La Voile — Restaurant in Boston

If I could I would give this restaurant a score of 4.5, so don’t be turned away by the score. If you are looking for an authentic French cuisine experience, I think this is your bet and my dad who I ate with was blown away by the restaurant and will definitely eat there again.

I ordered the escargot, the basil soup, and the duck. My dad ordered the tuna tar tar and the Sole.

I’ll get the two bad things out of the way: I did not care for my soup, at all. But also I wasn’t expecting it to be chilled which may have been a product of my poor reading skills on the menu and the anticipation of a warm savory pesto soup and then confronted with a chilled grainy mush. I feel like I didn’t meet this dish where it was at and I do think I judged it unfairly and it wasn’t terrible by any stretch, I just didn’t care for it very much which was surprising as I love all the ingredients.

What is probably the biggest black mark was the complimentary bread, which seems like such a pedantic thing to poke holes about but French cuisine is known for the quality of their bread and the bread was extremely basic, not a crisp baguette crust, no delicious window-pane gluten strands. I wouldn’t ordinarily care so much but I feel that bread is such a quintessential stable of Italian and French cuisine that to offer frankly subpar bread is a bit of a blemish.

But on the good stuff.

I quite enjoyed my escargot. Some of them were particularly meaty and juicy. I also greatly enjoyed the fact that it came with some slivers of other toasted bread (much better than the bread basket) that I could dip into the sauce once I’d eaten the mollusks. It was also very hot (temperature wise) which I enjoyed as a contrast to my cold soup.

The duck was very good. Very well cooked and served with a particularly tasty sweet potato (I think? It was orange) spread which was by far the tastiest thing I had during the meal.

I also had half of my father’s Sole dish which is apparently their signature dish and it was also quite good, extremely tender and delicate though essentially tasting of mostly butter, which frankly went for the escargot as well.

So I struggle with reviewing this restaurant because I walked away thinking that a good deal of the food was quite well made and served and I actually think it’s pretty reasonably priced for a high end meal. But there were two things that I struggled with and one them is just a personal preference thing with me:

1. Portions

I had soup, an appetizer and a main course, plus half of my father’s sole and once leaving I still felt hungry (I’m not really a dessert guy). And I’m not a big eater either. I usually walk away from restaurants with a to go bag, so that felt disappointing.

2. I mostly eat Asian, Indian, and Central American cuisine and I think I really missed the big bold flavors. French cooking is very subtle and uses richness and butter in lieu of spice and flavor (in my very pedestrian opinion).

I don’t think I would eat here again, but that’s not really the fault of the restaurant. I think overall things were cooked and presented very nicely and both the service and ambience were lovely (very reminiscent of the close quarters of a genuine French restaurant).

I think I just might have been so saturated with different types of cuisine that I found it challenging to truly enjoy what was being offered. If you’re looking for an authentic French dining experience I think this is your go to, but for me, I think I’m going to stick to...

Where to start for this iconic mainstay on Newbury Street. Let’s with the ambiance. Stepping into this very extraordinary space, one notices the true French vibe immediately with a rich veneer of burgundy and oak gracing everything from the booths to the classy chairs. French revelry is what comes to mind, especially when you come to the bar, which purportedly has the original Zinc top from its namesake in Marseilles. Very unique and elegant. And if you like the art and allure of B&W prints, the owner’s (an accomplished photographer) works graces the walls, with stars from yesteryear like Steve McQueen etc.

I happened to stop by on a recent Saturday evening, and while it was very busy, the very gracious and charming host, Heaven, managed to get me the one remaining spot at the bar. Right from that amazingly warm entrance to an equally welcoming manager, Ilham, I felt transported to a very relaxed atmosphere of an authentic French bistro.

An even more pleasant experience was having Alejandra at the bar, a very able and gregarious person. Her experience and zeal manifests in amazing creations, such as the La Poire Royale, an amazing blend of cognac, brandy, orange liqueur, lime and sparkling wine. This is her signature cocktail, very unique, strong and enjoyable. There is also a great selection of wines, especially French, which stands to reason. For starters I had outstanding French Onion soup (where else but here), but the main course of the Dover Sole seared in brown butter, with capers and a side of truffled mashed potatoes was just delectable. The fish had to be deboned first, and Alejandra did a masterful job at it. The very moist, flaky and flavorful fish was one of the best I have ever had. The meal was just very special and a delight, made possible with the amazing service and the congeniality of the staff.

This is a great place to have a very different experience and cuisine on Newbury Street, whether it be a special occasion or an evening out with friends. I will definitely be returning.

Update: On a subsequent trip with a friend tried the Escargots and Foie Gras appetizers and they were just outstanding. But the main course, once again, was just very mouthwatering and well balanced. The Loup de Mer (Bass) and the Sole Meunière hit the spot, capped off by a must-try Lile Flottante (French Meringue) dessert. An accompanying bottle of delicate Sancerre, made for another very satisfying...

We were blown away by everything in this restaurant. Our waitress was bubbling with enthusiasm, you could tell she just love to be there as did everybody in this restaurant everybody loved what they were doing and it was a pleasure for them to not only be there but to do what they were doing and to be able to serve people very best French food.

The decor was delightfully cozy with a nautical theme. The only complaint I would have is that where I sat was right behind the major Z's station and when the air conditioning came on (or was it the wine cellar doors opened?) It blew cold air behind my back.

We had the escargot and the smoked salmon both were absolutely divine, the bread baskets were filled before we even knew they were empty same with our water glasses. The sommelier came by to check on us and before he even left the table he noticed there was a ever so slight imbalance in the table reach down and fix the table himself. This left such a huge impression on us! No one in the restaurant was too big or too small for any task and they did it with such pleasure! It added all the more to our experience and our pleasure with it!

I ordered the Dover sole which was absolutely fantastic. The man who brought it over showed it to me and said "may I debone it for you?" Of course I agreed and he did it so artfully and so skillfully he took out the spine of the fish in one piece!

Sadly we did not get many pictures because we were so enjoying the experience The phones didn't come out. The Sommelier remarked on the court when we got the special bottle that they were wondering how it would hold up and it held up beautifully and the wine was absolutely lovely. At the end we were too stuffed for dessert and they brought us out Cognac as a dessert / pallet cleanser and we have to say we were extremely impressed!

The food was absolute top level. The service was beyond exceptional, we had things refilled before we even knew they were getting close to empty. Everyone was courteous and obviously happy to be there. The bathrooms were even cute and well-appointed. Do yourself a favor and book a dinner here and you will...