Le Cep Restaurant

On Saturday they have their $ 85 8 course tasting room. Their website clearly states no shorts, or flip flops, jackets preferred. I was wearing sandals with a back strap. When I entered, they said no sandals. I said but I was told no flip flops and my shoes were sandals. They then preceded to say that my sandals were not dress sandals. My friend, who was already at the table and btw she was wearing sandals, explained to the manager that he told her on the phone that sandals with a back strap were ok. He then told my date that there was a Target down the street where we could go and buy me a pair of shoes. The nerve. I will never go back there and I will tell my foodie friends not to frequent that place.

No class what so ever, the manager actually told me to go to Target to buy a pair of shoes. I’m sorry I have more class than you. Never give your money to people who change the rules. Reservations week in advance, going to spend my money elsewhere and you should too.

Food… Science… Genius! Chef Sandra has amazing skill at pairing components I would never have thought went so perfectly together. The trick is that each bite is engineered to work in combination with everything on the plate. If you eat it one thing at at time you are completely missing out on this flavor tsunami!
We had the 8 course tasting menu for our anniversary this weekend. The key here is TASTING. Leaving stuffed and rolling out of the place doesn’t really serve anyone’s best interest, so for my husband and I, the portions were perfect. Like a great movie, symphony, or play, I keep thinking about this meal and how great it was. I’m contemplating how interesting the parings were and what an amazing experience it was. I’ve had fine dining all over the country and in Europe. The service here is top notch and the dining experience can’t be beat. Salut!

My friend came for a brief visit. Having lived in London for years, my friend had many great gourmet experiences and exposure to fine dining, including fine French restaurants. We decided to spend a day in Fort Worth, starting with Kimbell Museum, followed by Sid Richardson collection of western art. We then had a front standing (since we were both short) watching the cattle drive at Stock Yard. Our highlight of the day/​evening was at Le Cep. My friend raved about every bite into the 8 course meal, offering that Le Cep was at par with many Michelin rated European restaurants.
My friend’s opinion aside, I thought this was one of the best tasting menu experiences in DFW metroplex, since we have ate at every DFW restaurants that offered tasting menu. My favorite was the the suvee’d duck, crispy outside, tender, juicy and savory inside. My other favorite was the artichoke hearts and leek soup — the feta cheese crumbles accentuated the velvety soup nicely. The chili powder sprinkles and olive oil drops gave it a distinctive kick, while maintaining a clean after taste. The presentation was also amazing.
As we almost licked the plates clean, the chef came out and greeted us. A petite beautiful young lady, Sandra briefly talked about her menu, which was dominated by her classic French training, yet firmly rooted with her Mexican upbringing, and heavily influenced by her years working in Manila, Philippines. No wonder the subtle Asian touch in several of her dishes.
Since she changes her menu every 6 weeks, we will definitely be back, at least once a quarter, just to enjoy the good food and wine, while being pampered by their excellent service.

Le Cep is the perfect place to experience fine French dining in a wonderful setting. We decided to try the eight course dinner but there is also a four course offering. The menu changes every month allowing the chef to surprise us with her delicious creations. Every single course we enjoyed was absolutely delicious. What is great is that you can take as long as you want to enjoy this experience as they only book each table once per night, which takes away feeling rushed in order to seat another party.
What we also really loved was the atmosphere. It was mostly quiet and relaxing. We noticed the people at the other tables in the room but everyone was in the same quiet and sophisticated mood that makes it the perfect place to enjoy a romantic dinner.
I would suggest doing the wine pairing experience as well as the cheese course. You won’t regret it!

Definitely enjoyed the 8 course menu during Valentines with some champagne! Hubbie and I came back on a Wednesday night. The pictures here are from a recent featured wine night — Plumpjack wine. There were 4 delicious courses and 4 large glasses of wine to pair. Came out to be about $ 400 with tax/​tip for two people. Love the whole night, meeting Steele Cooper from the winery, and Chef Sandra, however felt that the food portions should have been larger given the price and amount of wine served. To me it was almost a ‘liquid dinner’ and felt I needed a bit more food to pair with the wines that were delicious. We thought maybe if we ordered some cheese it would help but the waitress said she couldn’t bring it out until at dessert time!

