le voltaire

by c.t. sorrentino “his holiness”. i first saw him on tv, a documentary, 60 minutes, i forget exactly where or when, but he i. sunday, october 11, 2015. omaha, ne: le voltaire ... très bien!. 569 n 155th plaza. phone: (402) 934-9374. website: levoltaireomaha.com. with two medium size rooms and drop ceilings in the corner of a strip mall in western omaha, le voltaire does not exactly ooze sophistication. what it lacks in charm is compensated for by the friendly service, quality food, and fair prices. our server never told us her name, but she was very nice and attentive considering it was a friday night and the place was fully-booked, always a good sign.

excellent food & service. stopped by for dinner a few weeks back with a co-worker. my friend asked about an item from a prior menu and the chef offered to make it. turned out excellent and just as my co-worker had tasted in paris. i had the pork tenderloin which was tender, juicy and delicious! service was friendly, happy and very accommodating. thanks...we'll be back.

perfection ... simply perfection.. ha last night special steak with fois gras... omg!! escargot... divine! this place is amazing!! make a reservation! i had the salmon wrapped in parchment paper and i almost licked the plate ! you can point to the menu and can not go wrong !

this is one of our favorite places to eat in omaha. the only place i have ever seen my wife eat all her food up. if you would like to treat your wife bring her here great service too you won’t be disappointed.

le voltaire took me by surprise. i wasn't expecting much however i was blown away with the flavors they packed in to their dishes. the prices were reasonable, the portions were just right, and the service was great. not to mention the bakery next door is great! i had the soup of the day and the beef burgundy. the soup (something with fennel?) was astronomical. the beef burgundy's sauce was so good i was tempted to lick my plate however i thought that would be a little disturbing to the other diners... i also had some of their quiche (blue cheese and something else) and it was also a knockout even though i'm usually not a fan of quiche because its texture can be off putting.

overall i think le voltaire is probably #1 in town for lunch. it has no comparison and it will be a regular stop on my restaurant tour.

with two medium size rooms and drop ceilings in the corner of a strip mall in western omaha, le voltaire does not exactly ooze sophistication. what it lacks in charm is compensated for by the friendly service, quality food, and fair prices. our server never told us her name, but she was very nice and attentive considering it was a friday night and the place was fully-booked, always a good sign.

it took our server 10-15 minutes to tell me she could not find our first choice of wine, a french syrah, so i had to make another choice. with bottles of wine starting at $26, i found an excellent value in the château sainte eulalie, plaisir d'eulalie, minervois 2014 at just $27. it was a deep, medium-bodied red (40% carignan, 35% syrah, 25% grenache) with hints of dark berries and spices that complimented my beef main course very nicely.

for our appetizers we had the brie josette ($8.95), baked brie served on toast with an apricot-cranberry chutney, and the gratin aux fruits de mer (seafood gratin - $10.95), bay scallops, shrimp and mussels in a béchamel sauce covered with cheese and broiled. the baked brie and chutney came on six small slices of their toasted baguette and while not the greatest appetizer i have ever had, it was an interesting and tasty balance between sweet and savory. my seafood gratin was a tad on the small side, but creamy and delicious with small chunks of seafood that balanced well with the more savory baked cheese topping.

our main courses consisted of moules frites façon jacques brel ($17.95), 20 ounces of fresh mussels in a lucky bucket beer and bacon broth served with french fries, and boeuf bourguignon ($18.95), a beef stew simmered in red (burgundy, hence the name) wine, with carrots, mushrooms and onions accompanied by whipped potatoes. the mussels were plentiful and yummy, balanced well by the big chunks of bacon in a beer broth. my beef stew was a bit light on beef, but what was there was tender and delicious. the burgundy-based sauce was very well done and the whipped potatoes creamy just like they should be.

the only things that detracted from the experience (and my rating) were small details, but important ones. first, in a restaurant where you drop $100+ for a meal for two, there should be tablecloths. there were none. second, when i made our reservation (for my wife's birthday) through opentable, i specifically requested a "special dessert", but her special day was never even acknowledged. we left without a formal celebration or a sweet ending to our meal.

the atmosphere adequate, the service friendly and efficient, the food tasty, and the prices fair, le voltaire is an excellent choice if you are craving french cuisine and an exceptional value and a pleasant surprise in the midwest where quality, gourmet cuisine is a rarity.

