Le Chien Noir

Le Chien — NOT!
Let me start by saying that we truly enjoyed our last two experiences here over the past year. Sadly, something has changed!
Each time, we have been here on a Saturday evening. Twice, the place was packed to the gills with a line of eager patrons waiting at the door. This time, on a beautiful warm evening, there were at most 10 diners in the restaurant and only 2 on the patio. We should have bailed at that point!
In the past, our favourite dish was their steak frites — a beautiful 10oz black angus NY strip with sautéed mushrooms, balsamic butter and frites with herb salt and aioli. Not one to mess with perfection, I once again ordered it (even though the price has jumped from $ 28 to $ 33 in the last few months — a little pricey but I figured it would be worth it). My wife ordered the fried ginger chicken. After 45 minutes, as our wine ran out, the waitress approached us to assure us that our food would be only a few more minutes. Apparently, the ginger chicken takes that long and no, we were not informed of this when we ordered it.
When our food arrived 10 minutes later, I was greatly disappointed.
The steak was nothing like I remembered. The meat was sinewy and tough to cut, even with a sharp knife. The meat I was able to extract had been far too generously salted — totally inedible. Turning my attention to the generous mound of fries, I was even more disappointed! The fries were a soggy, salty mess. Their consistency was that of cooked spaghetti. They were greasy and once again, tasted as though the salt shaker had accidentally spilled open over the plate. After one bite I had to stop.
I can only assume that there was a mix-​up in the timing in the kitchen and that perhaps my order had been prepared quickly, only to languish under the heat lamp until the chicken was ready. I called the manager over. She was very accommodating and relieved me of my plate.
On a good note, the ginger chicken was quite delectable! However, the heavy handed salter was clearly also involved in the vegetable preparation.
As always, the wine selection here is excellent and despite my dissatisfaction with the food the service was very attentive and friendly.
Thanks for the memories, but we won’t be back.

I went to this place with my boyfriend and was expecting good food because they charge a lot. I switched out the fries in the steak fries and they said it’d be «greens» which was a salad. A bland one. Most salads are free. I thought it was going to be vegetables but obviously not. Here’s the kicker: It’s $ 33 for a steak that is basically 5oz of fat. I had to pick out meaty bits and even then I was still getting some in the pieces I cut that seemed fine. Ugh. The taste of the steak was good when I actually was getting pieces of it but not very nice. The sangria was ok but tasted too much like club soda to me tbh
Boyfriend here. I got the special; it was sturgeon cooked two ways. Both were fairly tasteless. Presentation of the food was fine but the meal itself was boring. Maybe I’d pay 15 bucks for it, not the ~30 it cost. The service was really slow, and the atmosphere was fine but nothing special.
Very disappointing and overpriced.
Also uses peanut oil.

As always le chien noir amazes! An absolutely fabulous meal from start to finish
Excellent service, impeccable food! 3 of us eatting. Arugula salad with pumpkin seeds. amazing, steak frites, cooked to perfection, frogs legs, octopus, muscles in garlic tomato and an endless supply of oysters… phenomenal. I am still eating and can’t wait to come back. Bravo! A must eat if you like seafood or other delicious fare and are in Kingston.

One of the best places to eat in town. Inventive menu, outstanding quality. Great service.