My wife and I have had some very memorable and special anniversary dinners. I have always been lucky enough to find ways to surprise her with just the right restaurant and gift. Each time she has mentioned how special the experience was but nothing seemed to compare to the first time we fell in love and had our first really great dining experience together. Coming up on our 10^th anniversary, I wanted a more intimate dining experience and a place that would be even more memorable than before. I chose Le Cep after reading the amazing reviews and hearing about it in the press and from friends. We were not disappointed! Not only was the food exquisite but the entire time was exactly the kind of intimate, fine dining experience I had hoped for and beyond. Chef Sandra blew our minds with her flavorful duck, incredible presentation and savory dishes and the staff was truly amazing. They seemed to anticipate our every need and/​or thought. We found ourselves lost in the moment and overwhelmed by how good everything was. The best part: My wife told me after, that the experience was so special and that it felt like the first time we fell in love and had our first real date together. There is no way to manufacture that feeling. It is just magical and why I am so glad I chose Le Cep. Thank you, Chef Sandra!

We went on the first night of a new tasting menu. I would not recommend going here on the first week of a new menu. They had a lot of kinks to work out. Did not prefer any of the dishes I had, and I tried the 8 courses. Grilled watermelon and the open faced escargot ravioli need the most fixing.

Service is fantastic!!! Food is superb! The story of this couple is so unique and they are so friendly to their guests. Yes… This is pricey. But you honestly pay for what you get and you get perfection!!! Treat yourself to a lovely experience and cheers!!!

This restaurant is most definitely a top 10 restaurant in Fort Worth. I decided to take my lovely wife to this restaurant for a Valentine dinner and we were both floored and impressed with not only service, ambiance but also the offerings and our dinner. We opted for the the 8 course dinner with french champagnes from their Champagne cart selections. From the exquisite french butter to the dessert, the experience was phenomenal. Every bite transport and elevate us to the love and passion of Chef Sandra’s creations. From the light mix of beets and tomato soup to the well blend of champagne, citrus, seafood and multiple herbs, we were taken for a brief moment to Paris and taste of french cooking.
To top it off, Chef Sandra took time out of her busy night to come out and personally inquire about our experiences and dinner. My wife and I have eaten at many «fancy» french restaurant but this place is not only «fancy» but also intimate. We will be back. We will recommend others to come and we hope that Chef Sandra will continue to be passionate and innovate. Another star of Funkytown and we look forward to more exquisite experiences.

The bill without alcohol was 220 bucks with tip and tax. I have been nice about the review because of the nice staff and amount of food you get. But the taste was really sub par. We thought we should have gone next door for the gluten free beef burger. At least they have local fresh meat as ingredients
Here are the issue
1. Beet soups, salad I can make it
2. Beef stew it like you got it from a can.
3. Their duck was good
4. Their cake was okay but nothing special
5. Their last course spicy chocolate cream burlee oh my god!!! It’s spicy! Way to go to finish a course with ur customer mouth burning!
Chain restaurants have better food! By the way 7 pm on a nice Saturday evening 5 tables total at this place! Don’t get fooled by the pictures! They don’t taste good! Big rip off stay away! People who wants to spent that much money go some where else the price is equivalent to a michllen star restaurant!
You have been warned!

Service is excellent, food is excellent. I’ve been to a number of restaurants in town and this is one of the best restaurants I’ve been to in Fort Worth. The whole staff is very professional and you are greeted and cared for from beginning to end. The restaurant is small and quiet… perfect for a romantic evening. The décor is contemporary and crisp-​looking, but not fussy or overdone. The service is personal and warm but never intrusive. From the attention to detail, it is clear that they put effort into making sure that you have an experience, not just a meal.

Delicious… This place is one of the finest spots in Fort Worth, An amazing culinary experience!

This restaurant is a local jewel in Fort Worth/​Dallas of fine dining.
I took my wife for dinner on a Thursday evening for the first time– we decided for the 8 course + wine pairing and Foei Gras with Champagne. The whole experience was amazing, we enjoyed every dish (and wine), the ambience (it was a quiet night with 4 tAbles only), the staff and chef Avila.
Having dined in other great Fort Worth restaurants, I would not recommend this place to those suffering from food allergies or intolerance to certain foods– you will not be able to enjoy everything (since substitutions are not allowed). This is not the restaurant fault but it is the reality — Chef’s Avila dishes are special in every way and she uses a variety of ingredients that may not suit everyone’s palate.
Plan for a 3 hours dinning experience and a hefty bill (if going for the 8 meal course) otherwise, I suggest shooting the 4 meal course.
We will come back to Le Cep as many times as we can.
Tip: for romantic dinners, we were told the best nights are during Mon-​Thur. Fridays and Saturdays can get very busy and loud (they only have 15 tables).

