Restaurant: Belle Vie
Location: 11916 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025. (424) 832-7375
Date: June 2, 2017
Cuisine: French
Rating: Cute French Bistro
French restaurants used to be everywhere, but in recent years they have faded more into the Los Angeles background.
Belle Vie seems to be a relatively new one, a neighborhood bistro up in the not-so-neighborhoodly area of mid Santa Monica.
The interior is cute with a large selection of mysterious black & white photos of a mustachioed gentleman.
The menu.
And specials on the chalkboard.
From my cellar: NV Drappier Champagne Rose Brut Nature. VM 90. Pale orange. Mineral-accented red berries and citrus fruits on the nose, complemented by hints of candied rose and white pepper. Stony and precise, offering lively strawberry and orange zest flavors that expand slowly with air. Closes spicy, stony and tight, with very good clarity and floral persistence.
Beef Burgundy Tacos. Beef Bourguignon on a corn tortilla, raw mushrooms, pickled carrots and onions, crispy bacon, spring onions and Dijon mustard. Interesting taco and very tasty.
Petit Mesclun. Mix green salad.
Special with asparagus, thyme, ricotta, hazelnut and croquant lemon.
Gratin de Coquillettes. French mac and cheese with truffle cream, Compte APO and bread crumbs. On the dryer side for M&C.
7 Hours Lamb Leg. Braised with garlic thyme and rosemary, served with spring vegetables, Harissa. Not bad. Very tender and a good bit of flavor.
FFF (Fresh French Fries). 100% homemade with Kennebec potatoes, fried with beef tallow, seasoned with parsley, garlic and Porcinni mushrooms. Too thick for my taste. I prefer the classic thin French Fries.
Overall Belle Vie was okay. Nice in that it modernized bistro food a bit, a little medium in that execution wasn’t perfect and no dishes stood out as amazing. Some were good, and some just okay.