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Fine contemporary French dining with old-world elegance, escargot & an extensive wine list.
Hours
| Thursday | 5:30–10 PM |
| Friday | 5:30–10 PM |
| Saturday | 5:30–10 PM |
| Sunday | Closed |
| Monday | 5:30–10 PM |
| Tuesday | 5:30–10 PM |
| Wednesday | 5:30–10 PM |
Address and Contact Information
Address: 73399 El Paseo #200, Palm Desert, CA 92260
Phone: (760) 610-5320
Website: http://www.lepaonfrenchcuisine.com/
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Contemporary French Dining | Le Paon Restaurant | Palm Desert
We invite you to Le Paon Restaurant to enjoy a special dining experience that combines old world classic elegance with contemporary French cuisine.
Le Paon Restaurant | Palm Desert, CA
The perfect location for dining and entertainment combining “Old World” elegance with classic French Cuisine for a special experience.
Dining Around the Desert: Le Paon in Palm Desert – Sheri Dettman
General Manager and Maitre d’ Antoine Babai was twice nominated Restauranteur of the Year Award by the California Restaurant Writers Association. Prix Fix …
Reviews
Michael Snow
5 Star evening as always
Excellent service and ambience. Venison, Steak Diane, Escargot and French Onion soup, Bordeaux wine and Gran Marnier – Chocolate Souffle. Great wine selection and full service bar. Thank you Antoine, Eddie and entire staff.
… moreExcellent service and ambience. Venison, Steak Diane, Escargot and French Onion soup, Bordeaux wine and Gran Marnier – Chocolate Souffle. Great wine selection and full service bar. Thank you Antoine, Eddie and entire staff.
Andrew E
Food mediocre. Pate was good. Escargot poor. Soups good. Main beef cooked well. Souffle good but anglaise not done correctly. Overall fair. Don’t go if you want elevated French. Service outstanding. Pricey $$$$$ for the quality of food.
… moreAndrew McCauley
We decided last minute to go here for an appetizer and a desert. The Salmon Roulade was very tasty and Soufflé…. WOW! I have never had anything like it… just sensational.
The staff were very pleasant at snd courteous and they all take their jobs very seriously…. If you are looking for a dining experience, then make Le Paon your next stop.
… moreThe staff were very pleasant at snd courteous and they all take their jobs very seriously…. If you are looking for a dining experience, then make Le Paon your next stop.
Lee Burton (Chef Lee)
Phenomenal experience dining at Le Paon. Great table side service, beautiful atmosphere, superb cuisine. Enjoyed the hearts of palm salad, Dover sole was excellent. I believe that Le Paon offers the best fine dining in Palm Desert. Great wine list too.
… moreGary I.
Le Paon means the peacock in French, & there are quite a few peacocks, stuffed, in twinkly lights, as objets d’art here & there.
The 2nd story entrance is well hidden away in the back away from El Paseo, but there is an elevator to make a regal entrance.
It has a retro mid twentieth century feel where there are floor to ceiling glass to take advantage of the view of the far away mountains and the floor of the vast western extension of the Sonoran desert.
Now in the first half of the 21st century, the guest can come “as you are” as stated on the phone by the receptionist who by his casual appearance in pony tail & a guayabera style shirt must be one of the owners.
Another nice mid 20th century touch was having a grey haired gentleman playing behind a sparkling black lacquered piano playing from the American songbook & a touch of Debussy.
Started off with a crémant/sparkling wine by Mumm Napa which looked like a Blanc de Blancs made from Chardonnay grapes. This brut had enough residual sugar, slightly creamy w/ a bit of acidity which was ideal since the day was humid from the summer monsoon.
Standard baguette & a pat of butter was served on top of crushed ice in a silver bowl to prevent it from melting, but conversely the ice made the butter too hard to spread over the bread until it softened. Still it was a nice touch.
Soupe a l’Oignon veered a bit by having the soup be a dark color as though red wine had been added as well as the gruyère style cheese be caramelized to a darker brown than usual.
However, the beefy flavor of the caramelized onion soup was perfectly fine. I used some of the gooey melted gruyere to put on top of the baguette for a nice contrast of the soft cheese & the rough textured bread.
