L'Auberge de France — Restaurant in Ontario

When my lover and I decided to marry we determined that we would share it with our children and grandchildren and one other couple to act as witnesses. Because there were only 18 of us we happened upon L'Auberge de France when searching for a place to have a quiet dinner. After seeing a few menu samples and discussing with Marc and Sheranda we decided that L'Auberge de France was the place. We were a tough crowd - two chefs, another whose hobby is cooking, one trained in quantity cooking, one restaurant manager, one with severe food allergies, one who is Celiac and two vegans. The ages ranged from 10 to 67. Marc prepared specific meals for the people with special dietary needs that not only suited them, but also used the same foods that every one else was eating. These people did not feel singled out or left out because their meals were served with ours, looked like ours and when given a taste I wished that I had chosen that meal.

We all chose one from each of the three selections offered for each course and watched as they were prepared (the chefs and restaurant manager with great interest and appreciation for the style and flair with which it was done). The service was correctly done, with perfect timing between courses to allow the savoury flavours of each course to be discussed and appreciated before the next exquisite offering was presented. And each was excellent.

The guinea fowl was sweet and flavourful, the beef tenderloin perfectly prepared and contrasted neatly with the scalloped potato au gratin, allowing the flavours to renew as each bite was replaced with the next. Everyone wanted everyone else's dessert because as each reached the table it looked better than the one before and as each was tasted the appreciative sounds stopped conversation until all were finished. The wines were well chosen and paired very well with all meals - whether with the beef, guinea fowl or pickerel.

Everyone enjoyed their meal and the following day the individual with celiac called to praise the L'Auberge, not only for the flavour and presentation of its meal, but also because for the first time she was not required to examine the menu for things that she had to avoid because Marc had prepared her meal specifically for her and to be like everyone else's meal making her feel included in the group.

The staff at L'Auberge was helpful, considerate and knowledgable. Everyone left praising the meal, the service and the atmosphere. I recommend L'Auberge de France...

Update:

I visited this Cafe this weekend with my family. It has lost it's warm and cozy touch since my last visit. No longer is there seating inside and it has become more of a food market with long queues of lines. There is limited seating outside and we came earlier enough to find seating.

My family and I collectively spent more than $100 on breakfast sandwiches, pastries, juice and coffees, including 2 lattes. I had failed to mention when ordering the 2 x 3.50 lattes that I had wanted decaf (I'm very pregnant). I had dropped my pastry bag outside on the patio and promptly returned to notify a staff member that I would like the lattes decaf. She advised me it was too late they will not accommodate me and to get to the back of the line where I would have to pay for this mistake. And then they whisked away the 2 caffeinated lattes I'd just paid for, with barely an opportunity to offer them to my family.

My sister in law kindly waited in line to order a decaf latte for me and when she was waiting in line she overheard several staff members gossiping about me. The decaf latte that they had then brought out was scalding hot and oversteamed.

Most of the other food items were good. Noting that my mom was disappointed with the croissants she has heard so much about.

This was my second visit here and based on my experience with such poor, bitter customer service this time, I will not be returning nor will I recommend it.

Old review:

This is such a cute little addition to downtown Belleville. It has a very warm, cozy feel with all the Parisienne touches.

Service was quick and kind and coffee was delicious. The croissant, which is said to be best enjoyed on a Saturday morning when they're freshly baked, was pretty good; however, I will be excited to try other things off their menu next time. They had a very enticing lunch menu offered, but I was visiting for coffee.

Overall, I would highly recommend, and will...

This restaurant is a jewel within range of Toronto or Montreal and worth a stop if you are nearby. Call ahead because sometimes the place is booked for events due to growing popularity.

First off, I'm not a food critic, but I enjoy well-prepared food. This is my favourite place right now. The decor is rustic French country bistro. The ambiance is perfect for the goal, which is to keep the focus on the food.

We visited the Chef's table for late September 2013 and it was a fun time meeting strangers, and sharing a slice of life with them.

The opener was a beautifully balanced and hearty barley soup, with an assortment of exquisite mushrooms, including some snow cap enoki, or velvet stem adorning a creme fresh topper. The underlying base of the soup held barley, peppered with mini-crimini, and a perfectly sculpted base with mixed autumn veggies. Stock to mirepoix was held in excellent contrast.

We plated the main ourselves, and were given big platters of food to pick and choose our adornment veggies from. Our main was a puff-pastry pursed halibut, on a bed of fennel and leek, with a balance of capers. We were given a traditional French béchamel sauce so we could take care of our own sauce preference, and it was so deliciously complex, drawing out the pings of flavour from each of the ingredients within the purse.

Puff pastry with fish is a very tough dish to pull off well, due to the delicate balance between the baked pastry and the moisture of the fish. This was completed masterfully at L'Auberge de France.

Desert was a traditional French Black Forest cake, favoring autumn colours and featuring imported cherries. The layers of the cake contrasted and delighted; this dense-but-buoyant creamy desert was simply exquisite, and accompanied with a peach coulis, and a citrus whipped cream to further the range of flavours.

Bottom line: Don't...