La Vie En Rose Really is the Sweet Life (3 1/2 out of 5)

I met a friend for lunch on Friday and our plan was to go to River City Bagels for good soup. But on the way around the corner I passed the Idanha Building and noticed a chalkboard out front for La Vie En Rose. I hadn't heard of it before, so the temptation was too great to try something new. Luckily the lovely Lee is as spontaneous as she is fun, so we changed our plans and headed in.

La Vie En Rose is part bakery, part cafe and they've set up shop right in the front of the Idanha, in what probably used to be the hotel lobby. The front window has very European seating although Lee and I opted for the more Americanized tables and chairs further back. Next time I think I'll splurge and sit right in the window and people watch.

You place your order at the counter where the handwritten menu is up on the wall behind the cashier. That puts you smack in front of the windowed shelves of mouth-watering baked goods. I don't really like to make my dining decisions standing up, I feel pressured. Luckily there wasn't anyone behind us in line so the pressure was low. There were several employees behind the counter, all pleasant and all willing to chat with us about the various foods, although I wondered how it would be with more people in line. I tried to look at the printed menu, but the cashier told me that it had changed so much that it was better just to use the handwritten menu on the wall.

There is a nice selection of salads and sandwiches and a couple of daily soups. Almost all of the sandwiches and salads have a half or whole option. As is getting to be my habit, I asked for suggestions. I was told the spinach and artichoke soup was great and the cafe chicken sandwich was also a favorite. Done, I got a cup of soup with the sandwich. Lee ordered a tuna sandwich on multi-grain bread (there were 4 or 5 options for breads) and the corn chowder. We got a little teacup with a number on it, presumably to tell the server which order was ours. I chatted with the employees for a bit and found out that they opened in September, 2006. I hadn't seen anything in the Statesman, but she said they did have a little write-up. She said they make a fresh, homemade chocolate syrup, and that the reporter wrote they had "the best damn mocha in Boise."

Even with the numbered teacup, the server tried to deliver the wrong food. The whole service thing seemed a little unsettled. But the food did arrive quickly and just as we had requested. The soup was served with lovely little grilled pieces of bread that looked crunchy but turned out to be soft and fresh, yum! The amount of soup was perfect, but I wish it was served in a slightly larger cup, I felt like putting the spoon in the cup would cause it to overflow. The flavor was great though. There really were chunks of artichoke and the texture was smooth and creamy. My sandwich was excellent. The chicken was baked with a balsamic vinegar which played off the hint of mayonnaise on the sandwich really well. The bread was a french roll, very fresh and I presume baked daily. Lee's sandwich came toasted and brimming with albacore tuna. She said it was great and considered buying some of the bread to take home. It turns out that is an option, La Vie En Rose is a bakery after all.

It seemed a shame not to try their baked goods, but we were so full from lunch it wasn't really an option. So the next day I swung in for a mocha cookie. It was absolutely perfect. The cookie was a big fluffy looking thing that turned out to be just ever so slightly crisp on the outside and the perfect amount of almost gooey on the inside--that is it wasn't really gooey, but oh just shy of it. I don't know when they were baked, but mine was still warm. Wow. I didn't have the coffee so I can't say whether their mocha is the best in Boise, but I'd say their mocha cookie certainly is.

All in all I felt like there was a surprising variety of very good food. Once the menu gets settled and the service procedures are all figured out, this will be a place not to miss. For now, I think La Vie En Rose is a great addition to the downtown breakfast and lunch scene (they're open 7am-4pm M-F, 8am-4pm Sat, and 9am-4pm Sunday.) Check them out, I'd sure like to see them stay.