. He did not like what he had (no real flavor, tasted fried) yet said that the gratin potatoes were good with which I would agree. My tournedos was served with one carrot, mashed potatoes, a few long green beans and gratin potatoes - none of which seemed to be originally of good quality) - the meat was cooked the way I wanted it but the whole thing had no particular taste. \r
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Yes, they do try to make it look like very good food with an inventive presentation but the taste is way below the French standards I have been used to. I am not fond of American chain restaurants but had better food at Claimjumper where the bill was indeed way lower than at La Vie en Rose. \r
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I had a blue berry cup as dessert and my husband had a custard tart. I did not eat more than a few, the fruits were quite honestly again spoiled at the bottom and my husband regretted that the tart tasted like it had been in the refrigerator uncovered again for a couple days. \r
Being a French refined restaurant does not only resides in having high class manners, old wall paper, a few diplomas on the walls, old style furnishing and very (very) dimmed lights. You need to differentiate yourself be more inventive, higher in flavours, surprising! Let's sum-up, I did not get sick with what I ate but with the idea of paying so much for such a poor quality of food. \r
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The clients of La Vie en Rose, have the right to expect excellence. This is what they pay for but definitely not what they receive and I feel like they are given a wrong impression of what real French cooking art is. \r
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Louis L., owner, it's time to wake up and get a real chef, your clients deserve it!""
Pros: Great building - easy to park / great service
Cons: Disappointing pricey food
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