Wow. This was some great stuff. Not entirely sure where to start. Ok. Deep breath. Let’s go.
I was in Kingston, Ontario. It’s a quaint little town. Reminds me of Boston mixed with Gainesville. It was last Friday night, and pay day at that, so I decided to treat myself.
Le Chien Noir means «The Black Dog». I found this out halfway through my meal. I don’t know why I liked that so much. The name of a place literally doesn’t matter and does nothing to change my opinion of the food. It could be called The Dog’s Fart and it would still taste the same. Actually I’d probably go to any place that had «fart» in its name, because that’s always going to be funny. But whatever, I liked «The Black Dog».
It was a pretty busy night. The only open seat was at the bar. It’s a good thing I’m always alone and like to get my drinks fast. The bartender’s name was Josh. But of course I knew that already from the bi-​annual Josh meetings. I may have said too much.
I ordered a Sazerac from the bartender whom I did not know at all. I noticed he didn’t use Peychaud’s bitters, but I also think it might be more difficult to get in Canada, so I guess I can give a pass on that one. Still tasted good, albeit on the sweeter side.
It took me a while to order anything. There was a lot that I wanted. Namely all of it. Especially the oyster selection. Hell, I could have just gotten 6 of each kind of oyster and still spent a pretty penny (Do they have pennies in Canada? I bet they have 1 cent and 2 cent pieces. Canada’s weird.). I settled on some Irish Point oysters, as I’d never had them before, and you can’t go wrong with PEI oysters really. Delicious on their own, but in the accouterments that came with, there was this house-​made jalapeño and granny smith apple purée. Now I generally like just a squeeze of lemon and a little horseradish or something, but this stuff was something else. So… do that. Get some oysters. Eat that stuff.
At this point I’d like to give a shout out to my main man Michael who was sitting next to me at the bar. He owns a cool nerdy/​game store around the corner from El Chien Noir. I visited there probably 3 separate times. He and I started chatting, first about the food, then about nerdy stuff we like. And I still think the new Star Wars movies will be just fine! (Check out Michael’s shop Minotaur. Very cool place. I got chlamydia there. By that I mean this
)
But Michael recommended the «Grilled Pacific Octopus» appetizer. Menu says it comes with, «charred jalapeño, mint & cannellini bean salad, smoked paprika-​orange vinaigrette». And that was a real treat. I will say this about it, however. It’s difficult to eat. The pieces of octopus are a little large, and octopus is difficult to cut, especially with just a butter knife. So just stick that chewy bitch in your mouth and get to chomping. That was a fun sentence to type.
Now there must be something said about the real MVP of the night. The beautiful waitress with the cleavage and the perfect dress to show it in. We did not speak one word to each other. Thank you for everything.
I couldn’t decide on what to get for my main course. Josh recommended one of the most expensive things on the menu, like I would expect any good Josh to do in his position. Michael said go for the Wild BC Halibut because it’s difficult to get good fish in Kingston. But I settled on the ‘Willow Grove’ Pork Rib Chop. It was a huge piece of meat. Beautifully done. And the rhubarb-​ginger chutney on top really set the whole thing off. I would eat this every day of the week if I could.
I debated desert because the special that night was a Bleu Cheesecake which seemed really interesting to me. But then I remembered I don’t like cheesecake. I don’t know what it is. It’s one of those things I’ll try every 6 months or so just to see if I still don’t like it. All these years, still not interested. Oh well, I was stuffed anyway. So I ordered a glass of port. I still don’t understand port, by the way. It’s an interesting enough flavor, but I don’t understand the point of it. And why does it come in what is basically a thimble? I think I’ll look it up on Wikipedia after this. Seems like the best use of my time.
So in the end, I spent a small Canadian fortune, which isn’t that bad because that’s only like $ 16 US anyway, so who gives a damn, right? Plus I got a great experience out of it. And if the cleavage girl ends up reading this, call me!

very dissapointed about the restaurant. we ordered the lamb which is with lots of good reviews. doesn’t taste good at all. and the service is bad neither. no wonder how come so many good reviews. very horrible experience.

Stopped in at the Black dog on a recent visit to Kingston. While the ambiance was nice and they had a rather good drink selection, the menu was what you would say «French style» aka. Extremely overpriced and very small portions. Me and my friend both had salads prices at $ 15 and they were extremely small. Other guests at our table received their house burger which was a larger serving of food and tasted rather good. But again at $ 19 this small café was pushing it a little on price. Overall the food tasted good but was overpriced for the portion sizes.

I’ve eaten here several times, and it was excellent. I brought a friend visiting from France recently, and ended up being very embarrassed. Why? A terrible summer menu with less choices but higher prices, which I can only assume is for ripping off tourist during the high season. Very disappointing. If you want an expensive and mediocre meal, visit in the summer.

