Saint-Emilion Restaurant — Restaurant in Fort Worth

For our 44th anniversary together we had dinner at Saint-Emilion Restaurant in Fort Worth on June 16, 2017. Their menu is extravagant, to say the least. You can check it out on their web site. Our server's name was Chris, and he was as excellent as it gets, without being overbearing or invasive at all. He is also the sommelier, which worked out very well for us.

For our special dinner we started out with warm bread and butter and an amuse-bouche of cucumber slice with salmon mousse. She commented that the salmon flavor was too heavy for her taste. She and I both ordered the scallop appetizer. I also ordered the foie gras as a second appetizer because this is about the only place I know that serves it.

Our scollops arrived perfectly cooked with a great sear on both sides, 2 for each of us. The sauce was really more of a tomato puree. It may sound simple but it was rich and very subtle tomato with savory herb flavors. It was so good I deliberately ate very slowly to make the pleasure last as long as possible. I must add the chardonnay by the glass that was recommended, EnRoute, provided one of those rare times when the wine actually enhances the flavors of the dish and vice versa. Very nice.

The foie gras came with a light sauce with grapes and nuts with some crostini. This was a much lighter version of the pate as opposed to the more dense, richer version that we've had in the past, primarily in France. I actually prefer the other, more dense style of foie gras. Still, it was delicious and I ate every morsel.

She ordered the filet of beef for her entree and I ordered scorpion fish. I've never seen this fish on a menu and had to give it a try. Her filet arrived and it was a very large "chunk" of meat. It looked very good but she was concerned that it might be over the medium rare that she ordered. However, after cutting through it, it was just so thick that the temperature range went from rare on the inside to medium on the outside. She was very satisfied with it and enjoyed the quality of the beef as well as the overall flavor.

My scorpion fish was served as a filet with vegetables prepared with unique, unusual flavors to my pallet, including a sweetness that all worked together to make a delicious meal. The fish itself was comparable in texture to tilapia and was cooked absolutely perfectly. Probably I would try something else next time simply because sweet entrees are not my favorite. But the preparation overall made it a very satisfying meal.

Saint-Emilion is a place that we really enjoy and look forward to those rare times when we are...

So this is a heartbreaking review. Saint-Emilion USED to be one of our absolute favorite restaurants. Sadly, it has plummeted in quality since their remodel and we can no longer recommend it. We recently (11/28/2018) took my wife's parents there for their 37th wedding anniversary and were subsequently utterly dissatisfied. While the remodel is nice, the food has gone WAY downhill.

It started with very slow service as it took 15 minutes to get a menu. Our server had to check his notes for the specials as he did not have them memorized...not horrible, but uncommom for them. Then we noticed the Dover Sol fish has been removed from the menu. At that time the owner's wife came over...she proceeded to comment on how certain dishes were two salty or too saucy for her liking, as s well as, saying she hadn't had half the menu so didn't know what to recommend. My wife stated we loved the Dover Sol, to which she said, "Are you sure you had it here....maybe it swam down the street to Paris 7th." Duh, lady, we've had it there on more than one occasion. She hung around our table way too long and gave us little confidence in their "refreshed" menu.

We ordered appetizers: Escargot, the French gnocchi, and their pate' platter. The escargot used to be beautifully presented in individual croquette trays, but were now presented in a small saute pan overcooked and smothered in cheese. The gnocchi was served in burnt butter with carbon flakes swimming around the bowl....they tasted of burnt butter. The pate was served out of a refrigerator hard and completely unattractive. My wife was about ready to cry....her favorite romantic restaurant had turned into a complete joke and was embarrassing us on her parents special night.

We cancelled our main menu order after they brought put a huge basket of generic already cut french bread with a paper wrapping (I'm serious...this basket was huge). Gone was the elegant small bread bowl in a cloth napkin.

To top it all, they have removed their famous Twill desert from the menu....the server didnt even know what we were asking about as he consistently confused it with crepes....SO disappointed.

We cancelled our main order, paid our bill and went to another local highly regarded restaurant in downtown Fort Worth on an emergency recovery plan.

Besides a slightly fresher look with the remodel, the service, food and signature cozy but high class feel of Saint-Emilion has gone severly downhill. Cannot and will not recommend....they have lost two patrons....and its...

Ive been dining at Saint Emilion for 8 years and recommending it just as long. Most recently however the owner Bernard and his employee demonstrated the most egregious display of “we don’t want or need your patronage” Ive ever experienced at a restaurant, including restaurants in Paris where that’s a whole vibe.

I made a reservation around 30 days in advance for 4 and the day before our friends had a their sitter fall through. I called the restaurant and let them know my reservation needed to change to two instead of 4.

Tenille picked up the phone and after I explained the change I was requesting she asked, “can’t you do it on resy?” I explained I tried but it just kept spinning and never confirming a change. She asked for my name, asked me to repeat it, placed me on hold, came back asked for my name a third time, asked me what time and then said she couldn’t make the change because there weren’t tables for 2. I asked if we could sit at the original table she said no, then placed me on hold again.

Bernard the owner came on the line and I explained myself again and he said he could only cancel my reservation. I said I understand it was originally for 4 I would happily pay any difference from us only having 2 at a 4 top.

He said “no we don’t do that, you can’t pay for things you don’t get.” I said I understood I would order 4 entrees and take 2 to go. He said no, I pleaded to still be able to eat there and that I would happily compensate them for the difference of us not being able to provide two additional bodies. And he refused.

It was incredibly upsetting that I was begging to dine there and grasping at straws to try and make it fair to them since we were taking up a 4 top that Bernard just didn’t care.

So even though this was the place that I used to scrape my money together for a special occasion meal in my 20s to now that I’m trying to throw money at them just to keep my reservation, I just don’t think food can taste good when I the owner just doesn’t care if you eat there or not.

So while Rise and Les Margot don’t have the same atmosphere… they’ve never made me beg to eat there and still told me no.

Good food…. But lots of places have good food and owners that are happy you chose their restaurant out of all the great options in...