Cuvee

We had a wonderful dinner here on Wednesday! The sauces were outstanding, the soup was wonderful. It is a very good meal for a pretty small fixed price. Gilbert, the owner, was very engaging, also. It is marvelous that a small town like Carlton has such a high quality restaurant. It is certainly worth the price!

My wife and I recently returned from an extensive road trip, we live in S CA. This is the only Unilocal review I am doing from that trip. We dined at many fine food restaurants as well as hot dog stands etc. We had the spectacular fortune to dine at CUVEE just around the 4^th of July. I forget the owner’s name. He’s a fun guy with a very dry witted personality. I was there with my wife and two other women. We all had different appetizers, soup, salads and entries which turned out to be exactly the right thing to do as we all got to try so many selections. Everything that hit the table was prepared perfectly and just at the right timing. The food was exquisite. We have had the fortunate pleasure of having dined at different Michelin rated restaurants and CUVEE exceeded most of them in every way. I don’t know if CUVEE is rated on a professional level but as a foodie they get FIVE PLATINUM STARS from us.

This is a great little French place. The menu has several delicious appetizers and entrees at decent prices. Good list of local and French wine. Nice, relaxed atmosphere and friendly staff. Everything was delicious.

Good meal however seafood could have been fresher and lamb stew was tasty but meat was a little over cooked. Nice quaint setting.

It was the greatest dining experience!
Very intimate and same time very entertaining. Thank you to Gilbert, the waiter, host, owner, probably all of the above. Our party of 8(4 kids) was taken great care and enjoyed it all
Will be back!!!

Food was ok, but far from good. Server was just plain obnoxious. Kept trying to be funny, by saying negative comments about everything we asked. After about the 4^th negative mumbling comment, we were done. Much better food in Carlton then this place.

Decent food for a good price. We had the oysters, and clams with salads. For entrees I had the lamb and my husband had the steak. The steak was a little over cooked but overall it was a good experience. The owner is the waiter and is very entertaining. This place will not knock your socks off but you will enjoy a decent meal in a wonderful town.

We eat here every Memorial Day weekend when we come out to do wine tasting. It never disappoints! The specials are always a great choice – we really enjoyed the apricot tart on this last visit. The french fries are also really dangerous!
Owner/​chef has a unique personality, but that is part of the charm. Definitely a must try!

Wow this was a horrible experience. I brought my friends to this restaurant for oysters after a day of wine tasting. We walked in to a very hostile and confusing experience. The host (or owner) walked up to us with the restaurant almost completely empty and didn’t say a word. It was completely awkward. I asked if we could have dinner and he weirdly responded that they had reservations 45 minutes from the current time. I personally thought he was joking because he was barely speaking and the place was bare. My friend said we just wanted oysters and he said they had reservations coming. He lost a bunch of business for those 45 minutes with an empty restaurant. We ended up just walking out. Extremely unfriendly. Very confusing. I believe you should actually be friendly if you’re in the service industry. This guy was cold, unfriendly and completely rude. A very unfortunate experience considering the last time I came here we loved it. That was the whole point of bringing my friends. And I should note that I never post bad reviews. It takes a lot to get me here. :(

I’m not a big fan of mushrooms, so I got the Rib eye and fries. The steak was real good (I’m picky cause we raise our own) and the sauce very nice. The fries were way too good (my Dr. told me to stop eating French fries). They had a steak flavor and the dipping sauce was fantastic. My wife had some real tasty fish that I can’t remember the name of. I waited 10 years to finally take my wife here for our 36^th anniversary. I think we’ll make it a tradition.

Do yourself a favor and ignore all the reviews that give less than 5 stars! This is a fantastic little french bistro with a wonderful menu and outstanding wine list. Dining here, just like any good french bistro, is an all evening affair. There will be no turning and burning of tables, so settle in, order a delicious pinot and soak in the charm carlton has to offer.
Ps, the owner and chef will stop by numerous times throughout your experience to ensure all is well.

charming for sure! oysters, if on the menu, nuff said. Order 2 or 3 of those. The rest of food is OK but not 4 or 5 star ratings.

