Joelle's French Bistro — Restaurant in Town of Skaneateles

Wow! This place was amazing. From the charming ambiance to the outstanding service, I was immediately impressed. It is hard to find a French restaurant in this area and Joelle's knocks it out of the park. Their wine list had some really good finds, we did a couple bottles of the Cote du Rhone. There were 5 of us in my party, 3 got the special appetizer (a spring salad with phyllo dough pouches filled with a French cheese and fig), one person had the escargot and I had the lobster and shrimp cigar. My appetizer was my least favorite of the 3, and I still thought it was delicious. The aioli on the side could have used a touch more horseradish to my taste. I had the duck - the skin was crispy and the sauce complemented the duck perfectly. The duck wasn't too greasy at all. The sides were also very good. I tried a bite of the lamb and would absolutely order that another time. For dessert I split the creme brulee, flambee style (you have to) and that held up to the rest of the meal. The French Coffee was also nice at the end of the meal. I would like to thank the staff for providing me with such a wonderful...

This was our second visit to Joelle’s and we enjoyed it far less than our first. First of all, they crammed way too many tables into their outdoor area- the poor waiters could barely move around the tables and it was very crowded. We were placed extremely close to the table of another couple and it was very uncomfortable; we felt like we were infringing upon their space. Second- the wait staff was not well trained on how to do their job, and this was very obvious. Some of them were dressed very unprofessionally. There was one waiter that was decent and fairly well dressed, but the rest of them looked so frumpy and communicated awkwardly with the diners. Third- the food was not impressive. I got the chicken tagine, and was expecting a far more exciting flavor profile than what was provided. One of the appetizers - the shrimp/lobster cigar, tasted like a regular fried egg roll. For the amount of money they are charging for their food, I anticipated a...

Great date night dinner! Always a warm, friendly atmosphere! We usually call for reservations and request the outside patio if the forecast looks good. It does get a little "buggy" as the sun goes down. They have bug spray or bring your own. Hey it's CNY! Full drink selection with French wines of course! The gourmet menu is on par, next to none, and consistent year after year (we have been coming here since 2012ish) from the appetizers to entrees ending with their desserts. A must try for decerning palates. Pricing is right for drinks, food, and ambience. There were some families there with children, wanted to add that in to let you know it not a "stuffy"...