Et Voila!, French Bistro, North Park

https://etvoilabistro.com/

4.5 🍅's

Oui! One of the only words in French I know, and thanks to Beauty and the Beast and being a lover of soup, bonjour and soup du jour are also in my repertoire. So, I may not be fluent in French but I do love me some French cuisine. Et Voila! had been on my radar for some time so I dragged my husband out of bed on a Sunday morning and headed to the French eatery in North Park for brunch.

It was a gorgeous morning so we took a table on the patio, perfect for our favorite activities together, being outdoors and people/car watching. In need of some recuperation beverages from the prior nights' festivities, I ordered coffee, water, and the Bloody Marie to soothe my aching soul.

The Bloody Marie from Et Voila is one of my favorite bloody marys I’ve had in San Diego. The taste and the presentation were sophisticated and whimsical, which I would expect nothing less from a true French Bistro. Immediately, my sense of smell was heightened by the fresh thyme and basil leaves that were a part of the garnish. The garden garnish continued with an olive, celery, mushroom, pickled onion and carrot. The tastiest part of the garden garnish was the tempura mushrooms. When I bit into the tempura mushroom it was a savory and warm and the batter was seasoned to perfection. I truly could have eaten an entire meal of just their tempura mushrooms.

Et Voila! uses Skyy Vodka and a house-made mix. Being a vegetable fanatic, I love earthy flavors and that is exactly what the Bloody Marie delivers. The bloody taste is sweet, fresh, and raw. There are traditional flavors of tomato (sweetness), Worcestershire sauce (savory), celery salt, salt, and pepper (salty) and tabasco (mild heat), the heat is very subtle as well as the horseradish. The raw earthiness comes from the fresh carrot and celery juice added to the tomato juice. The bloody was light and thin and filled with nutrients, perfect for a beautiful warm morning and soul who needed replenishing. 

If you are looking for excellent food and an excellent bloody mary, where all dishes are made to order, I highly recommend Et Voila! I ordered the Ravioli Aux Champignons; homemade mushroom ravioli, white truffle oil, parmesan, Port wine mushroom sauce and my husband ordered the Croque Madame, his personal favorite dish. The ravioli melted in my mouth and I still dream about the fullness and richness of the truffle/port sauce. Although we love to people and car watch not much of that happened for me as I was totally immersed and in love with the magical food and drink journey that Et Voila! will take you on.