Canard a l’Orange was garnished w/ Haricots Verts/green beans, Carottes/baby carrots, wild rice mixture. This was not a demi Caneton/half a duckling but looked like two pieces of deboned thigh which seemed basted in an orange & Cointreau mixture to give the meat a bit of a caramelized citrus flavor.
The meat may have been a bit too over roasted giving the meat a dry chewiness in places along with more succulent meat. A light orange flavoured sauce flooded the entire plate.
Leval Pinot Noir 2012, not from the typical region of Bourgogne/Burgundy in the north, but from Langue d’Oc way in the south next to the Mediterranean Sea which gave this pinot noir way more heat as it was growing.
This added heat gave this pinot noir an almost port-like Maderisée which gave it a slight caramelized, oxidative bitter/sourness which was not a bad thing in that it was a good contrast from the sweet orange flavours.
Dessert was a Soufflé called Harlequin in which there were soufflés of two different colors: Chocolate & Grand Marnier/cognac infused w/ bitter oranges.
There was a small bowl that contained what seemed to be a mixture of caramel & chocolate sauce which had a strange gummy texture & off flavor that did not enhance the soufflé.
The texture of the soufflé was also a bit gummy & heavy that did not sit well on the tongue. A more exemplary soufflé would have been airy, light, yet moist & fluffy. There would be a slight “egginess” & the chocolate & orange flavours would be more pronounced. This Harlequin Souffle unfortunately did not have those attributes.
However, the ambiance of Le Paon is wonderful with black tuxedoed waiters/waitress floating around the room w/ the officious looking maître de restaurant looking commanding & in charge.
The crowd here generally attracts a more mature clientele usually over 40 and maybe even 50. It’s also a civilized restaurant where you don’t need to shout at the waiters or other guests just to be heard which is, unfortunately, happening more & more in L.A. restaurants that think they are “hip”.
My only wish is that the cuisine be as good as the service & the chic mid 20th century ambiance. 3 stars for the food, but the service & setting is closer to 4.
… moreThe 2nd story entrance is well hidden away in the back away from El Paseo, but there is an elevator to make a regal entrance.
It has a retro mid twentieth century feel where there are floor to ceiling glass to take advantage of the view of the far away mountains and the floor of the vast western extension of the Sonoran desert.
Now in the first half of the 21st century, the guest can come “as you are” as stated on the phone by the receptionist who by his casual appearance in pony tail & a guayabera style shirt must be one of the owners.
Another nice mid 20th century touch was having a grey haired gentleman playing behind a sparkling black lacquered piano playing from the American songbook & a touch of Debussy.
Started off with a crémant/sparkling wine by Mumm Napa which looked like a Blanc de Blancs made from Chardonnay grapes. This brut had enough residual sugar, slightly creamy w/ a bit of acidity which was ideal since the day was humid from the summer monsoon.
Standard baguette & a pat of butter was served on top of crushed ice in a silver bowl to prevent it from melting, but conversely the ice made the butter too hard to spread over the bread until it softened. Still it was a nice touch.
Soupe a l’Oignon veered a bit by having the soup be a dark color as though red wine had been added as well as the gruyère style cheese be caramelized to a darker brown than usual.
However, the beefy flavor of the caramelized onion soup was perfectly fine. I used some of the gooey melted gruyere to put on top of the baguette for a nice contrast of the soft cheese & the rough textured bread.
Canard a l’Orange was garnished w/ Haricots Verts/green beans, Carottes/baby carrots, wild rice mixture. This was not a demi Caneton/half a duckling but looked like two pieces of deboned thigh which seemed basted in an orange & Cointreau mixture to give the meat a bit of a caramelized citrus flavor.
The meat may have been a bit too over roasted giving the meat a dry chewiness in places along with more succulent meat. A light orange flavoured sauce flooded the entire plate.
Leval Pinot Noir 2012, not from the typical region of Bourgogne/Burgundy in the north, but from Langue d’Oc way in the south next to the Mediterranean Sea which gave this pinot noir way more heat as it was growing.
This added heat gave this pinot noir an almost port-like Maderisée which gave it a slight caramelized, oxidative bitter/sourness which was not a bad thing in that it was a good contrast from the sweet orange flavours.
Dessert was a Soufflé called Harlequin in which there were soufflés of two different colors: Chocolate & Grand Marnier/cognac infused w/ bitter oranges.
There was a small bowl that contained what seemed to be a mixture of caramel & chocolate sauce which had a strange gummy texture & off flavor that did not enhance the soufflé.
