Best Contemporary French Restaurants in Downtown

We had an excellent experience at Le Coq. The vibes were immaculate and the food was amazing. We were celebrating our 2nd wedding anniversary and received both free dessert, glasses of champagne and a golden ticket to use on our next visit. Our waitress was knowledgeable on the menu and helped me make selections as I have a food allergy, she even brought out a marked up menu for me to review without me asking.

Last night was our first experience at Wormwood. Kyle was our waiter and he was fantastic in advising us on his favorites, the items that have been on the menu since Wormwood opened, and even being honest on things he would not recommend (drinks). He had great recommendations for absinthe, which I had never tried and which I ultimately appreciated because I will definitely be back to try more. We started with the fresh "de la mer" oysters, which were really the only negative thing I have to say about our experience. Perhaps they just weren't our style but we regularly order oysters and these just didn't taste good. To start, they weren't cold; more room temperature, which sets the wrong tone when you put an oyster in your mouth. They also had a funky taste. I typically like BC oysters, so I'm not sure what that was due to. The gambas, however, made up for the oysters; they were delicious and we licked up every last inch of the sauce with the bread that it comes with. We then had the onion tart, which is a staple of Woodworm. It was phenomenal. We were getting full so we then split the short ribs, which were fantastic. We look forward to going back, trying another variety of absinthe, and more options on the menu. Next time, I hope we are able to sit on the patio. My reservation was for the patio, but when we arrived, we were told there was a private party and thus, we couldn't be seated out there. While I understand, the restaurant probably should not have made the patio reservation available, as it may have changed where I chose to eat. Last night was a beautiful evening and we really wanted to sit outdoors for dinner. Finding out that wasn't an option when we arrived wasn't ideal.

The staff was very warm and friendly. Excellent food and wine selections. Highly recommend