Bistro Vida: French Cuisine Delights in Menlo Park, CA

Excellent food. Reasonable prices considering downtown Menlo Park. Service was solid.

I was craving salad nicoise. While it wasn't on the menu currently, they were able to make one. Very satisfying!

First, way-above-average bread and butter. Second, the best mussels with french fries I have ever eaten. The mussels were all tender, sweet, and perfectly cooked. The broth was so, so yummy. And the french fries were perfect too! We sat outside. Not too noisy which is a real blessing. Not rushed at all.

Great French Cuisine that will not break the bank. The owner Ali was very friendly and accommodating to us which was a big group of over 25 people! The outside seating was excellent and comfortable!

Last Thursday we had a wonderful lunch here to celebrate, not one but, four birthdays. There are not enough words to describe the level of excellent cuisine at Bistro Vida. If you're lucky enough to have the owner Ali (a family friend) to serve you is a bonus. We started with the mouth watering Gnocchi A La Parisienne paired with Moules Frites such good pairing, followed by Caesar Salad that was so tasty, then Tartare de Thon. For the main entree was Salmon Grill, Boeuf Borguignon. I'm trying to remember everything and hope I captured everything. You just have to come here especially with a big group and ask the owner to help you with fixed price menu. You will not regret it. Thank you Ali and our friends Carrie and mom Carmen Colet for taking us to this awesome French restaurant.

Randomly found this local place because I was craving fish with beurre blanc. The dish comes with grilled salmon, seasonal roasted veggies and beurre blanc although they skimped out on the sauce and the flavors weren't shining through as much as I'd hope. The dish was still pretty good overall and makes for a great light dinner. I asked for roasted potatoes on the side which were quite delicious. I also tried some clam frites which I've never had before but it was so refreshing and flavorful. For dessert we ordered the creme brûlée and lemon tart to share. The brûlée was quite sweet but creamy and had the perfect sugar top! The lemon tart was good but very potent so you must love lemon to order this.

Food was good although a bit pricey. I was disappointed we missed the restaurant week deal (apparently it ends at 6 PM, but that was not listed on the website--oh well, something to remember for next time). I like their French onion soup. I didn't enjoy the escargots as much as I thought I would (they had a bitter after taste and were less buttery than I usually like them). But the rest of their food is excellent so I don't really care if that one dish was just ok for me. Their Creme brûlée was delicious. My partner enjoyed the short rib and I liked the Cassoulet De Toulouse well enough (especially the beans were nice!). Service was fine. It was a little slow, but they seemed busy that day we went (Friday). The ambiance is nice. I like the French European style of the restaurant. We were able to find some parking on the street close to the restaurant but there's also some public parking lots so it's nice to not feel like you have to hunt for parking here

Excellent service on Friday for lunch. The quiche was delicious and was served with a nice bed of greens dressed in vinaigrette. The beef Bourguignon was flavorful and tender. Beware, you will be charged for seconds on the dinner bread! Nice atmosphere,quaint but can get noisy.

Quaint and quiet place, situated in downtown Menlo Park. The waiters are attentive, although the prices are a bit high ($30+ per entree). Beef bourguignon is a classic, the chocolate cake is good too.

The portion was bigger than expected; however, since the mussels were with shells, it made sense. With the fries, my tummies were pretty full. However, my co-worker suggested me to dip the complementary bread in the sauce (under the mussel), and o m g, I could not stop eating. Maybe that's how this entree was meant to be enjoyed - with the comp bread. I like that they have a nice outdoor patio place set up. It was very well organized, and the waitress did a great job attending to our big group.