combatcritic gives le voltaire 7 out of 10 bombs ... more bombs are better!

excellent value. many people shy away from french restaurants because they are unfamiliar with all of the various sauces and ingredients. others stay away because they fear french cuisine has to be super expensive.
le voltaire blows both of those fears out of the water. the menu, though true to its french roots, offers many dishes that represent classic european "comfort food" that most midwesterners will find not dissimilar from the american versions of the term. poultry, beef, pork and vegetables make up the bulk of the menu, though fish and seafood items are also offered, both on the menu and as daily specials. each main course comes with a starter salad as well as side accompaniments to the main dish (plus some very good french bread). this lack of an a la carte pricing policy translates to making le voltaire price competitive with hundreds of other area restaurants. in fact, you will likely pay less to dine hear than at many of the big chain places. plus you will be dining at a home town original, and not at some cookie cutter competitor.
the atmosphere is pleasant, but surprisingly unpretentious. most diners dress up a bit, but that may be as much a function of their age than anything else. the customer base here skews noticeably older than at many other popular restaurants in town.
and a word about the service. our waitress was one of the nicest, most down to earth examples of her trade that i have experienced in a long time. if you think all french wait staff are equal parts surly and stuffy, you haven't dined inside these doors. the staff are a joy to interact with.
it all adds up to a "why don't we eat here more often?" dining experience. great food, service and pricing will make you want to return soon.
food: a
service: a
atmosphere: b+
menu sophistication: b+
value: a-

very good. service, food, atmosphere were all very good. we will be returning for another night out.

what a great find in omaha. everything was cooked perfectly and very tasty this will be on my list when we come to omaha.

fantastic classic french cuisine. great atmosphere, great service, great food. top 5 list in omaha.

excellent french food. we gave this restaurant a try a few weeks ago and were impressed. the staff is knowledgeable of what is on the menu and how it is cooked. we started with the plateau de formage and a nice bottle of 2005 bordeaux. we ate slowly and savored every bite of the cheeses. the waitress described each cheese which was a nice touch. for the main course we ordered the boeuf bourguignon (bb) and bouillabaisse de marselle (bdm). both were outstanding. the bb beef was tender and the sauce so savory. the broth in the bdm was very close to what i remember in paris. the fish was perfectly cooked. i enjoyed every bite. however, the toast that came with the bdm had an awful mustard spread on it. i would have preferred just toasted/buttered french bread. i didn't want anything competing with that wonderfully delicious and savory bdm.

drawbacks...tables are tiny and they are skimpy on the bread (tiny basket of a tiny loaf of very delicious and crusty french bread). the waiter will ask if you want more when he/she sees it is empty...which was halfway through our appetizer for us. bb and bdm both call for a good amount of bread to sop up all that delicious broth.

we'll be back!

exquisite!. i had always passed this little place when getting groceries and never really tried it until i decided to take my french boyfriend out for a meal more his style, and i am so glad i did! such amazing food. the bread, the salad and my main course of beef stew was just out of this world...i guess you could say out of this country ;) the amazing food, kind waiter and romantic ambiance created a perfect night. i would eat here every single day! lovely.

food had good flavor. very nice service

one of the best dinners out i've had in 14 yrs in omaha. prices very reasonable. bouf bourgenois was unbelievable. dessert crepes were the perfect finish. highly recommend!

good and bad. it felt like my wife and i were dining at two different restaurants on our first visit to le voltaire. she absolutely loved her stuffed chicken breast. the flavors were subtle, the chicken was juicy, the cheese was creamy, and the tagliatelle was light and delicious. my steak frites fell on the opposite end of the spectrum. the ribeye was cooked to medium rare as ordered, but the crust was burnt and that char flavor was overpowering. really, it just didn't seem like a great cut of meat (and i understand ribeyes have more marbling than other cuts). the waffle cut fries it was paired with were okay, but very heavy. better, for me at least, was the garlic soup, which had a light garlic touch and a creamy chicken flavor. dinner also included salads tossed in house vinaigrette and bread service, both of which were fine.
the dining room is cozy but not cramped, with twelve or so tables and a bar near the entrance. service was okay, not great.