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Perhaps Le Sanglier can’t be classified as a hunting lodge, but the hanging guns, the hunting themed wall paper and the wild game on the menu certainly suggest the theme. The decor is decidedly French, bordering on tacky but pulling back and settling with a certain comfort and surprising transport from the San Fernando Valley to France.

We visited Le Sanglier with some friends who live in the area. After a delicious martini at their house, we scooted over to the restaurant in time for an 8:00 reservation.

Our table was waiting, in the front window, a massive booth for the four of us. I was delighted to see the specials for the night. Two jumped out at me right away: the Sizzling Mussel appetizer and the Crispy Half Duck with Raspberry Sauce. Unfortunately, a debate in my head swung me away from the duck and towards the scallops on the regular menu. For some reason, I couldn’t reconcile mixing mussels and duck. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy my scallops, but looking back, that duck was clearly on the menu for me.

I believe that our waiter was the owner. A stately French gentleman who tolerated my dining companion’s French explanation that the two ladies at the table were pregnant and wouldn’t be having wine. He complimented our dinner choices as if we had selected only the best he had to offer. I had a good view of the dining room and saw as he greeted each guest as they left, monitored the tables, coordinated the support staff and was a tremendous host, unlike what I am used to around town.

Our appetizers arrived promptly. French Onion Soup, Escargot, Beet and White Bean Salad, and my much anticipated Sizzling Mussels. I was a bit curious what the presentation would be. Without being too crude, it resembled a sizzling fajita platter at a cheesy Mexican restaurant. The difference was that this sizzling platter was piled with plump mussels in a rosemary garlic broth. The dish was all I could have wished for and more. The addition of rosemary is something that I don’t think I have had before with mussels, but was a savory combination. I had no shame in finshing much of the broth with the crusty French bread. I wasn’t even deterred when our French host reminded me that I had a whole entree on its way.

As I said, my main dish was the Scallops which were served with herbs and mushrooms as well as a pastry shell. Most of the scallops were served outside of the pastry, topped with a light cream sauce. Inside the pastry was a melange of the various ingredients of the plate. My scallops were truly tasty, but I think of the dishes on the table, mine would rank fourth of four. I had bites of the venison, wild boar and veal. All three had what French chefs do best - perfectly paired luxurious sauces.

The Veal was accompanied by an Apple Brandy sauce, the Venison with a Bordelaise and Berry and the Wild Boar with a peppery Poivrade sauce. All three dishes were deliciously unique, and if you are going to try Le Sanglier, why not go for their namesake dish, the Wild Boar (Le Sanglier in French).

If this sounds like a decadent meal to you so far, you are correct. When on the path of decadence, why stop at the main course? We plunged head first into dessert. On one side of the table was a traditional creme brulee topped with fresh fruit. On our side of the table was a house specialty, the Banana Split Le Sanglier. How is this prepared? Start with the banana, wrap in a fresh made crepe, top with a generous scoop of French vanilla ice cream and then cover everything with whipped cream. Don’t stop there! Add gravy boat full of hot fudge on the side so that chocolate can be applied and reapplied as you eat. It was every bit as indulgent and delectable as it sounds.

Sitting in our booth, clearly overcome with satiation, we were offered one more temptation on the house, a finishing glass of Moscato. It was lovely.

Le Sanglier is a gem in The Valley. Staying in business for over 30 years certainly says something for the quality of the cuisine. Particularly since this is not a restaurant which would catch your eye from the outside. This decadence does not come cheap either, each couple was in for about $125 before tip and that was with only one glass of wine.

Saved for special occasions and to reward yourself, I would put Le Sanglier high on your list. It’s easily worth a drive over the hill from the Westside. I would suggest reservations to make sure that you are not turned away.

Le Sanglier
5522 Crebs Ave. / Cross st. Ventura Blvd
Tarzana, CA 91356-3330
818-345-0470

By Jonah (see more of his posts). Jonah is the founder of la.foodblogging and also created Digesty, a food blog aggregator and Cheww.com, a spam free foodblog search engine.