Bistro La Persaud

My fiancé and I came to the restaurant for dinner on Friday night. Even though we were 15 minutes early for our reservation, we were promptly seated. We were happy with our service and were discussing making this a regular stop for date nights up until the bread came, the rolls were so hard that my fiancé’s metal tooth filling wound up breaking and falling out from trying to chew it. We were going to leave but, we were given a Groupon by a friend that was expiring that night and we never get to go out to fine restaurants so we decided to stay and try to salvage the evening. When we told our server what happened and my fiancé had the filling in his hand, she didn’t seem to care about it. All she said was «oh, that’s too bad…» We asked her to cancel my fiancé’s entrée as he was now unable to eat solid food. My fiancé sat there sipping his wine and watching me eat my dinner that evening. Nothing was said by the server or management, no apology, no offer to comp anything or help us salvage our evening. My fiancé now has to spend hundreds of dollars to repair his tooth and we come away from their restaurant after hearing such good things with nothing but disappointment for their treatment of customers.

We had never heard of this restaurant until we bought the Groupon and we were excited because we were missing our favorite French restaurant in California. But one look at the menu told us we were in for a rude awakening. There were five entrees ranging in price from $ 39 – 49 and it was difficult to tell from the description what they were going to taste like. We were almost ready to bolt at that point and just give up the $ 25 we’d spent on the Groupon. But we persevered.
Normally, we would have ordered an appetizer, but at those prices, we opted out. My husband selected the Alberta Beef which turned out to be a very tender 5 oz tenderloin served with a tiny rib, 2 tablespoons of cabbage, half a baby leek and one bite of pureed sweet potato (the chef clearly is not fond of vegetables). Hubby was done eating in seven mins flat and he’s not a fast eater, but there was just so little food on the plate. I asked him how it tasted and he said ‘average, ok, I could make something at least this good’. Not exactly a rave review for $ 49.
I ordered the duck. It was five slices of duck breast served medium, but it was very chewy. I could only eat one slice and then I gave up. I put two slices on his plate because he was still hungry and he ate them, but he made a face as he chewed and then declined to eat any more. There was a delicious duck confit in a raviolli shell that I loved. If that had been the entire meal, I might not have minded the $ 46 price. It was served with the same two tablespoons of cabbage, plus a tiny baby carrot and three tiny scoops of apple and a drizzle of purée. When the server put the plates in front of us, my first thought was, oh my god, there’s hardly anything on these plates.
The service was the highlight of the dining experience and she was very polite, friendly and efficient. But for $ 125 all in for only two entrees and a glass of wine, it was ridiculous. We certainly won’t be back. I’m going to hazard a guess that the prices have gone up since the Groupon was issued because I can’t see this being a favorite neighborhood joint at those prices. Not for chewy duck and ‘ok’ beef.

Went here on a Saturday evening with the folks and boy were we in for a treat! Never heard of the place but we found a deal on Dealfind so decided to go and check it out.
Anyways, we started out with two amuse bouches complimentary of the chefs. The first dish was three small shot glasses of fresh fruit juice. The other dish was two brioche buns straight from the oven. Still warm and fluffy. We wanted more!
For appetizer, we attempted to order the mussels dish but they received a bad shipment so it was off the menu (good that they do that). We settled on the Bistro coquille St. Jacques — basically a seafood dish consisting of a scallops, tiger prawns and tomba tuna with a potato gaufrette (looked like a bird’s nest that you get at chinese restaurants when you order chow mein sometimes). That part was crunchy. Sauce that came with it was very good. We left that plate looking clean.
For entrees, we ordered three different dishes but shared:
— I had the pan roasted duck breast ($ 31) which I thought was the best out of the three dishes we tried (maybe I’m biased since I also ordered it). Came with three nice pieces of duck breast along with lots of veggies (kale, small cauliflower florets, corn, barley and pureed yam). Delicious!
— Second entrée was the roasted cornish game hen ($ 27). This tastes like chicken but way more flavourful. It came with a sort of vegetable sandwich (summer vegetable tart tatin according to the menu).
— Last entrée was the grilled lamb sirloin ($ 32). This was good but the meat tasted very gamey/​strong compared to what I normally eat. Came with couscous and some other veggies. Definitely give them props to the vegetables cooked with the meats — all so tasty!
Too stuffed for any dessert, we packed it in and called it a day. Service was great! Our waitresses was super friendly, answered all of our questions and refilled our water/​other drinks very promptly. Definitely worth checking out if your searching for a new french joint! Tres bien!

