Le Rendez-vous — Restaurant in Tucson

From the looks of the exterior, one wouldn't think this restaurant would be as classy as it is. Initially, I was afraid I arrived at the wrong place, or the internet lied to me by saying it was open when it actually wasn't. Thankfully, that wasn't the case as I discovered the entrance was in the back of the building- inside the parking lot.

My partner & I had a reservation for 5:45pm, and we were greeted by a employee right away. We were taken to a clean seating area, placed in front of a large painting that sparked conversation while we waited for our food. In fact, the whole dining area was decorated with unique paintings. In retrospect, I remember commenting on at least three of them.

Our server introduced himself swiftly, and introduced the special meals that were taking place that day- including a Chilean Sea Bass that I would go on to order for myself. For starters, my partner & I shared a French Onion Soup & Escargot along with complimentary bread & butter. All of it was absolutely delicious and fresh! Tip: Try to refrain from eating all your bread if you're ordering Escargot; you're going to want to save it to soak up the delicious sauce.

For entrees, my partner ordered a Roasted Duck to pair with my Sea Bass, and both were great. The fish took the edge though since I didn't like scavenging for bones while eating the duck; plus, the Sea Bass melted in your mouth so well, I made an audible delighted sound when I had my first bite.

Normally, I wouldn't order dessert, but it was a special occasion, so I indulged in a Grand Marnier Soufflé while my partner had the highly recommend Crepes Suzette. What more could I say that I haven't said already? The dessert was incredible, and for my first time having Soufflé, this was a great introduction.

I won't deny that part of my raving over this restaurant had to do with the special event my partner & I were celebrating, which could make things more rose-tinted, per say, but I like to believe that the atmosphere of the restaurant enhanced our joy.

Though the dining area was small, it was filled with warmth. I cannot speak for the employees personal feelings on their jobs, but I'll say at the very least that they appeared to love their work and in turn, their enthusiasm made me more excited to try their food.

The decorations piqued my interest to learn more about them, like one would feel in The Louvre Museum in Paris. Even the other attendees, whom come from all walks of life, contributed to the good vibes. I saw groups of friends catching up, couples engrossed in their own world, families celebrating birthdays, and several parties had an employee take photos for them to commemorate their big night out.

I'm pretty sensitive to my environment, and oftentimes can feel overstimulated when it becomes too stressful, but at Le Rendez-Vous, it was different. Sure, there was a lot going on, but instead of feeling anxious, I remained in a state of calm (and that's not just because I had a Blonde Cosmo cocktail). The happiness exuded off everyone was noticed by me, and as a result, I too was happy. Happier leaving than I was when I entered.

I felt gratitude for my partner choosing this place, and even more that I have a chance to experience more wondrous things like how I felt here. Call me overly sentimental, but I cannot deny that this is how I felt. Le Rendez-vous isn't just a place that serves food; it's a place that'll make...

