La Ville Lumière — Restaurant in Cleveland

Addendum to reflect the management's prompt and thorough efforts to rectify our initial experience here.

The following day, I spoke with executive chef Kevin who was already well informed of what happened the previous night and had been trying to contact me. He made clear that he has high standards for his restaurant and expressed many sincere apologies for what took place the prior night. He was very persuasive in inviting us to return to experience what this La Ville Lumiere is truly meant to be and offered to personally prepare our meals.

We arranged for a reservation later that night and were not disappointed. As before, the hospitality from the hostess and wait staff was friendly and attentive. We were glad that we returned to give a full experience here a chance, as all aspects of our meal were excellent in execution from beginning to end. We had the bread and butter/brie, french onion soup, strip steak and halibut, and the pecan tart and chocolate mousse. My partner again was impressed with the french onion soup and was very happy with his steak. The halibut was perfectly poached and its ratatouille accompaniment was creative and harmonious. The pecan tart pleasantly surprised me with its complex savory notes perfectly balanced with sweetness.

We were very impressed with this experience, which I am sure is more representative of a typical dining experience here. Aside from the culinary dimension of this saga, I am convinced that this establishment’s leadership is deeply committed to the success of this restaurant and recognizes that this is rooted in the experience of guests.

Kevin and Michael, thank you very much for going far beyond anything we expected to make things right. We appreciate it and look forward to enjoying La Ville Lumiere for many occasions to come. My partner and I attempted dinner here on 2/12/25. The service from the hostess and wait staff was courteous and excellent, and is the reason why I am leaving any stars at all in this review.

The restaurant has an open kitchen, and while we were waiting for our entrees, our attention was drawn to a man in the kitchen--whom the wait staff identified as "sous chef Ricky"--loudly offering samples of the food he was preparing to other restaurant staff, also offering himself samples of the food, and repeatedly placing tongs and utensils that we saw enter his mouth back into the food he was preparing. We couldn't believe our eyes, but he continued to do this. Multiple times.

My concerns about this man were already raised earlier on, when I had asked our server how the branzino special is seasoned. He kindly offered to ask the chef. Moments later, I heard (and saw) Ricky shouting in the kitchen, "What do you mean how is the branzino seasoned? It's salt and pepper. That's a really weird question!" When our server returned to the table, I informed him that I heard the entire exchange. He apologized on behalf of this individual, explaining that questions are often met with “attitude from the kitchen.” Throughout the rest of our brief time dining here, we would often hear his voice carry expletives and loud conversation into the dining room.

We initially enjoyed our crab cake and french onion soup, but felt compelled to leave halfway through our meal before our entrees were prepared, shortly after witnessing such unsanitary and egregious behavior. We made our concerns known to our server and the manager, who profusely apologized for our experience, insisted on comping what we had eaten, and said they would have a conversation with him...

Alright y’all - new restaurant review. La Ville Lumiere on Clifton and 104th.

There’s a new contender in the market for best preparation of meats, classical fine dining, and new culinary experience.

I must say… they are punching largely above Marble Room class (for context I’ll use our local benchmark).

I had the distinct pleasure over to last two weeks to eat several times at La Ville Lumiere where Clifton Martini and Wine bar used to be located on Clifton and 104th.

Food - absolutely out of this world with flavor and the cooking temps were perfect. Portion sizes are… let’s say not much CAN be desired from their portion sizes. They’re absolutely massive. I mean seriously for 50$ it’s TWO racks of lamb.

Atmosphere - polite greeting by a host or manager right at the door at all times, even during crazy busy times. Bar and wait staff are both very competent and attentive. Given that it was their first two weeks open I am very impressed with how tightly the ship runs. It didn’t go unnoticed to my watchful eye that there were several “not good news” conversations going on between staff and management yet not a single person was offbeat or anything less than optimistic/professional. That speaks volumes about their capability of performing under pressure.

Bread service - I’m going to give this one a “so so” because every time I’ve been there except for the first was at about 10pm (they’re open and serving food until 12am) so the bread may have just been out for a while. The butter portion was finally something I can get used to though. I swear they fill half a rocks glass with butter.

Martini and cocktail service - not your Society Lounge or Spotted Owl but I can tell they’ve got the bones for some really cool cocktail strategies when they get their sea legs under them. Wilbur the bar manager is a rockstar. I also noticed that there were at least 3-4 people who came in each time I was there specifically because of their relationship with him. That is a great indication of a solid bar service when people follow you from another location. Highly recommend trying their batched cocktails and everything (I tried them all) on their drink menu was classically prepared according to standard. The perfect place for a night cap, too.

Overall - I’ve gotta say guys these cats including the chef Kevin O'Connell Jr. aren’t joking around. They’re going to win one or more awards in the coming year and a half easily.

They’re open lunch until 12am 6 days a week and the kitchen doesn’t close until they stop seating at midnight.

Happy hour from 10pm-12am. 6$ cocktails and a huge menu of 10$ food. I got two pounds of mussels for 10$ night before last lol.

Congratulations to the chef and their investors....

La Ville Lumiere: Stellar Bar, Uneven Dining

We visited La Ville Lumiere last night for three birthdays, encountering stark contrasts: an excellent bar but a dining experience that "missed the mark" for its price.

The bar was a definite highlight. My escargot was excellent and flavorful. The bartenders were knowledgeable, friendly, showcased a great bourbon selection (like Blanton's), and even impressively accommodated an off-menu bouillabaisse request.

In the dining room, the ambiance featured interesting decor but was very noisy, making it difficult for conversation and unsuitable for those with hearing sensitivities. The food was inconsistent. My French onion soup was unimpressive, with undercooked onions and lacking deep umami flavor. The specially requested bouillabaisse, while generously portioned with seafood (scallops, shrimp, mussels, lobster tail), suffered from a bland broth and a whole lobster tail that was messy to cut at the table.

Table service was also lacking. Our server never checked if our food was acceptable, and a birthday dessert promised by the greeter for our three celebrations never materialized. The wait between courses felt a bit long. However, the desserts we did order (cheesecake, carrot cake, and another) were a redeeming feature, unanimously "loved" by our party.

In conclusion, La Ville Lumiere was a perplexing mix. The bar service and appetizers there were excellent. However, the main dining room experience, with its inconsistent entrees, service lapses, and loud environment, didn't deliver satisfaction for the price, despite the enjoyable desserts. It was an uneven...