I had a pretty nice meal here about a year ago but my most recent experience has led to a serious downgrade. The service was abysmal. A waiter whose life was clearly not going very well seemed barely able to keep from biting our heads off the entire night. – he was all attitude. He also didn’t seem to be communicating with the kitchen very well. When he brought the charcuterie and amuse bouche, he didn’t bother to give us any information about either – as he was leaving I had to call after him, re: the amuse bouche, «Uh – what is it?»
Since I have allergies I had to ask about some of the entrees as well and rather than offering to check with the kitchen he simply guessed as to the ingredients I was asking about. Which would be ok at a pub or something, but this is supposed to be fine dining.
But the real fail came when we pulled out our Groupon, which we’d mentioned when we made our reservation, as instructed to do. He made it clear he was not pleased. Without a word he subtracted the amount from our bill and stalked away as if in a rage. It was overall kind of a depressing and very alienating experience.
The charcuterie is still very nice at La P, but nothing else tasted particularly good with the heavy dose of attitude that accompanied every plate.

I have been wanting to try Bistro La Persaud since it opened but, for some reason or another, I hadn’t made it through the doors. So, with my anniversary just around the corner, I couldn’t have been happier to see a Groupon for the restaurant.
I snapped up that deal and started perusing the menu online.
They have a wonderful sounding weeknight table d’hote — 3 courses for only $ 25 — and, regardless of price, the toutiere called to me and I knew this was what I would order.
When we got there, we were informed that the table d’hote was not available to use with the voucher, so I went back to the menu. I settled for the stuffed pork chop on cheesy polenta, since there was no toutiere on the regular menu and Phil chose the chicken stuffed with pork and currants.
My chop was a pretty big portion and the polenta was nice and cheesy and creamy, but the chop was tough. Really tough. Like, have-​to-​saw-​your-​way-​through-​it-​and-​then-​chew-​for-​an-​hour-​tough.
It was not enjoyable.
Phil’s chicken was OK — not bad, but not good enough to warrant the price tag.
We also shared an appetizer of beets and goat cheese that wasn’t very good. The beets and cheese were layered in a stack and the beets tasted old… almost like they pre-​stacked a bunch of orders and let them sit in the fridge for Lord knows how long.
A glass of wine and a beer later and the bill was closing in on $ 100 — definitely not worth the price for the mediocre-​verging-​on-​bad food we were served.
I won’t even bother venturing back for the table d’hote toutiere that I was craving, in the first place.

We went to this little gem for the first ime for our 21^st wedding anniversary and what a delight it was. Every mouth food of food was a culinary delight. we shared our first course Charcuterie Board a smörgåsbord of house-​made terrines and salmon served with house-​made preserves, nuts, crackers and bread. more than enough for 2 voracious appetites. we had already been delighted with a welcoming opener of bread with 2 spoons of tasters. We took forever deciding on our main course and finally settled on crispy duck breast with house made Hunter’s Sausage, for my husband and Cornish Game Hen Ballantine, rolled hen stuffed with pork, currants, brandy and herbs, celeriac purée, toasted brioche, winter greens, port sauce for myself. Firstly the portion sizes were enormous. when it said sausage we expected one the size of your finger, but oh not it was nearly the size of a smokie. They certainly do not believe in being tight with their portions. The duck breast was really plump and juicy, while my Cornish hen was a sensation on the taste buds. My husband actually said «you must be loving that because ive never seen you so quiet» and he was right. We both relaxed and took our time savoring every morsel. To be honest we were both really on the edge of being over full but the quality had been so good that we really had to try dessert. I opted for crème brûlée with mini pastries (2 macaroons and a biscotti like biscuit) which was so smooth it was unbelievable. My hubby had dark chocolate mouse with more chocolate and he was just in heaven. The place is easy to find just of Whyte avenue, free parkade parking and wonderful service. The prices are more than reasonable and we will definitely be returning to try Sunday brunch. we will be back i expect for mothers day, fathers day, birthdays and really any other day we can find an excuse not to eat at home. Thank you La Persaud for the best meal we have eaten in Edmonton in 5 years.

Love this place! If you’re looking for a good French bistro, this is it! All the servers and most of the patrons spoke French. The menu is offered in French and English. The lunch menu was very Québécois, bistro style comfort food with a modern twist. I wanted to order everything because it all looked so good!
After careful deliberation, I ordered the Croque Madame. It’s like a Croque Monsieur but served with a quail egg on top. My only beef with this is that the tiny quail egg was only served on one half of the sandwich. I wish they gave me a second quail egg for my other half. I also found it a bit too meaty, but I think that’s just my own preference. The side of fries that came with it was also pretty decent.
I wish I had more time to try more of the menu. I highly recommend this place because they serve great food, it’s off the beaten path and it doesn’t seem like many people, other than the French Edmontonions, have heard of this place. I could be wrong.
Parking should also be noted. I THINK you park in the parkade, but I was so confused that I parked in some random alley beside the complex.
²²⁄₃₀

Vive La Persaud! Vive La Persaud Libre! I finally made my way to Bistro La Persaud after much anticipation and wishy washy excuses for not dragging my arse down there. Romantic, cozy room with funky light fixtures (and a gorgeous retro-​Victorian bathroom) are a lovely backdrop for some seriously scrumptious food. Some of it, like beef steak tartare and mussels, are firmly in Gallic territory while other offerings, like quinoa and green pea risotto, are more international. The quinoa risotto is stunning: so creamy, so smooth, so addicting. My oxtail ravioli were a bit on the salty and chewy side, however. Their cheese platter includes some very unusual offerings, including an Italian cheese aged with prosecco grapes. The summation is a memorable and magnifique evening. I look forward to trying their breakfast at some point.

