07/26/09

Écouter

by MXMI

The food takes so long and well it's not that impressive once you get it. Recommend La Frite instead.

• Pros: You can say been there done that
• Cons: Food preparation takes a LONG time

02/09/09

Completely Overrated

by Ceska

Our experience at Le Reve was sub-par. I am still unsure why most reviewers compare it to a great French restaurant. Great restaurants have exceptional food. They have career wait staff, who are efficient and who are not patronizing or simpering. Great restaurants do not treat their guests like they don't "know any better". Our evening at Le Reve:

Our table was in a terrible location, by the entrance to the kitchen, and it felt like Grand Central Station.

I appreciate candle light, but it was plain dark, at least at our table.

The courses were often served in enormous bowls that were very awkward to eat out of.

We were missing a key ingredient in our starter. When asked, our hostess explained the ingredient had not come in that day. Solution: don't offer it.

The food was not as stunning and creative as it should have been-we were disappointed.

The very kind and knowlegable sommelier was the bright spot in the evening. He very thoughtfully moved us to another table two courses in to our meal.

For the price we paid for the meal at Le Reve, we could've have eaten at a three Michelin star restaurant in France. We should've waited.

01/26/09

Amazing Evening

by iowastatefan

I have been wanting to visit Le Reve because I have heard such great things about it. I was not disappointed. From the moment I walked in the door, everything was top-notch. The attention to detail in the service and dishes was stellar. We ordered the tasting menu (8 courses, plus an amuse bouche and intermezzo) with the chef's wine pairings. The sommelier poured and explained every wine himself. The pours were generous, but with the availabity of the fresh baked breads and the leisurely pace of the meal, none of felt we had too much to drink at the end of the night. None of us had ever such service from the sommelier and we were delighted to learn about each wine and why it was chosen for each dish. Fabian also gave us tips on where to buy wine locally and provided us with a list of the wines we had sampled upon request. I disagree with the previous reviewer that the food was not special. There were a few dishes whose flavors you might taste at other fine restaurants (beet salad), but many were very imaginative (such as the foie gras sandwich and the peanut butter and chocolate dessert). It was apparent much thought and care went into the preparation of each dish, which was only enhanced by the wine pairings. It does take a very long time to complete the tasting menu, so be prepared. If you do not have a lot of time to spend, it would be wise to skip this restaurant until you have an entire evening. We were there for 4 hours. 2 1/2 hours is probably an average and will depend on how many courses are ordered. In fact my only complaint was we waited about 40 minutes between the 3rd and 4th courses, which we felt was a bit too long. Otherwise, I thought the pace was good and gave us plenty of time to chat and digest. Will definitely return again and again!

• Pros: Fabulous sommelier, amazing food, great service
• Cons: Time constraints