Charming little French bistro in town! Started with mushrooms in the most delicious sauce. I didn’t want to share. Lick the plate good! And great clams. Husband got the rib eye which came with fries. He noted they were the best outside or Brussels! Nearly the perfect fry! I had the pork loin. Delish! Gilbert, chef, server, maitre d. Was lovely as well. Great meal!

Exquisite food with a warm and friendly owner. He greeted us kindly and chatted enthusiasticly throughout the meal. The salmon salad for lunch was superb, expect a cold dish though. The wild mushroom appetizer was a splendid beginning. A great stop on the winery tour of the area. Cheers.

Best fish we’ve ever had: a Hawaiin sea bass with the perfect crust. Killer Moroccan lamb stew with fall apart lamb, amazingly tender. Clams were done perfectly with delicious broth for dipping. Fries to die for. All in all this is arguably the best French restaurant in Oregon — YES just as good if not better than Paley’s and Le Pigeon.

Amazing food, friendly service and fair prices. The wine list was broad and the art was interesting. The chef came out to chat a couple of times, very warm environment.
I had the beef bourguignon and not only was the meat flavorful and done perfectly but the carrots were heavenly. I have to admit though, probably my favorite part of the meal was the bread. The chef bakes it fresh daily and it is packed with cardamom. We raved so much about it that they sent us home with an entire loaf.
Great place, lots of empty tables, very good experience.

I have been here at least three times and each time, have had a wonderful meal at a great price. The waiter who has been there forever is professional yet personable and pleasant.
Each time I dine here, I think that if I were eating this meal in Napa, the price would be double. Seriously.

All French and all amazing! Very good and very well priced! Don’t miss this experience — chef Henry, MERCI!

We had a wonderful meal here for my husband’s birthday. I am surprised by the negative reviews (well, I guess there’s only two) because not only did the food taste great, it felt like it was cooked by a seasoned chef who had honed his craft.
It was a Saturday evening, and when we first arrived around 6, there was no one seated. We were asked if we had a reservation, which seemed funny since the place was empty, though I suppose the goal is to remind people that reservations are a good idea. The host continued to do this as people came in. By the time we got our food the place was over half full with wine country tourists, birthday party celebrators, and regulars who were familiar with the chef/​owner.
I very much enjoyed our appetizer of wild mushrooms and semolina cake. It was delicate and lovely. Our main courses were quite good as well, especially my husband’s filet mignon. I had the catch of the day which was tender and tasty.
Overall, our meal was great, our waiter was excellent, and our experience was positive. I’m definitely a fan, and would recommend it to others without hesitation.

Really disappointing. Had heard good things and was looking forward to it. Invited friends from Portland to join us and I was embarrassed they made the drive.
There were only 3 other tables occupied in the restaurant on a Thursday night. Our server was warm and friendly and that was the high point along with the first course of wild mushrooms which were fresh but ordinary in butter and garlic along with a semolina cake that was heavy.
It got worse from there. Asparagus soup came cloying, lumpy and flavorless with minimal asparagus, neither fresh nor bright. The other option was a boring mixed green with way too much vinaigrette and craisans… really dried cranberries? The lack of detail for a place that bills itself as fine French dining also showed in the homemade bread which was dry and cold and served with butter in foil packets like in a cafeteria.
The mains were also poor. A lamb tangine that was over spiced and a sturgeon that was very overcooked on top of good green lentils next to a steamed, bland bunch of summer vegetables with no seasoning or other flavor.
Dessert course was a tart mason that was blueberry and chocolate with a dense spongy texture, no discernible chocolate but other off flavors. The other was a chocolate galette that also had a strange, gritty texture and minimal flavor.
Another peeve… tried ordering 2 different 2008 Pinot noirs on the small wine list. They were out of both. If it’s not available take it off the menu or at least line it out.
This place is way past whatever prime it may have had. Do yourself a big favor and drive the extra 10 minutes and eat at Thistle in McMinnville where they execute on the promise of what Cuvee pretends to be.