The texture of the soufflé was also a bit gummy & heavy that did not sit well on the tongue. A more exemplary soufflé would have been airy, light, yet moist & fluffy. There would be a slight “egginess” & the chocolate & orange flavours would be more pronounced. This Harlequin Souffle unfortunately did not have those attributes.
However, the ambiance of Le Paon is wonderful with black tuxedoed waiters/waitress floating around the room w/ the officious looking maître de restaurant looking commanding & in charge.
The crowd here generally attracts a more mature clientele usually over 40 and maybe even 50. It’s also a civilized restaurant where you don’t need to shout at the waiters or other guests just to be heard which is, unfortunately, happening more & more in L.A. restaurants that think they are “hip”.
My only wish is that the cuisine be as good as the service & the chic mid 20th century ambiance. 3 stars for the food, but the service & setting is closer to 4.
Lizzy Lehn
One of my favorite meals in the valley. Everything was done perfectly. The veal sweetbreads and Duck was delicious and the soufflé was truly amazing. Loved that they had live music too
… moreJoseph Schulman
An extremely fine French-style food and ambiance. The duck is the best I have had anywhere, and the Dover sole and many other dishes are excellent. Table-side preparation of superb desserts like crepes Suzettes and bananas Foster is also offered. Terrific souffles too. Friendly experienced owners. Valet parking available behind restaurant with elevator to restaurant on upper level.
… moreBob Porter
The restaurant seemed to be severely understaffed. We never want to be rushed when dining out but in this case we had trouble finding anyone for almost anything. The host with the mustache was amazing. Once seated by him, we waited about 15 minutes for a wine list and any cocktails that might be special to the restaurant. We were told there were no cocktails. A few tables away they were holding a cocktail list and we we inquired, the server said she’d check. Another server finally brought the list. The bottle of French wine showed up as a completely different vintage with an explanation that they were out of what was listed. The server said she’d work something out on the price and then started to open a younger bottle. She slipped the cork in her pocket and when asked if we could check the cork, she rummaged through a pocket full of corks until she found ours (we think). She then preceded to pull the cork through the foil instead of removing the foil. When this left jagged edges she kept picking at the top of the bottle pulling little pieces off until she could pour. Not a pretty sight. No one ever returned to offer to refill a glass.
Hoping dinner would be better we had a ceasar salad mixed table side using vinegar and oil dressing that was so heavy on the vinegar we had trouble eating it. Absolutely no anchovy flavor at all. My wife’s entree’ had scorched potatoes to the point you could see the black and a steak that was dry as a bone. My duck La’ orange was very tasty but the sides were undercooked and mushy. Desert was actually delicious, then it came time to find someone for a bill. The table to our left and the table to our right were also trying to find a person for a bill. 30 minutes later, on the verge of walking up to the host asking for a bill, it arrived. I was fully prepared to spend the $508 on dinner for two but was unprepared for the lack of service and mediocre food. It will be a long time before we return. There are too many better choices in the valley.
… moreHoping dinner would be better we had a ceasar salad mixed table side using vinegar and oil dressing that was so heavy on the vinegar we had trouble eating it. Absolutely no anchovy flavor at all. My wife’s entree’ had scorched potatoes to the point you could see the black and a steak that was dry as a bone. My duck La’ orange was very tasty but the sides were undercooked and mushy. Desert was actually delicious, then it came time to find someone for a bill. The table to our left and the table to our right were also trying to find a person for a bill. 30 minutes later, on the verge of walking up to the host asking for a bill, it arrived. I was fully prepared to spend the $508 on dinner for two but was unprepared for the lack of service and mediocre food. It will be a long time before we return. There are too many better choices in the valley.
Steve Martinez
This place is such a hidden gem. This is my wife’s favorite place! The food is always amazing and last night our filet, lobster and scallops did not disappoint!! Our regular servers Carlos & Autumn & Mike are always so friendly! The ambiance is perfect for a night evening out or a date night. My favorite is the table side Ceasar salad and the greeting from Chef Eddie in the latter evening hours! See you guys soon Eddie & Antoine!
… moreGhazal Babai
Amazing food and beautiful art displayed throughout the restaurant. Highly recommend after a day of shopping on El Paseo. The soufflé is to die for!
… more