LE VOLTAIRE

Hoppen Hierarchy:★★★

Traditional French Dining with an Extensive Wine List

Perfect For: Upscale Dining; Date Night; Drinks; Breakfast/Brunch

Standout Dishes: Cassoulet; Bouillabaisse; Joues d’agneau braisées au vin rouge et champignons; Assiette de Charcuterie

Le Voltaire has earned the kind of longevity that makes it the envy of restaurant owners throughout the city. Established in 2001, this temple for French cuisine has lasted because of a reputation for incredible food, a welcoming atmosphere, and second-to-none customer service.

But with new chef/owner Wilson Calixte taking over the reins from the legendary Cedric Fichepain, the restaurant isn’t resting on its laurels. Rather, it’s utilizing Calixte’s Haitian upbringing and career in New York restaurants to push French cuisine in an inventive direction.

You’re totally unprepared for what awaits the first time you step into the Pepperwood Village restaurant just off 156th and Dodge. You’re instantly transported to France, with a fun atmosphere and classy yet playful decor. The servers are a true delight, charming and prompt, and willing to help new diners traverse the menu (which is written in French, with English translations) and extensive wine list.

The menu opens Omaha palates to classic French flavors you won’t find at many other places in the city. That includes the Foie Gras, duck liver meat that somehow combines the tastes of salty butter and beef fat into one pleasant combo. Or Beef Tartare, raw beef packed with spices and chopped vegetables that is completely safe to eat and delicious on its own or when spread across a crostini.

Then there’s the Assiette de Charcuterie (charcuterie board), which features fatty, luscious goose breast, elk sausage, summer sausage, and a host of fresh cheeses and condiments. It’s reminiscent of traditional boards dishes Omahans might be used to, but represents a step up. The ingredients are fresher, more refined.

The entrees too have familiar elements, but are also wildly different from what you’d expect.

The Joues d’agneau braisées au vin rouge et champignons (braised lamb cheeks) is a bit similar in appearance and texture to pot roast, but one bite reveals a massive difference. The lamb is incredibly tender, with pops of sweetness and some acid from the red wine sauce. The meat, which is perched upon a brilliant bed of creamy mashed potatoes and vegetables, is fatty but lacks gristle.

The theme carries on throughout the menu. The Cassoulet (pictured in the header photo) is a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs stew, the perfect soul-warming solution for a cold night. The tender white beans gain some personality from the luxurious, velvety richness of the broth. A thigh of duck confit, wonderfully moist and fatty, and a link of garlic sausage serve as great partners for the creamy beans.

Though none of the individual elements of the Bouillabaisse de Marseille (seafood stew) stand out from one another, it takes an incredible amount of willpower to resist from slurping the remaining delicious broth from the bowl. To appear more civilized, sop up the broth the provided toast points (which are already slathered in a savory aioli) or the provided French bread (did I mention the restaurant has a bakery, Le Petit Paris, next door?).

The stable menu has plenty of favorites, but the specials are where Chef Calixte gets to spread his wings. Passionate about using food to showcase Haitian history and culture, Calixte mixes the French dishes he’s become masterful at creating with flavors from his home.

These are the types of meals meant to be accompanied with a drink, and Le Voltaire has you covered. In addition to all the wines, they have several high class cocktails, including one of the best versions of an Old Fashioned that I’ve had in Omaha.

If you somehow have room left at the end of the meal (or even if you don’t), squeeze in a dessert. I highly recommend the Mousse au Chocolat, which arrives in a tall shot glass topped with whipped cream. It has a creamy, velvety texture and is bursting with brilliant chocolate flavor. It’s the type of decadent dessert you know you shouldn’t keep eating, yet your spoon keeps finding its way back for another bite.

Great as the food is, the service is almost worth the price of admission alone. The servers are not only incredibly knowledgable, but fun and entertaining. They’re incredibly attentive with water and drink refills, and they’ll commonly interject in conversations in a fun, not annoying, manner. On our most recent visit, our server provided dessert cocktails on the house, which rounded out the meal wonderfully.

If you’re looking for a quick bite, this probably isn’t the right answer. Visits typically span over two hours, as guests are encouraged to enjoy drinks, cuisine, and company rather than wolf down the food and move on the next part of the day. When dining with the right friends, time passes incredibly quickly, and food delivery is well spaced out—you’re never rushed nor left waiting for food.

Looking for a French twist on brunch? Stop into Le Voltaire for dishes such as a Crab Cake Benedict, the Haitian Cuban, and Duck & Waffles, a playful take on chicken and waffles. The Shakshuka is excellent, as poached eggs bathe in a spicy tomato sauce, tucked in by a blanket of melty cheese. And the Croque Madame is a cheesy tower of indulgence, complete with thick slices of ham and crowned with an over easy egg. The yolk seeps egg goodness throughout the bread, and the abundance of cheese adds a hearty fattiness.

All in all, Le Voltaire is unlike any other dining experience I’ve had in Omaha. It’s elevated French cuisine made approachable, and it’s a lot of fun.