I took my aunt who was visiting from out of the country here to experience French cuisine after seeing the amazing reviews on Unilocal.The place is very beautiful and has a calm atmosphere. The servers were also very nice but I did not find the quality of the food matching with its price. I had the only vegetarian main which was the mushroom tart tartin which was just alright. Maybe I do not have a very refined palate but I found the meal much too buttery and salty. On the other hand, I ordered the rack of lamb for my aunt and she absolutely loved it.
I feel perhaps I did not order one of the better dishes. Will probably come back and try the oysters. The couple who sat next to us had those and really enjoyed them,

I always ate here for their Thursday midday special pricing. Unfortunately, I guess it was too good a deal for them to keep doing it. It was 35% off, making their extremely tasty and expensive dishes an affordable treat for a student budget.
What have I eaten here? Just about everything. It’s all delicious. And when they come up with something new (which they love doing) it’s great. Generously portioned. Some of my regular favourites: bistro burger, duck confit poutine (it’s surprisingly humongous), and charcuterie plate.
The funk music they sometimes play is also bangin’.

Absolutely loved every moment there. Great atmosphere with super friendly stuff. We had a few special requests regarding our food and none of them were a problem. Got the drinks and food really quick since the place wasn’t too busy. The Plating wlas simply beautiful and every dish tasted delicious. Very happy to find this gem for our dinner.

I’m so happy we were given the opportunity to eat here. I endlessly recommend you give it a go! We’ve heard so many good things before even stepping through their doors, and let me tell you it was as good as it sounds.
We ordered the calamari to start (it’s our go-​to app everywhere and anywhere we go) and it was pretty tasty. I liked that they serves more of the rings than the full squids (I cant seem to bring myself to eat them in their true form). They weren’t overly flavourful, however it was paired with a delicious sauce & some pickled onions (At least I’m pretty sure it was onions? Also tasty nonetheless). Moving on– I ordered «Steak Frites» & my partner ordered the «Norwegian Cod» dish. Both very good! My steak melted in my mouth and was accompanied by a delish side sauce & sautéed shrooms. I’m not sure how to describe my partners meal, but he said he also enjoyed it. ALSO, I’d like to add their lemonade is amazing & we were served bread with sundried tomato butter for the wait, which I LOVED.
Overall, this was an experience to remember and we look forward to returning. We did not get photos of our app (OOPS!), but I managed to remember to take some photos of our main dishes and the restaurant itself. The service was great, polite, and timely. The waitress I had forgotten my lemonade & realized before I could mention. She quickly apologized & amazingly enough did not charge me for it. What a wonderful place!

I made the reservation just 30 mins ahead. It was amazing! I ordered the duck, and my bf had tuna pasta, they were all great! We had the white signature wine, Red Stone, it was amazing! Not dry but more sweet:) Forgot to mention the appetizer, we had octopus, it was fantastic! Highly recommend.

I stumbled on this little gem on my way to Toronto from Ottawa. The food was so good! I still think about how delicious it was. The price was great too ($ 29). I did the 3 course — cream of carrot soup (wow! so tasty), steak frites (one of the best steaks I have had. Even compared to Harbour 60 or Ruths Chris) and the crème brule. Oh my that was the best crème brule. I could eat that morning and night!
Love this place. Will come again for sure. Wish they were in Toronto.

Poutine tasted good.

Pleasantly surprised.
Nice eclectic atmosphere in downtown Kingston, the perfect place to dress up or go casual.
Great décor, service and great food!!! I had the Chicken and it was done perfect for me.

Still one of the better spots in K-​Town. They need to keep a better clamp on the quality control. Ive had good experiences here, but I have friends who have had erratic ones… that wasnt always the case. A wonderful place for a drink.

Steak and frits. Try them, you’ll be happy you did. Some of the best I have had in a long time.
Also, the house red was great value and thoroughly enjoyable.
But make a reservation since the place gets busy.
Good food, atmosphere and service. Will return

Came here on a Saturday night without a reservation but it wasn’t too busy so we were seated immediately at the patio outside. Our waitress was very friendly and attentive. We ordered oysters and calamari for appetizer. For our main entrees, we had the duck and steak from the specials. All the food were quite delicious, however the wait for the food was extremely long.

I think I found this place through Unilocal.or word of mouth. not sure which came first.
But it was such a disappointment! It would have been fine if I came in off the street but I found it overpriced with small portions for all the hype. The chicken breakfast sandwich was greasy and not appetizing at all. I would say the meal didn’t stand out, but it did, unfortunately in the wrong way :(