Cafe des Artistes Reviews (Puerto Vallarta, Mexico)

Always a Required Stop

Rockford, Michigan

June 2, 2010

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Chef Thierry has a wonderful way of combining flavors the individually suffice but collectively delight. The ambiance has always been wonderful. I understand that if it were ever cold or rainy, I might not enjoy dining outside but mother nature ...Read more

Have a Drink, but Don't Stay to Eat

by beatriza

Seattle, Washington

February 19, 2008

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Our last visit to Puerto Vallarta was in Oct 2007. We decided to have a nice meal at Cafe des Artistes having heard it would be a great culinary experience. Boy, were we wrong. While waiting for our table we ordered a bottle of wine in the bar, and ...Read more Our last visit to Puerto Vallarta was in Oct 2007. We decided to have a nice meal at Cafe des Artistes having heard it would be a great culinary experience. Boy, were we wrong.

While waiting for our table we ordered a bottle of wine in the bar, and a brie to go with it. The brie was the most disgusting thing any of us had ever put in our mouths. It was like a concentrated punch of amonia. We were an international group of people, from Mexico and Europe and nobody had ever tasted brie like this. We asked for them to take it back, very politely, suggesting maybe this one piece had gone bad without them noticing. The hostess proceeded to lecture us on how this was a great restaurant, and the chef, and the awards... We were insulted. We all have dined around the world, and can clearly tell good from bad cheese. After much insisting we got them to exchange it for a different cheese plate (which was fully charged in the end).

I'm not sure if this was the Chef's night off, but our "filet mignon" was an unrecognizable and huge cut of meat (maybe from a rib area), that was chewey and quite well done, for having ordered medium rare. Just the fact that they were selling this cut as "filet mignon" in a four star restaurant is insulting. When we brought it up to the hostess, we got no apologies, of course. In any case, since both my husband and I had ordered the filet mignon, and the overcooked piece of meat we got was inedible, we wanted to exchange it for another dish. Since our appetite was clearly diminished, we thought we wouldn't risk asking for two entrees and just order one and share it. Well, they wouldn't take that. All they cared was about the $$$ total in the bill. So we were forced to order two entrees. Talk about great service. The substitute tuna was good, but nothing out of this world. We get better dishes for less in most 3 star restaurants in downtown Seattle. We were left with no desire for dessert.

So my advice is, go there, have a drink or two so you can experience the decor, which is indeed beautiful, but don't even think about staying to eat. You'll waste your money and leave with a very unpleasant experience. Close

Cafe des Artistes

by KidGloves

Redmond, Washington

June 12, 2006

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Best of IgoUgo Ambiance - Class - Style - Haute Cuisine - Excellent Wine list - Flavor - PresentationThese are some of my impressions from our dinner here. The restaurant is fantastic with very classy interior and a staff that was very attentive and paid close ...Read more Ambiance - Class - Style - Haute Cuisine - Excellent Wine list - Flavor - Presentation

These are some of my impressions from our dinner here. The restaurant is fantastic with very classy interior and a staff that was very attentive and paid close attention to every detail.

We arrived early and took a seat in the bar area to have a glass of wine and a martini. There simply weren't any other places we were at where I thought I'd get a proper martini. I got a very proper martini here. The wine list by the glass has probably 25 wines on it of varying price/quality/origins, all available by the flight if you wanted to do some tasting.

Right on time one of the hostesses came and got us and seated us at our table. Now, the dining room is something to behold. At the far end was a large table (8-12 people, maybe) which has all these glass ball/bulbs hanging down around it. This gave that table a special ambiance...not to say the entire restaurant didn't have it but this one area stuck in my mind.

Now, this is sad. I can't remember much about my meal other than it was steak and it was fantastic. My wife had a sea scallop dish. Again, we were steeping in the moment and I didn't completely geek out and take notes (although I wish I had). Both of our dinners were exceptional, simply put. They also had a fine international wine list consisting of all major areas of production with a heavier leaning to French wines. Costs on the wine list went from $15 up to $how-much-money-do-you-have.

Do I recommend this dinner for everybody? No, not everybody. I think the cuisine here would be lost on most children less than mid-teens. Also, unless you're into actually tasting your food and using your palate, this may not be for you either. This last one may have you guffawing me, "of course I taste my food," you say. But ask yourself, do you taste it as it simply passes over your tongue or do you savor the bite and explore the texture, flavor, and depth?

As to be expected from a dining experience of this caliber, it didn't come cheap. Again with the American prices. In this particular case, though, I had no qualms ponying up the pesos. This is the upper crust of dining with remarkable food. Reservations highly recommended. Close

From journal Puerto Vallarta 2006

Café des Artistes

by dlsnyder

Tulsa, Oklahoma

January 21, 2006

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The outdoor garden section, with its heavy foliage, creates the feel of an intimate, candlelit Garden of Eden. The chef/owner, Thierry Blouet, is from Puerto Vallarta but trained in the French culinary arts. You can see the pride in all his ...Read more

From journal Puerto Vallarta Revisited

Cafe Des Artistes

by garyrbeck

San Francisco, California

May 23, 2005

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It is reputed by many as Vallarta's top spot, with five-diamond winner owner/chef Thierry Blouet presenting Mexican and French cuisine. It is world-renowned, formal, and very expensive, with attentive but unobtrusive service that may be worth it for ...Read more

From journal Gary's May 2005 Sojourn

Cafe Des Artistes

by kcorner

Boston, Massachusetts

March 17, 2005

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We ate in the private Thierry Blouet Dining Room for Valentine's Day. The staff was wonderful, the food delicious, the ambience darling. Excellent wine list. Perhaps the best dining in PV.

From journal Week in PV with Friends

Cafe Des Artistes

by We love Puerto Vallarta!

Hainesville, Illinois

January 1, 2004

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Your place for French food while in town. Great food, but very expensive...I would say at least $100 with cocktails for a party of two. This is located off the beaten path...the cab drivers know the way.

From journal Our Puerto Vallarta Reviews (7 trips)

Cafe Des Artistes

by ce ce 1

marion, Indiana

February 4, 2003

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This restaurant was breathtakingly beautiful. The best way to describe it would be: "Garden of Eden." Some of the rooms were in a house, and some were outside, set in a beautiful garden setting. There was music and lighting to make the entire ...Read more

From journal The Mexican Riviera--Puerto Vallarta

Cafe Des Artistes

by awbw

lafayette, California

November 14, 2002

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This is a fabulous place to eat, either in the beautiful inside dining room or out on the terrace among the trees and lights. It's a bit more expensive, but worth the trip.

From journal Puerto Vallarta

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