Restaurant L'Ostal — Restaurant in Darien

One of a kind venie. Very limited menu, but what is served is all terrific. Most of menu is static, with a large number of seasonal specials. Quality, preparation, presentation and taste. All 4 essentials get a 5 out of 5. It's a small place, so limited seating, so reservations are necessary to avoid long waits. Small bar to wait at, can get filled easily, so call ahead. Kitchen takes time to make orders to it's high standards, so sit back and enjoy. Lovely outdoor terrace enclosed by schrubs from sidewalk and street, weather permitting. Large umbrellas provide shade, but not protection from a heavy rain. One table outside is actually an L-shaped sofa and upholstery on two sides, with coffee table in center where food is served. Definitely a must to go to, with a French application of cuisine technique and some menu items, but also Italian selections, and American favorites, all with high standards of the best of its kind. Prices are high, but expected for maintainable of their high quality standards. Go when you have the time to enjoy the whole experience, so it's definitely a special event go-to as well as a place to sit back and just enjoy the entire time...

My husband and I were looking forward to dinner at this restaurant based on good reviews. We were disappointed. The atmosphere is really not conducive to a nice date night experience. It’s so loud there that even with trying to speak as loudly as we were able, it was not possible to have a pleasant conversation. I left feeling like I had a sore throat from shouting. The food was very good. Except for the dessert. We tried their olive oil cake. The ingredients in it were really not complementary to each other. Most of the flavor was in the frozen white topping but it was frozen so hard, it needed time to warm um and melt in your mouth before you can taste the flavor. The baked part of the dessert felt like a plain dry shortcake without much flavor. The service was very good but the quality of the service and the food was drowned out by unbearably loud ambience. The team of people running this restaurant would do much better if they picked a space with better acoustics. The service and cuisine has a potential of becoming a go to place for locals but not in its...

What a disappointment! My husband and I were looking forward to a special meal here for our birthdays. After reading all the rave reviews, we were expecting a fantastic experience. Not the case. The good service was the one positive thing - that and my starter of tortellini. But my husband's escargot was dry, hard, and flavorless. My duck entree (I love duck) was also dry and overcooked and so heavily salted that it tasted like they dumped a half cup of salt on it. The farrow that came with it was mushy and the turnips were hard and flavorless. My husband's halibut entree was cold and flavorless. We both got the same dessert with high hopes - but the profiteroles and chocolate sauce was another case of extreme over-salting. I love salt. But this was inedible. Considering how expensive this restaurant is, it shouldn't be anywhere near this bad. Do not...