La Boheme

So, since my first visit here about eight years ago, we've come back here a few more times. Each time the experience has been rather good, not fantastic, but enjoyable enough that we keep coming back.We returned a few nights ago for a farewell dinner for my brother-in-law and his daughter. She had never been to a French restaurant before and was excited to give it a try.The menu is diverse, with a lot of familiar French creations. Probably the only thing missing, IMO, is cassoulet. But we had lots of dishes to choose from. Our server (who didn't speak any French, c'est dommage) was very helpful, especially in addressing our questions about allergens.On our table that evening:Escargot - my niece was super thrilled to see this and was eager to try something completely new. I'm plus/minus about escargot; sometimes I feel that they're too earthy, as if they were plucked straight out of our vegetable garden. These were actually pretty good, prepared in a garlicky butter sauce (I think there was an entire stick of butter melted into the dish). The texture was nice, but there was a slight bitterness to a couple of the pieces.Gateaux de crabe/crab cakes - lightly breaded and fried and topped with a thin tartar-like sauce with a small salad. Quite good.Croque monsieur - typical ham and Swiss sandwich with a bechamel sauce and fries on the side. This was a little messy to eat and rather filling, but good nonetheless.Magret de canard/duck breast - rich flavor, generous slices of duck, served with mashed potatoes and vegetables. Well-liked.Mussels with Cajun seasoning - I was a little skeptical of this flavor, as it seemed that it wouldn't be much different a Cajun seafood boil, and I tend to prefer either a garlic or mustard preparation. However, this was actually quite good. The mussels were large and meaty and well-cooked so that they weren't too chewy. The fries on the side were crispy and delicious as well.Coq au vin - this was a special for the evening. The chicken was moist and fell off the bone very nicely, but there were too many small pieces of bone fragments that should have been removed before cooking and serving. But the flavor was delicious. The accompanying vegetables were overcooked, unfortunately, which seems to be a recurring theme here.So, here we are eight years since my initial review, and I'd still say it's a solid four-star experience. It's a tiny bit pricey but not unreasonable, and worth a visit every once in a while.

Came here as a group of 4 on a Saturday around 11 AM; we had no reservation, but we were seated inside with no wait, which was really nice! Especially since many of the other brunch spots around had a substantial wait. Friendly staff, and a good variety of French-inspired brunch choices! ~The Food~Le Canard Sandwich- A sandwich which had shredded duck confit, caramelized onions, brie, lettuce, tomatoes, and basil aioli.- I really enjoyed this sandwich, as I thought all the components of the sandwich was well seasoned and paired really well together! The bread was nice and cripsy but fluffy! - I do wish they added a bit more of the caramelized onion.- The sandwich comes with the option of side salad or fries, but the waiter let me know that you can order half salad half fries as an option as well! Went with that and I thought both the fries and salad were great! Special Benedict- A standard Eggs Benedict, but with Salmon cakes + red onions! - The salmon cakes were pretty good! Not too fishy, and was very flakey! - We chose the side of hashbrowns and it was SO crispy and delicious! ~Overall Experience~- Staff were very friendly and the inside was nice and cozy- Parking is not bad! Usually there's plenty of parking spots in the parking lots around the area! - One small downside: My water glass had a lipstick stain on it so I didn't drink from the glass and made me feel a bit wary about the cleanliness of the other utensils/plates.

The place is cute. It definitely has a Paris theme going on. The hosts/servers are friendly and polite. We love the French onion soup there. It is so good. I love the soft onions, sweet tasty broth and the cheese. And when we choose to be bad the soufflé hits the spot. It's warm and moist and oh so delicious.

Cute place where we had a galentine brunch. The food was decent, the omelette I ordered came with a cute pan au chocolate. We had a good time there.

I went up to Stanford to visit a friend and we popped into this restaurant after Joanie's Cafe next door was closed on a Sunday. We were greeted and seated almost immediately inside. The inside was quite small but they had a large area outside as well. The waitstaff was very attentive and continuously made rounds to fill up our waters. The staff were knowledgeable about the menu and were able to answer questions we had. Most of us ordered omelettes. I personally had the cocotte that had tomato and chicken sausage. Since it was a weekend, we were able to order a pain au chocolat. We didn't know the food also came out with a mini croissant or pain au chocolat- so we likely wouldn't order the regular full sized version next time. Our omelettes were okay but the real stars were the crispy potatoes and the beignets. They were soft and pillowy with the perfect amount of powdered sugar and delicious chocolate dipping sauce. I would not be surprised if I found myself eating here again!

I have to give 4 stars mainly because I did not get something to eat - just a coffee. I was meeting up with a pretty big group of people (a French speaking group on meetup.com) thinking we were just going to eat at a cafe, so I had already eaten and was only going to order coffee. In any case, the service was good. There is also plenty of outside seating, and outside seating was basically covered by a tent. I would have to come back to sit inside one of these days though ! As a francophile, it felt so nostalgic walking through the inside of the restaurant when I needed to use the restroom. I live a bit a ways from downtown Palo Alto, but I would definitely love to actually sit down and have a meal one of these days !

La Boheme's sandwich with the Tuna meat is fresh, with high-quality ingredients. The bread was perfectly toasted, and the tuna nicely done. However, I found that there was not enough sauce on my sandwhich.

My friend and I were in the area getting our nails done and were looking for a spot for dinner on a Friday night. We stopped here and although we didn't have a reservation, they were able to seat us right away. The ambiance is so cute, you feel like you're in a French cafe but with helpful, friendly service! They seem like they truly want you to have a great meal/experience. Drink wise, my friend got the Kir royal but with pear instead and it was delicous! I got a sangria special which was so delicious and only $6. We both got the Le Boheme sandwich. I got mine with grilled chicken while she got hers with tuna. If you can't pick between salad and fries for your side, you can get half and half. Everything was fresh and delicious and really good quality. Would definitely go back!

I rounded up to 4 stars, but I really think of this as being more of a 3.5 star restaurant. They serve up fresh mussels and tasty sandwiches, but you might notice that the salad in the attached photo looks a little bit sad. I've had the bouillabaisse twice; the first time was lovely, but the second time the fish was overcooked and rubbery.This bistro does have the uncanny effect of making the diner feel transported into a slow-living provincial town at lunchtime. This is nice and rather unique; most other places design themselves in ways that engineer hustle and bustle.

Adorable french restaurant serving exotic dishes like rabbit and bison, also duck one of my faves. For dinner, we got the charcuteri et patés (duck & pork paté, sliced sausage, and pickles) as an appetizer, lapin a la moutarde (rabbit dish with a creamy savory mustard sauce), and magret de canard (pan seared duck breast sliced into bite size pieces). Our sides were exactly the same in both entrees, the vegetables kinda soggy but the flavor good, and the mashed potatoes were fluffy and buttery. The mango and pomegranate mimosa was delicious and refreshing. We made online reservations and chose outdoor seating, but were seated indoors when we arrived, which was just as lovely so it was fine. They advertise live jazz on Friday nights on their website, but there was none during our visit (first Friday of the new year), so I'm not sure the season for this. We enjoyed our meals nonetheless in this beautiful french inspired setting, with lovely artworks on the walls, friendly and professional service, and good vibes all around.