la.foodblogging

Last week I posted a query regarding this place. You can read the recs I received here –

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/340730

I’m going to adopt Poet Kitty’s style for this review (thanks, PK – you rock!)

Very chic, cosy and large bar area. Warm vibe. French reproduction – stamped tin ceiling, little (faux) paintings, period light fixtures and other decorative touches everywhere. Comfy, deep red leather booths in large wing of restaurant. But they spelled a few French terms incorrectly on their menu! Hmmmnnn…

Cocktails: They have several champagne cocktails (made with a cheap local bubbly). Most of us girls went for the champagne with pomegranate juice, which was very nice. $14 or $18, from memory. I thought I might have to drive (my sweetheart drank two “very good” Sapphire martinis throughout his meal) so I opted for the fanciest champagne they had by the glass – Tattinger – $24. It was fine, but pricey, non? Four of us had two or so cocktails with their meal, three of us had one cocktail and shared a bottle of Iron Horse Pinot Noir ($54), which I liked.

Bread: Excellent – fluffy and freshly made, more Italian style than French, methought. Came with this delicious spread – mayonnaise, garlic, a touch of black olive tapenade and possibly balsamic vinegar. Everyone loved this. It was an optimistic start to the meal.

Appetizers: Mine was the crab cake. Medium in size and very meaty. Good flavour. My guy had the prosciutto-wrapped scallops with white corn ragout, sage brown butter. This dish was easily the best thing I tasted all night. Two fat, perfectly cooked and scrumptious scallops but swimming in a pond of butter/oil that floated next to the corn relish. I found that a little off-putting. Someone had the caesar salad, which was massive. I tasted the lobster beignet (a special) – decent morsels of lobster encased in a lot of batter, which was crispy on the outside but soggy inside. Nicely presented in a cone of paper inside a tall, metal parfait ‘glass’, atop shoestring fries.

Sides: There were loads of delicious-looking sides on the menu. The only one I tried was the creamed corn, which was sweet and yummy. The steamed asparagus hollandaise looked nice.

Entrees: Mine was a big disappointment. I just can’t go past duck in a French restaurant, but this “duck two ways” ($24) was really ordinary confit leg and pink, chewy sliced breast on a smattering of cherry sauce. The halved artichoke was undercooked. Potato gratin was unremarkable. I ended up taking most of my main meal home. Duck salad for lunch!!

My guy also ordered the duck and cleaned his plate, though.

I really wish I’d taken a ’hound’s rec and gone for the short ribs a la Bourguignonne with red wine sauce and horseradish cream… But then again, would it have been better than at Lucques?

Dessert: We all shared two desserts; the berry cobbler which was okay and not too syrupy, though there were nuts in the crumble (ugh!) The chocolate, hazelnut and banana crepes were fantastic, featuring a crunchy toffee element that was there ’till the last bite. I should know – I snagged it!
Damage for 7 diners, $608.00, before tip.

THE BAD – One girl’s dish came out wrong AND cold. She’d ordered the chicken crepes and got the vegetarian. To their credit, her meal was replaced within 10 minutes and was hot.

Also, we asked if they could put $200 on every couple’s bill and $100 on the single girl’s bill. They said they could do this, but hers (same girl as the wrong meal!) came back with $120 total, which didn’t seem fair. I told her to send her bill back, but she just ate the extra cost. I certainly wouldn’t have.

RESTAURANT REPORT CARD - French 75 Bistro, Visit 1

Ambiance A
Service A (but the place wasn’t crowded)
Food (Taste) B-
Food (Presentation) B
Wine/Drinks B
Value C
Vibe/Energy/Scene B-

Overall Experience B-

Final word – Decent menu, many choices. We had a very nice time with our friends, but I probably wouldn’t go back. Too many better places in LA to knock my socks off and leave a similar hole in my wallet.

French 75 Bistro

3400 W Olive Avenue,
Burbank, CA 91505

right next to Arnie Mortons

(818) 955-5100

www.French75Bistro.com

BTW – There are four other locations – Newport Beach, Irvine, Century City and Laguna Beach.

By MaxMillion (see more of her posts). Max Million is the nom de 'net of Pauline Adamek. Born in Sydney, Australia, Pauline has lived in Los Angeles for the past thirteen years and finds it agrees with her. She has been reviewing films and filing celebrity-based interview articles since 1991, and has filed stories from various international film festivals, including Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Toronto and Sundance. She completed a family cookbook and has also written novels for 8-12 year olds. She is the creator and host of ArtsBeatLA.