First let me set the stage. For the last several years I have watched Hells Kitchen with Gordon Ramsey and have longed for Beef Wellington. It isn’t a common dish so I couldn’t figure out where it was in the places I had lived before. But then lo here we are now I have been in Tucson for about a year and a half and with the Pandemic settling down ((hopefully)) I began a quest many years in the making and there did I find this establishment which served my long sought-after dish. I will not lie, I salivated. I had thought to wait until my birthday in August but as someone suggested, what if it was terrible? That could ruin a birthday. So perhaps a rehearsal is in order. With this thought in mind, I prepared my finances to engage this fine dining establishment with all my effort. I went to Men’s Warehouse to buy a good suit. ((Less we speak of the final cost of that the better.)) But I wanted to be well dressed for this so with fantastic clothes and fashionable shoes. ((Fashionable meaning that after an hour they got uncomfortable but that’s the price you pay.)) I made my reservation at 4:00 PM when they opened. I simply couldn’t wait any later. It seems to be the tiniest place in the world. Yet is seemed bigger on the inside. I dare say their kitchen must be cramped. The exterior doesn’t really advertise so much so you could be forgiven if you passed it many times without noticing. On entrance my reservation was confirmed, and I was seated. I ordered a red wine. It was a 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon and was tasty enough, but it was an assistant to the food to come not the star. First came the PATE EN TERRINE which is a Duck plate with pickled veggies and Dijon. It has a look of meatloaf. I ate it slowly and found that when you chew it then take a bite of the veggies then sip some wine. A cascade of flavor rolls down your tongue like an avalanche of joy. I devoured it methodically and with great enthusiasm. Then at long last the BOEF WELLINGTON. Now, it is not like Hell’s kitchen I will say, you don’t get the whole loaf, but you won’t need the whole loaf. The dish was served with a side of veggies and scalloped potatoes. It dripped with sauce, and it was hard to keep the crust with the bites as it did get a bit moist from the sauce. This was fine though. Altogether, it was, well indescribable. I have had beef as a constant carnivore, but this was not beef it was Heaven on a plate. It was a taste I found celestial. I did not want it to end but my belly was getting full and there was still dessert. Now I am told that some desserts take a while to prepare and so you will be requested to order ahead if you want certain ones so go in knowing what you want. I wanted the GRAND MARNIER SOUFFLE. So I had to order it before the meal so it would be ready for after the meal and it was the perfect end to the meal. It was rich, creamy, luxurious, and I am not totally spoiled for anything else. It was well worth the cost. I enjoyed it immensely and look forward to trying their Roasted Duck which I am told when you call them to set a reservation it would be good to let them know you wish the Duck so one will be there for you as they sell out quickly.

11/6/24 Edit: I must edit this because I had the Beef wellington at Hells Kitchen in Vegas, this...

As you can see, the first picture is from last year, from my now as of the 28th of Feb this year, wife who raved about this place and it's souffle. We came here today around 530pm, Feb 29th 2024. We were greeted happily and warmly by a nice lady with dark hair, whom I told we were celebrating our wedding here. We were all excited and happy. However by the time the "dessert" hit the table I was left very curious. Mine had hardly any powdered sugar, hers significantly more but that's not what I'm here to talk about. The souffle it self looked, felt and tasted very over cooked. It had a ever ever so very slight sweet taste, with over cooked scrambled egg bread after taste. The souffle was over cooked so much that it was the same color around the whole inside of the ramiken that if I flipped it over it wouldve ALL plopped out and not have fallen apart. Incredibly disappointed. The server who sat us, the one with dark hair came by and asked how it was. Frankly, I was honest, the inner Gordon Ramsay. Told her as described above and she let out a chuckle, that it was not a new opinion, and that the year prior there had now been a new owner and pastry chef. She said that they back then believed the OG pastry chef put too much grand marinet in the recipe. So with that person gone, new management and a altered recipe as well, well, you can see the difference in the pics. I could literally pick up up parts of this thing like it was over cooked egg pastry bread. She graciously apologized to us and let me know she would let the pastry chef know. Not long after an older blonde woman who had made a remark to us about us only ordering souffles and taking our plates from the table before we had been served asked us how the food was as well. I began telling her the same thing as the first and also that I felt it was so bad that I wasn't going to pay $30 for the two we had been served. $15 each, 13 the year prior, upselling a WORSE souffle. Anyway, she got testy with me, angry even, "well everyone else here seems to enjoy them" and I mentioned how the recipe had apparently been charged year prior and she yet again began to get on me about it, "no no it's always been the same recipe" so I was lied to or what? Safe to say, I didn't believe her at all. Wonderful service to the one who sat us, terrible food from the pastry chef, and terrible service from the one who picked up our plates and tried chewing me out for my opinion on a souffle that would make the French wave a flag of war, and not of surrender. Never coming again, and glad I didn't pay a dime. If its not broken, why break it? (Btw, all clientele eating were elderly white people with 9 toes in the grave and you're wondering why they seem to maybe be enjoying a sad excuse for a souffle.) Oh Gordon Ramsay...