La Cigale is a casual French bistro in the heart of downtown Puerto Vallarta, a half block from the Guadalupe Church. The owner is originally from Marseille, and lived for many years in New York City. While La Cigale has been open three-and-a-half years, this was the first year we stumbled upon the restaurant, and we liked it so much, we stumbled in twice.
The restaurant is relatively small and the décor is classic French bistro, including the artwork, the music, the black-and-white tiled floor, the ceiling fans, and the large ornate bar. The clientele was older, and many were American "regulars" who spend their winters in Puerto Vallarta.
La Cigale's wine list was moderately sized and moderately priced – approximately one-third French. On our first visit, we selected a nice Côtes du Rhône.
La Cigale's menu is quite large, with all the classic French bistro offerings you might expect. We were served an uninspiring olive tapenade crostini as our amuse-bouche, but there were better things to come. We split the escargots a la bourguignonne and the pâté as our appetizers. The escargots were plump and served with lots of garlic. They were delicious and we ordered them again on our second visit.
The house made pork pâté was served with cornichons (small pickled gherkins) and Dijon mustard. Marlene liked it; I thought the pâté was too airy.
On our second visit, along with the escargots, we split the tuna tartare, with mango and avocado. It was very good.
Marlene ordered the mussels frites as her entree on our first visit and the mahi-mahi on our second. The mussels were plump and garlicky; the fries were crisp and addictive.
The steamed mahi-mahi was served with a garlic mustard sauce, string beans and carrots Vichy; Marlene enjoyed it.
I selected the steak frites as my entree on both visits and, after ordering it medium rare, it was served almost raw – both times. But after a second grilling, it returned cooked to perfection and was very tasty – both times.
After dinner, we were served a basil infused vodka digestif, which was light and refreshing.
Overall, we very much enjoyed the food and the ambience at La Cigale. We will definitely go back when we return to Puerto Vallarta next year – although, perhaps not twice. Copyright © 2013 TwoForTheTable.com |
