midtowngirl Oct 27,2006

I had an experience very similar to the one described by artificialard at Le Select recently. We waited forever for a server to show up and when we finally tracked one down ourserlves the service was atrocious and the waiter made fun of one of our guests for his indecisiveness over the menu choices. We ordered a rather expensive wine from the very extensive wine list, but never saw anyone after the wine was poured into a carafe so we just served ourselves and when the carafe was empty it was whisked away without any inquiries as to whether we would like another bottle. We did not receive proper cutlery for the food we ordered and finally managed to hail a busboy partway through the meal because no one else seemed to be around. Three of the six people at the table barely touched their main courses and no one asked why.

I followed up with the owner and he said he would make it up to us, but I have not heard from him again. None of us will go back again.

Avid Rita Jul 28,2006

Recently had fine bistro fare at Le Select Bistro on Wellington. My husband enjoyed his choucroute garnie ($25) and my bouillabaisse was garlicky and briny and seafood not overcooked, yum ($27). Entrees are in the $20 to $30 range. Good wine list, also nice cheese selections after dinner. Service was excellent, and the dining room was lovely-- but we preferred eating outside on the patio.

artificialard Jul 24,2006

Interesting that you mention that because my last experience was dreadful at Le Select. It was a Sunday night.

We had been to the new location twice before and had excellent experiences there: good food, very nice service, etc. and decided to take relatives from out of town there for dinner thinking it was a safe bet. So very wrong we were. Keep in mind I had made reservations more than 4 days in advance.

We were seated by the host quickly enough and was greeted by an extremely sweaty and harried waiter who had the bread and water brought over. It took more than 15 minutes for him to come back for the 'drink' order by which time we were ready to order the whole meal. What followed was the oddest and most audacious experience I ever remember:
-One person in our party orders the steak tartare. The waiter asks "How well would you like it done?" to which she just asks "What?" and he asks again "How WELL would you like it done?" with tone and she says "I'm ordering the tartare..." to which he just says "Oh right." and moves on.
-There's a boy in our group about 15 who orders the steak and orders it rare. Our waiter sounds like a paranoid health inspector "Are you SURE you want it rare. Most people who order it rare find it's too raw and bloody..." And the boy starts to get all perplexed but the rest of our group pipe up and tell the server want it rare. THe boy's father orders the same and the waiter AGAIN asks if he's "sure" he wants it rare "too".
The whole ordering experience was ridiculous and terribly condescending to a group that has ordered steak often enough.

The waiter of course disappears and it is literally in excess of 40 minutes before our food comes. During that time we see him maybe once at the 30 minute mark and simply explains there's a 'large party' out front. There were no particularly large tables that I saw and really I don't see how that's an excuse given I made the reservation. Nothing was offered (not even an apology).

The food however was excellent, I had the cassoulet which I enjoyed, the steaks were FINE, and the tartare made surprisingly well. All of the bus people were very nice and accomadating to take orders of extra bread and water while our water was AWOL.

On the whole I have to chalk it up to a horrible waiter and regret not calling to complain the next day. Still I will probably return because my other two visits were very nice and the cuisine was uniformly well done throughout each visit. But ugh.

tara Jul 10,2006

My recent experience at Le Select was mediocre at best. The worst part was the waiter being extremely condescending, and talking down to us like we'd never been to a 'nicer' restaurant before. The bread was almost as hard as a hockey puck, the steak tartar flavorless, and the steak from the steak frites was overcooked, and the frites soggy.

gtw Jul 09,2006

JP Challet is no longer at Le Select so there may be an improvement (never thought I would say that). I was there shortly before he left and found the food mediocre - I am not sure it was all the fault of the preparation, I do not believe the quality of the raw materials was that good.

souschef Jul 03,2006

I really enjoy "Le Select Bistro", especially for their duck confit; the scallopped potatoes they serve with the confit are great. They have a table d'hote that is really good value. I once took a group of 10 there, and everyone enjoyed their meal; there were no complaints.

moon Feb 28,2006

I took a friend of mine for his birthday a couple weeks ago. It was very nice. It's not overly expensive and the food was very well prepared (but not overly exciting or new recipee). The service was also very good. The atmosphere is pretty loud and very cozy because there isnt that much room between our table and the next ones, so I found it hard to have a private conversation. Overall, I thought the place was really good, and it's well worth it. I would go back for sure.

kari Feb 15,2006

The ambiance of the restaurant is nice, modeled after a Paris Bistro, with a plate of croissants and pastries out in the front by the host stand. The menu has both a prix fixe and a la carte, serving brunch. There are number of appetizers, including cheese plates and a nice dessert selection. The steak-frites is decent - cooked to order and topped with shallots, although slightly thick; the fries are nice and thin; the french onion soup is just average. For desserts, the lemon tart and chocolate mousse are pretty good. Moderate price.

artificialard Feb 05,2006

Wandering around for a brunch place near the west side and decided to try the new location of Le Select on Wellington. I've never been to the old one, so I don't have a basis for comparison.

The atmosphere inside is modeled after a typical French bistro and nicely done but a little 'cold' feeling.

The brunch menu is available on the website and isn't large but has interesting selections. The Winterlicious lunch menu was also being offered and two of our party opted for the duck and fish dish while I had the apple french toast.

The food took somewhat longer than we would have liked (I wasn't paying attention but it felt like more than 30 hours.) The dishes leaned towards 'highly competent' rather than being incredibly inventive or uniquely compelling. The squash soup was a delight, a very smooth soup with a dab of creme fraiche that was spiced perfectly and struck a nice balance of thickness and flavor. The roasted duck leg confit was good, not too much fat and had a pleasant medley of roasted vegetatables with it. It was however definitely too salty (but not unbearably so) and I enjoy saltier foods anyways. I didn't try the fish but the person who ordered it mentioned the fish being a tad overdone but also nicely presented. The french toast I ordered was excellent. It was only one slice but was stuffed with chopped up spiced apples and had a nice crispy edge while the middle was pleasantly soft. For desert only the creme brulee was offered which was unremarkable.

Service was good with the exception of having to wait a tad too long for the main entrees to arrive. I noticed that our waitress was quite meticulous and made certain a bottle of white wine ordered at the next table was chilled properly and asked the customer exactly how cold they would like it.

Overall it was a good experience and the food is not incredibly unique but well prepared. A great place for a casual meal. It seems they also want to encourage a more languid cafe crowd to hang around because they advertise free wi-fi right on the menu.