La Cabriole — Restaurant in Chattanooga

wanted to like this place and hoped it was somewhere we could return to regularly. But this was not the case, unfortunately. The ambiance and surroundings were quaint, vintage, and yes, even charming for an older mobile home. Table settings were nicely done. First course was a lovely soup. Then we got a small basket of store-bought bread served without butter until we had to ask for it. Shouldn't have had to ask for butter. The croissants were definitely the store-bought ones that come in a tube in the refrigerated section at the grocery store. The small baguette seemed also store-bought and not freshly baked. For $100 per person, I reasonably expected a much better bread service at a French restaurant! Entrees: this is where the big let-downs really began. The filet was ordered medium rare and came medium well. The cut of beef was unlike any filet I've ever had. Dry, chewy, overcooked, and without that typical filet grain. I agree with another reviewer's observation that they really need to spend a bit more on higher quality meat at this price point. The accompanying sauce was okay, but salty. The duck was again, not a prime cut, and while cooked as ordered, it was more chewy than it should have been. Accompanying vegetables were good, but child's portion size. I always prefer quality over quantity, but those portions were ridiculous. The salad was minimal but had good dressing. Cheese plate - well it's a cheese plate, 'nuff said. Dessert was of the flourless category, which I always find heavy and dense and disappointing. Let's talk about service. They charge a 20% service charge, which is included in the $100 per person. The service tendered was not worth the $80 for 4 people. With 3 bottles of wine for the table, I should not have to get up and retrieve a bottle off the sideboard to refill our glasses. Server really only appeared when there was a course being served, and did not check in between to see if we desired anything. A request for a little more bread (no one wanted the refrigerated-section to oven pre-made yucky croissants), was met with, "I'll go check but I don't think we have any more." Unbelievable. But what really peeved me was the chef coming out before the meal and inspecting our bottles of wine and critiquing each one, in his opinion. This was rude, insulting and totally unprofessional. A man with so few social graces should be confined to the kitchen. Did it occur to him that maybe one of our party was not a wine connoisseur and didn't know what to bring? There was no need to embarrass one of our party like that. Overall, for $400 for four people, there are MANY other unique restaurants in Chattanooga that will provide a much better meal and more professional service. We won't be...

First, the lady who runs the place is very sweet. This is no reflection of her personality. The food and dining experience is a different story.

We are from Florida. We don’t splurge on $60+ per person meals often, but since we were vacationing in Chattanooga, we thought we would. This place had a few good reviews so we gave it a shot.

GPS took us to a double wide trailer on a farm. We thought that was odd, but we went inside. There was one other couple. We had no idea what we would be eating. The server/only cook was, again, very sweet, but she was not a French chef. We felt like we were visiting grandma’s house. Our “7 course meal” consisted of (in this order, oddly): spinach quiche which did not seem to be homemade, tomato bisque (which was mediocre or possibly from a can), our main course (I got filet mignon and my wife got chicken piccata...not great), a very basic salad, cheese plate, cheap butter, stale bread from Publix, then a raspberry pastry (which was the best part of the meal). It felt as if she went to public a few days ago and these were the things she had left in the fridge to warm up.

The ambience was weird. Again, it was a double wide trailer. The interior had 1980’s decor that didn’t really match a French theme. There was a glass Eiffel Tower on the table next to us, so that helped us feel a little more in the moment.

All in all, I appreciate that this lady is running her own business, but this really is not the best way to do it. We paid $120 for two people (cash...because she doesn’t take credit cards) and we would have felt bad paying more than $50 for both of us for our experience.

It also didn’t help that we overheard the server/cook saying to another guest that she brings in a cook and professional servers when she has more people. The cook that she was referencing has a French name and is listed on the restaurant website. That was one of the reasons I chose this place...a French cook. The lady who cooked our meals and served us is not French and, aside from her sweet personality, I would never...

If you are looking for a true one of a kind dining experience where you can relax and eat 7 courses of edible and very tasty artwork, La Cabriole is for you! Beautiful French Cuisine with southern hospitality. When I had first emailed the restaurant about reservations, Ms. Geraldine responded in a timely manner, went over the menu options for the main course and asked if we had any dietary restrictions (which I really appreciate since gluten doesn’t like me). She also explained how guests can bring their own wine and they will open for you there at no extra charge. I told her my husband and I were not drinkers so she made sure and had a bottle of sparkling grape juice there for us (which we love)! The restaurant is located in a very peaceful countryside valley with an awesome view of the mountains. We were welcomed by Ms. Geraldine standing on the porch ready to greet us, take our coats and walk us to our private table right in front of the fireplace. While we ate, French music played in the background. The food was a delicious art!!! It started with a tomato bisque soup followed by an appetizer, then bread, then filet mignon for the main course cooked to a perfect medium rare. We were then brought salad, a 4-cheese plate with more delicious gluten free bread just for me! Then we were brought dessert and then coffee. The best part about the experience was Ms. Geraldine and the chef who cooked and served us. The chef ensured we had knowledge about our food and how special and meaningful each course was to the mind and body. They made us feel so special by learning the true art of serving. After the coffee we were brought our bill (she made sure we were ready for the bill first) on a silver platter with a beautiful red rose, 2 chocolate truffles and a beautiful handwritten breakdown of the cost. Ms. Geraldine also asked if we could sign the guestbook, which of course I was excited to do so! If you want a truly romantic atmosphere and a quiet place to relax and get some QT with your spouse, here...