After all the raving about this restaurant amongst local food bloggers, I had to check it out. It took me three tries before I finally got here — usually my hubby and I try new restaurants on a whim, but the few other times we’ve tried to go, the restaurant wasn’t open and so we’d end up going somewhere else to fill our bellies.
Finally deciding to plan the weekend adventure instead of winging it, we took an early reservation and settled ourselves for a French feast!
The location is a bit disconcerting for those not used to the area, as it reminded me of going to a U of A atrium, and going down the stairs felt more like entering a food court than a fine dining experience. However, once the place is opened up, it’s actually quite nice!
The server we had that evening was brand new and confused about the menu, so parts of the service was a little bit shaky; we had one of our orders flubbed but it was swiftly dealt with and we were given teeny tiny pots of ice cream while we waited, which was a nice touch. He did try to be as attentive and friendly as possible, always striking up a conversation beyond just asking us how we were doing and topping up our water.
In terms of the food, taste and presentation, though: flawless. The grilled salmon and risotto were just perfectly cooked and tasted excellent together. My oxtail tortellini was just rich but I wished for larger portions that I normally get at an Italian family restaurant. However, we were quickly full from the dessert offering of crème brûlée and almond cake. I find the latter dessert curiously named, considering the muffin presentation. It tasted just fine, but I think would come off more refined if it was presented in a less ordinary manner. In terms of taste, both good, but nothing that blew my socks off, unlike say, a Duchess Bakery offering.
The one blip, food-​wise, to me was the foie gras pâté. It tasted just fine, but… perhaps I was expecting more out of a $ 14 appetizer plate. Also, perhaps I expected the foie gras sauteed when ordered rather than its pâté version, and that dampened some of my feeling of that particular offering. Also strange was that the butter served with our bread was super cold, and therefore, hard to spread. We did have an early reservation, though, so perhaps they just took it out of the fridge.
At the end of the day, I feel Bistro La Persaud’s strengths lie in their mains. Well presented, well executed, and definitely worth the price. I may have given this place five stars, if only I felt the appetizer and desserts were also the same quality.

Found this restaurant, in the middle of La Cite’ Francophone, looking for a new place to go. VERY nice place to go :-] It is situated in the building and there is signage to direct you to it. It is a small place (maybe 20 tables, max), however, from the looks of the patrons, it is a «neighbourhood gem» and there is reason. We got in and were quickly seated (given the size and potential for popularity, it opened only this past November), I would suggest reservations – you can do it online and they actually call you back to confirm :-)…WHAT a concept (do you hear me folks at Corso 32!!!)
On to the food and service. Service was very good; our waiter and manager came by frequently to check on our wine glasses and to ask if we needed anything during the evening without being intrusive. To start, we were offered a small slice of duck prosciutto with bread – nice.
When you read the menu, you may find yourself smiling a bit since some of the dishes they have are tipo, «Macaronis au fromage», however don’t let that fool you… it does have a twist that is quite enjoyable (from what I could tell from the person at the next table :-]). Instead, I ordered the Seared Sablefish with Quinoa Risotto. It was VERY delicate and very good. It was also served with a small ceramic pot of roasted vegetables. My companion, had the English Pea and Quinoa Risotto (also very nice and delicate in flavour) topped with large slices of porcini mushrooms. For appetizers, I ordered the Pâté’, which was nice and though the menu indicates «served with a warm baguette», I had instead slices of baguette and nut and cranberry crisps (in honesty, I enjoyed the crisps more than the bread – I am Italian, bread [good bread at that], is a BIG deal) and my companion had the Tuna Tacos (I did say they have some items that would make you chuckle with a question mark…), which were quite good and tasty for him. The restaurant is well-​appointed with just enough lighting and traffic to be enjoyable without being loud.
For dessert, I have to say, my companion had the better one: The Tarte Tartin aux Poires. It is a really nice tarte baked in its own individual cast iron skillet and accompanied with a scoop of maple and bourbon ice cream which they make in house. I had the Almond Cake. It was good, however, not what I expected – not to take away from it, but you know how it is when you have a vision of what something may look like and it doesn’t. It was moist and quite good, all in all.
In all, I do wish this spot was closer to where we live as it is a place we would like to return :-] It is easy, yet a spot for a tête-​à-​tête with someone you want to spend «quality time» for sure :-]