Mademoiselle Paris French Restaurant & Bakery 9906 Gulf Drive, Anna Maria, FL 34216

"I am sad to say that I was not overly impressed with our dinner tonight. Having walked to the AMI Mademoiselle Paris every day during our vacation this week for pastry treats, that we loved, we had high expectations. I'm hoping it was just a bad night and others have better experiences in the future. Starting with the good, we have loved the variety of croissants we have purchased each morning this week. Chocolate, almond, ham and cheese, and spinach, all were wonderful. I can't recommend them highly enough. My daughter, that must eat gluten free, loved the large variety of macarons as well. Her favorites were the pistachio ones. Dinner tonight, though, was unfortunately not as good. The items I ordered were fairly odd interpretations of some fairly standard fares. The French Onion Soup was two slices of a baguette with melted cheese almost to their crusts, floating in a fairly bland, almost clear onion broth. I'm used to a deeper, richer broth, usually covered in cheese, most often overflowing the bowl. In fairness, the pictures others have posted look closer to what I would expect, so again hopefully it was just an off night. They did offer to take it off our bill since I only took a couple bites, which was very kind. The Croque Monsieur I had tasted good, but was again a bit of an odd interpretation: ham between two pieces of dry white bread, with bechamel sauce and cheese on top. The cheese and sauce were tasty, but the bread ended up being essentially steamed under the cheese. Our server was very sweet, and my wife enjoyed her Parmesan Risotto with shrimp, but I believe we will just stick to pastries and coffee in the mornings going forward unfortunately."

"My new favorite place for brunch/lunch on the island! When you don’t need a water view and want to actually go somewhere from the food, go here! I wanted a place to meet a friend for a delicious and leisurely time to catch up, without feeling rushed or breaking the bank, and M. Paris was perfect. I ordered the make-your-own omelette with tomatoes, avocado, and brie, and it came out looking like a beautiful souffle. Such generous brie! And so good. The vegetable-pureed soup was also hearty and tasty. Our waitress apologized for having to consult the owner for the details we asked about the long list of coffees since it was her first day, but she was absolutely charming and kept our coffees topped up throughout our time there, which was over two hours, maybe almost three! The early December weather was perfect for sitting outside on the private patio area out back. And the location was great for strolling the shops afterward. I had been a little hesitant at first about coming here because of some mixed reviews across sites, but I’m so glad I ignored them, and you should too. This is the third location in the area for them, so that’s even more evidence of the quality of the food. Can’t wait to go back!"

"Ok. I LOVE the food. I actually have visited the Sarasota location and like it. Staff is nice. But the atmosphere and cleanliness is terrible. The food is completely shadowed by the state of the inside and terrible atmosphere. The kitchen which is viewable from the tables is kind of messy. Food on the floor, dirty floors. The place definitely needs a refresh and better attention to cleaning."