This is an outstanding place. We went there for our anniversary and it was totally worth it. From the outside it looks kind of small. Once you enter you will be greeted at the door and will be taken to your table. You will be offered champagne and then the course begins. We had a four meal course with cheese and wine pairing and although the proportion of the food was small, I was pretty full! The chef and the owner herself meets with everyone at the end of the night which was a new experience for us. One important thing is you need to be dressed up when you go there or else you will be the odd one out! The price is a little expensive but hey, when you are trying one of the best french cuisine in town, at the end of the day its totally worth it!

The wife and I had a chance to eat here last night, and I have to say, it really was phenomenal. First of all, its quite formal, so dont show up with jeans and sneakers, bro. The restaurant itself is simplistic, but elegant and modern. Reservations are needed, due to the limited space, but show up and the immaculately dressed staff will show you to your table and hit you off with all the accouterments you’d expect at a fancy french restaurant.
You have a choice of a 4 course or an 8 course tasting menu. 2 options to choose from on each course (I believe the options rotate out from time to time).
My wife and i both had the chestnut foie gras soup, scallop crème brûlée, duck in plum reduction, a chesse platter and the strawberry mint parfait for dessert. Its difficult to put into words how good everything was lol. The scallop crème brûlée by far stole the show. Ive never had anything so delicious… beautifully seared scallops on top of a faintly sweet crème brûlée with Parmesan cheese in it. Every course was pretty amazing, however. The duck was cooked perfectly and fell apart in your mouth and worked well with the plum sauce. They said it was their take on peking duck. The soup was savory and rich… the parfait was bright, fluffy, perfectly balanced and was a great ending to the meal.
The cheese plate was pretty good, 4 selections of cheese… a nice blue, a brie, some hard mild cheese that i forget the name of, and some supposed award winner that was raw and unprocessed… delicious…but stunk to high hell. The only real complaint with the cheese plate is it should have come with some grapes or something to cleanse the palate. I suppose wine would be a good choice to have with that as well, but we passed on it.
The portions are french-​sized (ie. small). If youre expecting texas sized portions, youve come to the wrong place. Also, courses are spaced pretty far apart (it took 2 hours for my wife and I to do the 4 courses + cheese), the idea being you actually savor your meal and, ya know, hold a nice dinner conversation with whoever you came with. Cramming the food in your mouth like you just rolled through the whataburger drive thru is going to leave you rather disappointed, so dont do that nonsense.
The 4 courses was $ 45 per person, the cheese plate $ 15. Really not bad at all. They have a rather extensive and elaborate wine list, however, we didnt get into any of that.
At the end of our meal, the chef came out and thanked us for coming and asked us if we enjoyed everything… she also personally apologized because it was a little loud in there. She said it normally wasnt, however, every table was full and the place was packed. It was a nice touch to speak with the chef, so that was pretty cool.
We’d certainly go back again and id recommend this place to anyone in the Fort Worth looking for an upscale french dining experience.

Great dining experience overall. Best fine dining food around here in my opinion. Service was very good. Quiet and romantic atmosphere. Probably not kid-​friendly though, unless you have perfectly well behaved kids. Be prepared for a very long dinner, 2 – 3 hrs.
The duck is cooked to perfection. I don’t like undercooked duck normally, but their duck was cooked just right and did not smell too gamy. I would recommend this dish. The macarons they bring out are a little rancid.
The first time I was there the food was excellent. Didn’t feel that way the second time around though. Maybe I came back too early. Also, I had food poisoning the second time. None of my friends had it except for me and we all ate the same thing, so I’m not sure if it was their food or not.
I’d still recommend this place though. The chef/​owner is very nice.

After working in Fort Worth, TX for over a year and eating at a number of fine restaurants in town — Le Cep stands out for me as simply the best. The eight course meal was simply amazing. The food, wine list, presentation and service was all excellent. This is a perfect venue for a small business dinner or a romantic dinner for two. The restaurant is a short 5 minute drive from Sundance Square (heart of Fort Worth) and well worth it!

