Chez Axel French Restaurant, Albuquerque, New Mexico, French Restaurant Details

Food:

Zagat reviews are compiled from individual user reviews.

Food:

Not french atmosphere.
French onion soup had tomatoes in it.
Bread was cold.
Red snapper was frozen not fresh.
No wine.
Need I say more...

Food:

The food was delicious and the people were friendly. All the dishes are fantastic, you really can't go wrong. The desserts are amazing too. Can't wait to go back.

Food:

The best French food I've ever had! The atmosphere was intimate, with darker lighting...

Live piano is wonderful..There were so many good choices on the menu, and not to mention several tantalizing specials as well.. We were impressed.

Food:

Truth telling can be tough. Yes, the service is nice. Yes, the Chef did come out to greet us, exceptionally warmly. Yes there was a lovely piano being played by a lovely lady. But for those touches, I'd be slamming this place, hard. The location was dreadful . . . though, in this particularly downtrodden strip mall Chez Axel does have the best presence. I ordered the Spinach Salad and Lamb Chops; my husband ordered Snails and Veal Cordon Bleu. Though the portions were well sized, the red Balsamic dressing too heavy on the vinegar, which overwhelmed everything else in the salad, then me. The Lamb Chops were also a disappointment. They were smothered in dried herbs at some point in the cooking process, which overwhelmed the lamb completely. I actually salted my meat - which I never do. My husband enjoyed his Veal very much - my bite was delicious, but heavy on the herbs. He liked the snails but would never have prepared them with Pernod. We both had fantastic potatoes on our plates - the best thing we ate all night. We "split" a Creme Caramel, which was overcooked and had cinnamon in it. Ick! I make excellent Creme Caramel/Flan, yet I often like a restaurant's version better. But the cinnamon and caramel flavors didn't work for me at all. French food is really about a perfect balance of flavors and textures, and truly incredible sauces. Neither of those were present at this meal. We prepare much better food at home than we experienced at Chez Axel. We won't be going back.

Food:

Well, I could finally convince my wife to give Chez Axel a try. From the outside this place doesn't look like much, but once you step in WOHOO. On Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays your dinner experience will be accompanied with live classical piano music. Regarding their food, I can only say that I haven't found a place in Albuquerque that offers better french country cuisine. If you know Le Cafe Miche (and like it), give this place a try. You won't be disappointed!