La Vie French Restaurant

I'd like to take a moment to thank all of the loyal customers (some as long as we've been open) who patronize and appreciate all the hard work that the Tang family and the rest of the staff put into running the restaurant and keeping your memories going with the consistent flavours of old-world-style haute cuisine. Recently, Pop (Chef Steve) has had to stay away from the kitchen due to health problems, but Sous Chef Uncle Long has stepped up as chef de cuisine after training for many many years under his brother-in-law. His duck and poultry dishes are particular standouts, but he can manage most everything on the menu when we have product in stock. As for myself, I'm no longer regularly serving in the dining room (although I still can in a pinch), you might see me helping with bussing near the end of the night, or opening wine for guests (everyone else is scared to be sommelier, so I guess I'm it), and occasionally bringing out desserts for you after having made them (lots of experience there). Mostly I'm in the back helping to prep as the commis (junior) chef, and being the all-important chef-de-plongeur during service on Thursday and Friday nights primarily. You can always ask Denise or Jenny if you want me to emerge from my pit to say hello. The sea bass special has become a permanent addition to the menu by now, and Uncle has learned to prepare it very well in the lemon caper sauce. And note that it's hard to find places that do veal well these days. At La Vie you get a choice of Marsala (mushroom and wine) sauce or Piccata sauce (lemon juice, capers, shallots, white wine and brown sauce) to go with your scallopini of veal. Appetizers: everyone loves the escargots; you're welcome, but please do try the pate and smoked trout for the cold apps, and don't sleep on the tortellini for a hot app. Yes, not everyone likes cheesy creamy sauce and pasta, but all the kids that eat our tortellini (and some adults) are pleasantly surprised by how tasty that dish is. While we've been asked a few times if the tortellini is made in house, it's actually just a good frozen product found at Costco. Trust me, if we made those in house, I would be shouting it out from the rooftops. But we can't make that claim due to being a budget-conscious small business. Wines: limited selection, but some gems to be had. Standout Cabernets include Post and Beam (Far Niente vineyard) and Louis Martini. Bordeauxs aren't always available, but when they are they are usually great options. One non-Bordeaux French that's particularly interesting (and a good price) is the Cotes-du-Rhône Delas, and they even have one bottle left of a special reserve if you ask for it. There's also a Kirkland Signature version of Chateauneuf du Pape for about half the price of the genuine article. Definitely worth trying if you're froggy and not too budget-conscious. On behalf of Chef Steve, his wife (Mama), his daughter Denise and son Michael, Jenny, Amanda, and myself, we all want to thank you for your loyal and warm patronage in support of this family business with deep ties to the community. Please keep visiting whenever you can while we remain in the same iteration as you've always known: a great hole-in-the-wall spot for dinner. Hopefully we can continue into the near-future, possibly under a new format, but with many of the same flavors and offerings that you've become accustomed to. Something like maybe... Bistro La Vie, or more of a wine bar/cocktail pairing focus. The more interest expressed to Denise about such possibilities, the more likely they are to actually happen someday. To be continued.

I don't know much about french food but the place was nice. A lot of people make reservations but when my wife and I went they sat us right away, they just opened so they weren't busy. By the time we left it started to get packed so if you have more than two people it might be best to make a reservation. The food isn't cheap. On average, a plate is about $26 if I remember correctly. That wasn't a turn off for me since I wanted to treat my wife to a great dinner. The food was delicious. We ordered two appetizers, two entrees, two desserts, one tea and a bottle of wine. The total came out to about $140, not including the tip. The location isn't the best. It's next to a tobacco shop and a nail salon but they do have parking so you don't have to worry about parking blocks away. This is the only "bad" thing about the place but it isn't really an issue. Overall, my wife and I had a great time. The food was great and the workers were very accommodating. It's been a while since we sat down and took time to enjoy a dinner date. We definitely want to come back.

It's a small family restaurant with a high-end menu. I am very picky about escargots, and La Vie gets it right. This one is a must order. The smoked trout was good, but not a must. The duck is served to perfection - crispy skin and tender meat. We also got scallops and prawns, which were delicious, but the duck was the winner. Entrees come with soup, salad, and coffee at the end of the meal. We couldn't resist the souffle, one of my faves.

Came here when I visited LA for a week and a half back in 2020, it was just the start of the pandemic in early March so the restaurant was quite empty for a Sunday night. Excellent food for the price. Had the escargot, lamb, souffle and crème brulee and everything was outstanding ! Staff were very friendly and the quality of the food is better then some expensive 5 star french restaurant. Would definitely come again when I come back to LA!

Edit: Came back after a year. The daily special pan seared cod (or sea bass?) was delicious. The pepper steak was also good, this place is one of the few that gets the sauce right. 2023 review: Escargot was pretty good. Didn’t expect gravy in Rack of lamb or marmalade in duck l’orange. Overall OK.

Food is excellent here. The French onion soup was not the best I've had but it was pretty authentic. It would have been better if they added a little bit more cheese. The escargot was excellent full of the butter herb flavors. The lobster tail was perfectly cooked too. My only complaint is don't get hot water here. Their canteen or jar has a strong bleach smell to it. Get wine or bottled water instead.

The atmosphere is VERY PRETTY AND VERY PARIS. I LOVE that they had Eifel Tower decorations everywhere. I also love that even though it's clearly Asian own, the menu was authentically French. They give you a 3 course meal with bread, soup, salad and dinner with your entree price. I loved that. The soup of the day was turnips, that was not good. The Caesar salad was delicious ( especially the dressing). My lamb chops were DELICIOUS AND SO WAS THE ASPARAGUS AND CARROT PUREE THAT CAME WITH IT. It also came with scalloped potatoes that were bland. But, I literally ate everything else and knew I wanted dessert so I was glad I didn't like them. I ended up eating ALL OF THE CREME BRULEE ANYWAYS. MY FRIEND HAD THE FISH SPECIAL AND HATED THEM AND DIDN'T LIKE ANYTHING BUT THE VEGGIES. DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS. MY SAUCE FOR THE LAMB WAS THE BEST SAUCE I'D EVER HAD WITH LAMB CHOPS.