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Mon Vieil Ami Review

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Mon Vieil Ami

$-$$, Modern French, Île St-Louis

User Rating: **** 3.5

Fodor's Review:

Modern French

Mon Vieil Ami. "Modern Alsatian" might sound like an oxymoron, but once you've tasted the food here you'll understand. The updated medieval dining room -- stone walls, dark-wood tables, and small glass panes -- provides a stylish milieu for the inventive cooking, which showcases heirloom vegetables (such as yellow carrots and pink-and-white beets) from star producer Joël Thiébault. Pâté en croûte (wrapped in pastry) with a knob of foie gras is hard to resist among the starters. Long-cooked, wine-marinated venison comes with succulent accompaniments of quince, prune, celery root, and chestnuts. Though the quality of the food has never faltered, service can be uneven and seating is a little tight. Call during opening hours (11:30-2:30 and 7-11) to book, since they don't answer the phone the rest of the time.

Member Reviews & Ratings:

Excellent Restaurant

Posted by Dtheresa from Toronto, Canada on 10/13/07

We have been to this restuarant numerous times. The food is from Alsace. It is simple, freshly prepared comfort food. If you're on the hunt for steak and frites - forget it. This is a special experience and the food is lovingly prepared. Each time the staff has been terrific. The decor is elegant and simple. Close tables? Yes, but this restaurant in an old building in the exclusive Ile St. Louis, so space is at a premium - but no, you aren't sitting on other diner's laps ... On our last visit a fellow North American loved her meal so much she asked for a doggie bag, the staff very politley declined (this is indeed a no-no in Paris!!!)

FOOD: 5.0

ATMOSPHERE: 5.0

SERVICE: 5.0

VALUE: 5.0

RATING: 5.0

Big Disappointment

Posted by jhosler from Boston, MA on 9/18/07

Extremely poor service. Not rude, just plain poor service. Food matched the service with the chicken dry and fois gras lacking flavor. After waiting for 15 minutes once seated, we were finally asked if we wanted menus and something to drink. The entire experience took 3 hours and, even then, they forgot our desserts and just presented us with our bill. My recommendation: get gelati down on the corner and forget about going to Mon Vieil Ami.

FOOD: 2.0

ATMOSPHERE: 3.0

SERVICE: 1.0

VALUE: 1.0

RATING: 1.8

If you are in a hurry

Posted by henrytow from Washington, DC on 2/7/07

Eat at the 7:30 seating of Mon Vieil Ami. Last fall we arrived at 7:25, had our menus and had ordered by 7:40. First course arrived at 7:50, second course 8:10, etc, so all done by 8:45. Felt more than a little rushed. Not so incidentally, in the spring a reservation made by a fluent French speaker two weeks in advance was lost.

FOOD: 3.0

ATMOSPHERE: 3.0

SERVICE: 1.0

VALUE: 2.0

RATING: 2.4

good recommendation

Posted by kckluth from Orange County, CA on 1/11/07

This restaurant came highly recommended and like many other things, maybe we weren't fair in expecting too much.

FOOD: 3.0

ATMOSPHERE: 4.0

SERVICE: 4.0

VALUE: 2.0

RATING: 3.2

Lively atmosphere-food not so much

Posted by lark00law from Texas on 12/17/06

Great atmosphere-cramped space makes for lively vibe. Tables are close but no problem holding a conversation. Food is alright- simple entrees-nice size portions. Had beef marinated 72 hours in red wine- for 2 people-came with pots and carrots- sauce was very good but cut of meat was only OK-not tender. Other dishes were safe-breast of chicken,warm salad of root veggies with raisins and almonds,etc- pretty mild tasting dishes. Desserts are simple but good- Nice wine list.

FOOD: 3.0

ATMOSPHERE: 4.0

SERVICE: 4.0

VALUE: 3.0

RATING: 3.4

Chic Paris

Posted by Celia from New York on 10/16/06

The Pork Entree for two was delicious! We had an amazing time, with perfect service, delicious food, and a beautiful atmosphere. This meal has been one of the most memorable one. My other favorite meals in Paris are le Tour D'Argent, and for the view the Jules Vernes. Mon Vieil Ami is unique, and made our anniverary celebration so special. Reservations are a must!

FOOD: 5.0

ATMOSPHERE: 5.0

SERVICE: 5.0

VALUE: 4.0

RATING: 4.8

Mon Viel Ami is not our new friend

Posted by Frances from Vail, CO on 3/31/06

We were put off upon entering the curtained doorway by one unfriendly server. Otherwise, the other servers were very pleasant and while the dining room is stark and bright, it would have been nicer to have more privacy at the individual tables. However, this is Paris and oftentimes there's lack of space in dining rooms. There was a mix of locals and tourists with us. The food is contemporary cuisine and was not to our liking other than the pork dish with ham for two. It was a nicely roasted pork that came in what I'd call a Dutch oven. The starter of warm salad did not hit the right note with me. I prefer a traditional cold salad I suppose. Desserts of a chocolate tart and a baba rhum were fine but not outstanding. There are boissons de la maison included and are either white wine or a fruitbased type of drink. In summary, for us the cuisine was not a good fit as we decided that traditional cuisine is what we prefer.

FOOD: 3.0

ATMOSPHERE: 3.0

SERVICE: 3.0

VALUE: 2.0

RATING: 2.8

A Special Place

Posted by Donna from Canada on 2/21/06

The food was simple, flavourful and very well prepared. The restaurant has a warm ambience. We appeared to be the only tourists, the locals were there in full force. You do need reservations for dinner - we found out the hard way - but returned the next day for a wonderful lunch. There are separate tables or one long table which you share with other diners.

FOOD: 5.0

ATMOSPHERE: 4.0

SERVICE: 5.0

VALUE: 4.0

RATING: 4.6