Voila the Bistro — Restaurant in Town of Smithtown

My bf and I were excited to try Voila because of the great reviews from a few places. We went yesterday for my birthday celebration. We dine out frequently but were never as disappointed with the food and lack of professionalism as we were yesterday. We noticed it being pretty quiet for a Saturday night. There were a total of 4 tables during the time we spent there. We tried their 5 Course Menu and ordered Foie Gras as an additional appetizer. The few upsides to this restaurant is that they are BYOB so we brought our own bottle of wine.

Our first course was a potato purée soup. It was bland, not horrible but nothing special. The Foie Gras, actually was very good. We enjoyed the savory cherry sauce the chef had prepared with this dish.

Second course we had the beet salad, which again, is nothing special. There were three pieces of beets with a crumb of cheese on top and a few dressed up pieces of mixed greens on the side. It was underwhelming and looked like a plate prepared to feed a toddler. We also had the Escargot. The escargot itself was cooked and seasoned well but I didn't care for it sitting in the phyllo dough because it gave a chalky texture.

Third, we had the veggie quiche and crab cake. The veggie quiche was small. It was ok. Crabcakes were ok if you take away whatever sauce was smeared over the plate with the candied condiments that accompanied it. It strangely tasted like Chinese takeout rather than French cuisine/influence.

Onto the fourth courses: We had the filet mignon but what came out was not what you would pay at a nice restaurant for filet mignon! I was struggling to cut it with my knife. It was so tough and unacceptable. We asked the waiter to double check what cut of meat it was and he returned to tell us "it's kind of like a steak". We also shared the pan seared sea scallops. It was cooked and seasoned well. However, when your menu states "sea scallops", you would expect more than 1 scallop. The plate had one scallop. The small portion sizes make me feel like the restaurant is cutting corners the same way the lack of quality of the "filet mignon" was cutting corners. We've been to the restaurant Mosaic which serve small portions but everything on its plate makes sense and is worth the price. Voila is horribly disappointing. We were hoping it would improve as the courses came out, but it did not.

Lastly the dessert: the Lemon Custard was pretty disgusting to say the least. It tasted like cleaning fluid to me. My Creme Brulee had a very thick layer of carmelized sugar and the custard tasted old.

Truth be told, we will not be returning or recommending this restaurant. Before we left, we left a note on our honest opinion of their place. I had an Instagram story up tagging their location before I knew it wasn't good so I followed up to let my followers know that I do NOT recommend the place. Voila actually reached out to me to insult the bottle of wine we brought as well as calling us rude and cheap. After a few exchanges, I decided to ignore their messages. They were very defensive and unprofessional. I can only hope that one day they take criticism in a positive light and make improvements to their establishment. If you're trying to decide whether you want to try Voila or not, we would urge you to save your money and go to the other amazing restaurants...

A true dining experience with gluten free options. My wife and two daughters had a wonderful experience at Voila last night. As always, the food and service were beyond outstanding! My wife and I have gone there a number of times and have always been impressed. After having dinner there last night, now our two daughters have become raving fans of this hidden gem of a restaurant. The owner goes out of his way to make the entire dining experience perfect. My wife needs her food gluten free and he shows more care and willingness to accommodate that need than any restaurant to which we have ever been. At many other restaurants we encounter staff that are unsure on gluten free options and/or a very limited section of the menu. However, at Voila, the owner comes to the table himself and literally offers to modify just about anything on the menu to make it work for a gluten free dietary need. Beyond the outstanding food, the staff is incredibly nice and efficient. All this, coupled with a relaxed atmosphere, really lets you take the time to enjoy the whole experience of dinning at this wonderful restaurant. Each time we go, we can’t help but notice the feeling that the owner truly seems happy to see people enjoying his restaurant. The pride is evident, and it shows up in everything you experience and taste at this incredible place. I’ve never written a review of a restaurant before and it speaks volumes that after dinning at Voila last night, I felt the need to write this...

I’m very hesitant generally in writing a poor review for any restaurant. I appreciate the hard work and what it takes and everyone has an off night. In this case I feel compelled and it would be a disservice to others had I not. Absolutely egregious and potentially dangerous health conditions. Our server was very kind and tries everything he could to gloss over the horrendous preparation and quality of the food being served. Kudos to him and we can only say that you absolutely deserve better. Besides each course being an utter disaster, the chicken dish I ordered came out initially overcooked, dry and chewy. When I kindly requested they redo the dish, the second attempt was a raw mess. Undercooked and pink which I unfortunately ate before my wife pointed out that I was in fact eating raw chicken. Additionally, the place had a foul smell, toilet had no water and air conditioning was not working . I’m frankly concerned about the safety condition of the kitchen and fridge temperature to keep meat at safe levels. We enjoy eating out and do so very often and have never left a negative review for anyone. This, however is absolutely the exception and I do so to warn others. The Chef has no business being a Chef and its very concerning. The only thing they need to do is one of the following things: close their doors immediately and never reopen them again, or take some time and completely reinvent. At any rate, this is bad. Really,...