[SEA] Voilá!

[seacrotty]

We finally managed to break the ice at Voilá! last night. Anita and I met a friend for dinner at the new “bistrot” that’s replaced the much-unlamented Gitano on East Madison in Madison Valley (Seattle). We were forced to cut our dinner short, so consider this more of a preview than a review.

When they say bistrot, they mean it. The menu is loaded with little French restaurant faves: onion soup, pate de campagne, beef bourguingnon, hanger steak, coq au vin, and the like. The wine list is small and mostly Cali-Washington You can order house red or white by the glass or carafe. There is also a selection of unnamed wines available by the glass -- you order by the grape varietal.

Anita started with the onion soup and wished that it had more broth and cheese and less onion, but pronounced it tasty nonetheless. The pate de campagne that I ordered could have been more flavorful, but the texture was great. Our dining companion ordered a mixed green salad and said that it was overdressed but good otherwise.

My main was a hanger steak with a side of (what else?) frites. The steak was cooked medium-rare, as I requested, and the frites were prepared with a little garlic and parsley. Good meat, good sauce, good frites, and dijon on request (without having to explain twice) -- what else can you ask for? Anita’s beef bourguignon was tender and flavorful; in an interesting twist on this old favorite, we suspect that bacon or another smoked meat is involved in the preparation. Our friend ordered mushroom tagliatelle -- shiitake, I think, but I won’t swear to it. I will swear to the fact that I smelled it as soon as it got within five feet of the table, and my mouth started watering. A taste confirmed that it was good stuff.

We ordered whites and reds by the glass, and they were what we expected: workmanlike but not amazing. The total tab for three people (starters, mains, and 4-5 glasses of wine) was $100 pre-tip. You have to order sides separately, so that $12-13 main isn’t really such a screaming deal. However, there were enough frites that two people could share -- not pig out, but share. Service was great: warm, polite, attentive, and casual in the proper measures. Décor was quiet, uncomplicated and appropriate. We hope that this place does well, and we're looking forward to a return trip.

cameron

edited to add the Seattle geographic reference. Apologies to non-Seattle-ites

Edited April 3, 2004 by seacrotty (log)

[SeaGal]

Thanks for the great write-up--sounds like we'll have to give it a try--mmmm...steak frites.

As far as the beef bourguignon, in "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck; bacon, cut into lardoons, is called for in the recipe. I imagine, though, that there are as many ways to make this dish as their are French cooks.

[seacrotty]

As far as the beef bourguignon, in "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck; bacon, cut into lardoons, is called for in the recipe.  I imagine, though, that there are as many ways to make this dish as their are French cooks.

Thank you, SeaGal, for giving me the benefit of the doubt. Despite my ignorance about the origins, it was still vurry tasty.

c

[vengroff]

We stopped in the other night as well. It seems like a place with the potential to be a nice little addition to the valley. The ligting is subtle and the space is small but comfortable, especially the cozy bar along the right side of the room.

Unfortunately, we made the mistake of ordering our dishes by their French names, as they are printed on the menu. Unfortunately, it was our waitress' first night on the job, so she wasn't sure what we wanted until we switched to English.

We enjoyed the crispy herbed frites, although we had them with merguez sausages rather than the steak, and the Crozes Hermitage they offer was quite charming. Tagliatelle came with a sauce that was a little sweet for my taste, but the wild mushrooms on top were hearty and satisfying. French onion soup was just as it ought to be, full of well-carmelized onions and topped with a manageable crouton covered in oozing melted cheese.

Dessert was a lemon tart with a delightfully tangy filling. The crust had been overdone when it was blind baked (I'm guessing) but we really did like the filling.

In addition to the language barrier, service was somewhat on the slow side, but this likely had more to do the kitchen not quite being in synch yet. The chef spent some time chatting with friends at the bar, and only when he returned to the back did out main courses and those of the bulk of the guests finally appear.

That being said, the food was generally good straightforward bistro French. I think that if Voila gets past some initial service bumps it's going to be a great addition to the neighborhood.

[vengroff]

In the six months or so since Voila opened, I have become a semi-regular. I've been meaning to write about it again, and should have done so long before now.

The good news is I think they've more than lived up to their inital potential. They are are really solid reliable bistro. You can enjoy a Kir Royale at the bar and then settle in for classics like Salmon in beurre blanc, steak frites, or coq au vin. Specials are often fresh fish, simply grilled with classic sauces. I've also had some excellent escargots, swimming in garlic and butter, served atop thin slices of crispy toast.

Last night I found out from chef/owner Laurent that a few seasonal menu changes are in the works. The biggest news is that he will start offering cassoulet as a special several nights a week. It's going to debut tomorrow, and I hope to be there to try it. The salmon will depart when the season for wild salmon ends, because Laurent doesn't want to switch to farm raised fish. There are a few other minor tweaks, and some new specials that may make their way onto the regular menu if they prove popular.

Oh the whole, I'm really glad to have Voila in the neighborhood, and look forward to many more pleasurable evenings there.

[malarkey]

............and???

LOVE cassoulet.. I need to go here badly.

[vengroff]

............and???

LOVE cassoulet.. I need to go here badly.

←

I didn't make it in last Friday for cassoulet, but I did this Friday. It's still a several-night-a-week special, not on the main menu, but you can call ahead and check. The escargots have made it to the main menu, as has a salad of endive and blue cheese which, unfortunately for us, was selling so well that they ran out of just before we placed our order.

But back to the cassoulet. It's served in an individual casserole whose lid is removed at the table to reveal a full leg and thigh of duck confit swimming in white beans gratinee with breadcrumbs. This cassoulet is more about the duck and less about the beans than others I've had, but that wasn't really a problem for me. The biggest treat of the dish is the large number of bite-sized chunks of cured pork in the beans. These weren't microscopic diced specks meant to add flavor and then melt into the background, but tender fork-sized morsels that had been braising for hours along with the beans. And most importantly they were plentiful enough that there was no need to carefully mete them out every so many spoonfulls of beans.

I also had the country pate with coarse ground black pepper and to finish off, a selection of cheese consisting of blue de gex, St. Marcelin, and an aged chevre whose precise name I can't now recall.

As has been said here before, it's straight ahead French bisto cuisine, executed with care and flair. Once in a while the side dishes suffer from too heavy a hand with the garlic, but aside from that I don't think I can say anything negative about the food I've had there.

The place was hopping on a Friday night. Reservations aren't strictly necessary, but on the weekend I'd recommend them because the dining room is not all that large. A couple without a reservation who came in just before us was told the wait would be an hour.