"Another Great Meal. Although I may only be a occasional visitor to the St. Augustine area, Le Pavillon has become a must for me on every visit. This particular visit I was attending a convention in the area and insisted to my friends that dinner had to be here and no where else. (My previous visit to the area was several months ago when I was the one being told by my friends I need to eat at Le Pavillon. <br/ Myself and five others arrived around 8:20 (about 20 minutes earlier then our reservation. We were greeted promptly and taken to out table. I was happy to see several other tables all enjoying their meal. Being the only one in our group who has eaten there before, I was asked to suggest items on the menu. (Keep in mind that the waitstaff already promptly greeted the table, went over specials and made suggestions as well. After having previously enjoyed the Onion Soup, myself and another guest decided to indulge in what I consider to be the best onion soup I have ever had. The broth is thicker then most onion soup which lends itself to much more flavor then would be expected. The onions were tender yet not mushy and the cheese layer is thin enough to actually melt and incorporate itself into the soup. (we have all had that time when there is too much cheese and it congeals into a ball somewhere half way down your throat. This was not the case here. <br/ I found myself in a quandary due to the fact my friend back home (who brought me here for my first meal has been putting the bouillabaisse into my head for months I felt compelled to order it. However I had the lamb last visit and wanted it again. (along with the veal oscar that I tried last visit as well. Thankfully the table next to us ordered it before we did and once that terrine opened up and my friends and I got a whiff of that intoxicating aroma, we elected to split it as a starter before our meal. The three of us were very satisfied with this decision. Our server split the order for us in the back and remembered my comment about leaving mussels out of my portion. The light broth was so flavorful along with the tender seafood, I literally scraped the bowl with my bread. (The bread itself is also amazing <br/ As for salads, they are simple and delicious. Bibb lettuce and a delicious vinaigrette. This is very traditional and meant simply to lighten the palate before your meal after eating your starters. If you're looking to eat an entire garden in a bowl, then all I can assume is you can't appreciate the true reason for a salad course. If you can appreciate it's true purpose, this salad is a spot on example.<br/ For main course, we ordered three lamb racks and three veal oscar. (I know it wasn't adventurous of us, but we decided to keep it traditional All but one of us elected to have Bearnaise with our lamb. One went with the traditional mint jelly. All were ordered medium rare-medium and were cooked to out liking. (Lamb can get a bit gelatinous in its rare state The crust must have something addictive in it because we all but inhaled the bones. As for the veal, it was perfect. About 3/8' thick and still very tender. (We all know veal is tender when battered paper thin. This was still thick and had amazing texture With the addition to the crabmeat and Bearnaise it too was inhaled. Out of the six of us, one person took home two chops. The rest aided us in what I would call food euphoria. Needless to say, we had no room for dessert. <br/ The building is set in an old house and has a really cool charm to it. (If you want perfect decor with plenty of pretentiousness, go somewhere else. Half of your bill will go to pay the designer. Its a nice place for what it is. It's about the food and service. Our service as I already alluded to was great. On top of things when needed and allowed us to enjoy our night out. I will always eat here when in town and recommend it to anyone looking for a great meal at a reasonable price."