The future hubs and I scored a reservation here Friday night. Three cheers for him for making the plans and having date night here.
I was actually surprised since it was Mother’s Day weekend and thought perhaps it would be difficult to get a table. We arrived early, not knowing if there was a bar we could sit and wait for our table at. We were seated as soon as we arrived. The whole restaurant is very small. It’s ultra modern– I love the flooring, wall dividers, décor– it’s all lovely. There’s no bar. There’s really a very small waiting area. I didn’t feel under-​dressed in my heels, slacks and blazer– but there was a wide array of fashions. Some Texas tuxedos and even a few full length gowns. So I would say step up your game if you want to look the part.
We opted for the 8 course menu with a cheese course and wine pairings. They come around with a champagne cart before service really begins, which I thought was a nice touch. The amuse bouche was served on a wee little slate stone. So cute! The tiny baguettes and delicious butter they come with are nice to nibble on between courses. I do think 8 courses was a bit much for me so in the future I think I would do the 4 courses with cheese. Some of my favorites from the dinner were the scallop which was perfectly cooked and the duck with Chinese noodles. The cheese cart was divine. I love cheese though. How do I choose just 3 to try?! After dessert they brought out macaroons and truffles. Then as we were leaving they gave us little breakfast cookies to enjoy the next day with our coffee.
Service was great. The whole staff looked to be fresh out of high school. So tiny and young. The chef came around to all the tables to be sure we liked the new menu and to thank us for coming. I can’t wait to return. I was a meal I won’t soon forget!

We’ve been wanting to try this restaurant for a while, but, since it is not cheap, we decided to save it for a birthday celebration and booked this place about 3 weeks in advance through OpenTable. Our reservation was on a Tuesday, but, because of the recent ice/​snow weather over the past few days, I wasn’t sure if they would be opened. Luckily, we received a reservation confirmation call and were happy that we finally get to try this place. Since it was a set menu, I double checked with them to see if we could substitute the soup, which has ingredients that my husband is allergic to. The person over the phone assured me that he will relay my message to the chef.
So, when we got there, I assumed that the waiter already knew about my husband’s allergy. However, the waiter had no idea and really encouraged us to get the 4 course menu instead of the 8 course menu, since he said that everyone in the same party had to get equal number of courses. I understood this part and had no problem with it. I told him that we would really like to get the 8 course menu and asked him if he could check with the chef about the allergy ingredient. It took several tries for me to convince him to talk to the chef about this. For some odd reason, it seems like he was afraid to talk to the chef. Finally, he did so, and came back to tell us that there is nothing they could do, so we had to get the 4 course menu. For me, it was rather surprising, since an important part of an upscale restaurant is not only its food but also its service too. This is the first time that I had encounter this type of experience at an upscale restaurant.
The restaurant is obviously beautiful and the décor is classy. The server is friendly but not overly obtrusive, except the female waitress who came to ask my husband what would happen if he had the allergy ingredient. I don’t know what kind of professional training she had, but it just made the customer feel uncomfortable like you don’t trust us and that’s why you wanted to know what would happen. We already told you that he was allergic to it. Why do you question us again?
As for the food, I really enjoyed the chestnut soup and the sea bass. The chestnut soup with foie gras was rich but not overly creamy. The sea bass was perfectly cooked. But the vension tasted way too gamey and the chocolate mille-​feuille was a huge disappointment.
Not relaying allergy issues when confirming reservations and then acting like it is the customer’s fault for having an allergy is really unprofessional. Also, I find it strangely odd for the server to overemphasize that the butter and baguette (or as he calls it baguettine) is from France. I guess I lived in places where they don’t produce their own butter, so everything is imported. I am not sure if that is a selling point. Also, I really enjoy the Beurre d’Isigny butter, but it is not that special. We can actually buy it at Central Market.
So I am debating whether or not to give this place a 2 or 3 stars. In my book because of the price point, I expected better service and food. I am definitely excited to see French fine dining in Fort Worth. For me, the best part of this restaurant are the wines. If you do decide to try this place, make sure to do the wine pairing or try a bottle of wine. I like their wine selections.