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Posted by margaretd2 (anonymous) on August 25, 2006

Food: 3/10  Vibe: 8/10  Service: 1/10  Value: 1/10  Overall: 2/10

We were very disappointed in everything except the fantastic bread. First there was no one to seat us as we had reservations. We had to track someone down. Our waitress was awful. She forgot us (came back an hour later reeking of smoke). It took an hour and 15 min. to get our entree after our salad. The manager said they had too many people come in at one time (wait, they take reservations...hum). My husband's steak (which was a good cut of beef) was over cooked and flavorless, our son's stuffed fish, laughable.

The building is gorgeous, however. It is a shame this place won't be here 6 months from now unless they get better staff, train them better, and get a manager who can actually manage the restaurant. They have a very expensive menu for poorly cooked food. I really want to support the downtown revitalization, but the restaurants need to be worthy of the patronage.

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Posted by sarah (Sarah Young) on August 25, 2006

Food: 10/10  Vibe: 9/10  Service: 10/10  Value: 9/10  Overall: 9/10

That is so unfortunate because my husband and I went on a whim before the Art Melt without reservations and had an amazing meal and a fabulous time.

When we walked in I wasn't sure we were going to get a table, but the hostess accomodated us and we were able to secure a spot in the bar. Our waiter was incredible. I wish I could remember his name. We ordered wine, appetizers, salads, entrees and shared the most amazing tiramisu. Everything was delicious.

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Posted by tiger01 (anonymous) on October 1, 2006

Food: 9/10  Vibe: 10/10  Service: 8/10  Value: 10/10  Overall: 9/10

I agree that Sarah's experience was both unfortunate and unusual for this restaurant. I have dined at The Little Village 5-6 times and I have never had the experiences described. We had a fantastic meal and a great experience. The village bread is wonderful, and all of the entrees tried by our friends in various groups were always excellent. Twof my friends at our table last night thought the salads were delicious, but I personally found the salads to be unimpressive - I have tried the sensation and house salads during my 5-6 trips to this restaurant. I don't understand this in a good restaurant. They use dressings, olives, etc. that should make a great salad, but I have had a blah feeling after eating the salad on each of my visits. I don't know whether they make them early in the day and they have been sitting in the refrigerator, or if they fail to make sure the lettuce, etc. is dry before mixing in the dressings. Unfortunately, they are just mediocre in my judgment. The desserts are good. They serve the "custard" style bread pudding and I do not like this style, but everyone else at our table liked it (yeah, we share tastes!). The restaurant can get very loud when it is full at night. This is not a problem at lunch. The ambiance is great and really adds to the experience. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone. Just one request to the owners: post your menu on the Internet.

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Posted by sherishiqua (anonymous) on October 4, 2006

Food: 4/10  Vibe: 3/10  Service: 3/10  Value: 2/10  Overall: 3/10

I took my wife to the Little Village for her birthday, and it did not make it a Happy one. Fine Dining usually means the tables will have table clothes, which they did not. It must have been our waiter's first night every working a floor. he never brought us a wine list, was hard to find, and was very scatter brained. We ordered a mushroom appetizer, which tasted good, but the portion size was ridiculously small for the price. It took awhile to order our entrees as they were out of many things. We finally had to get our waiter to ask the Kitchen what they did have. I had ordered the Veal marsala, and what a disappointment. The Veal was impossible to see at first, as it was buried under entirely too much sauce, which was a powdered demi-glace base, and for a price around $30, it should have been real demi. So the 4 oz portion of veal was buried under a soup bowl's worth of sauce in a can, making the Veal really pointless to have on the plate.

It was, by far, one for the worst meals I have ever had, and I've eaten quite a few military meals in my life. I tell everyone I know about how lousy and amateur the Little Village is.

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Posted by sabrenda (anonymous) on February 27, 2007

Food: 10/10  Vibe: 8/10  Service: 10/10  Value: 8/10  Overall: 9/10

The bread is fantastic. Menu items are tasty, such as the lasagna, fish of the day, and salads. Looking forward to eating there this week.....as long as someone over there faxes me a copy of the menu.

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Posted by dsigue (anonymous) on March 3, 2007

Food: 6/10  Vibe: 8/10  Service: 10/10  Value: 6/10  Overall: 8/10

I have eaten at the Little village at least 4 times. The surroundings are nice and the ambiance is great. The signatue dish for me is the bread. Each time I have eaten there the bread was a must. It literally melts in your mouth. The main dishes are good, but for the price could be better. They tend to be a little on the bland side. For South Louisiana you expect the food to be much tastier, that is a little more seasoned and I don't mean on the hot side. The creamy sauce that comes with some of the dishes is a little on the watery side. If you order the crawfish salad, make sure you like horseradish, because the remoulade is overbaring with horseradish. It is one dish I certainly will pass on next time. The salads are large and that is a plus. The gumbo is okay, but could be thicker and more tastier and have more in it rather than just the roux. The service/waiters have been excellent every time I have eaten there with friends. The waiters are very attentive and are always coming around to see if you need anything.

Overall I would recommend The Little Village to others. I do plan to eat their again and try some of their other dishes. It is a nice addition to DownTown Baton Rouge.

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Posted by rwbtrla05 (anonymous) on March 21, 2007

Food: 10/10  Vibe: 10/10  Service: 10/10  Value: 10/10  Overall: 10/10

We "dropped in" to The Little Village last Friday around 6PM. Even though they were completely booked, they worked us in quickly and we had a great dining experience. The staff was friendly, the service was excellent and the food was exceptional. The atmosphere in this wonderful building adds greatly to the new downtown experience. We will be back!!

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Posted by judomattm (anonymous) on March 23, 2007

Food: 9/10  Vibe: 8/10  Service: 8/10  Value: 7/10  Overall: 8/10

My girlfriend and I have frequented this place often. Every time we have found the food to be top notch quality with the exception of the trout almondine i had once. I do agree however that it is not fine dining. Fine dining would consist of table cloths and lit candles on the table. Several things dissapoint me about this resteraunt. First, they do not have a website with the menu and prices posted. It doesn't take much to create a website so there really is no excuse for this. Second the prices are a tad bit too much for the overall feel and taste of the food. If they were more like say olive garden's prices this place would flourish. this resteraunt has alot of potential if only they would change a few basic things that quite litterally could be done overnight, like the website and the candles and tables cloths and lastly prices.

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Posted by 10percenter (anonymous) on June 28, 2007

Food: 10/10  Vibe: 8/10  Service: 5/10  Value: 9/10  Overall: 8/10

6 of us dined in the bar. It is quieter than the dining area. The food ranged from spaghetti with Italian sausage to veal marsala to shrimp scampi to fried red fish topped with lump crab meat. The food was great. The service was fine until we were finished and had to wait too long for the bill. There were too many lawyers in the place, but other than that, we will all return.

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Posted by kimbrajoy (anonymous) on June 30, 2007

Food: 10/10  Vibe: 8/10  Service: 10/10  Value: 8/10  Overall: 9/10

Had dinner last night here and was pleased. The bread was to die for and all the food we had, dessert (bread pudding) included was excellent. When you go, be prepared for a "dining" experience. This is not someplace where you can get in and out quickly. We were there about 2.5 hours. It was a great experience and we will go there again. The only real complaint that I have was the noise level...very loud.

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Posted by mzbansal (anonymous) on August 31, 2007

Food: 9/10  Vibe: 9/10  Service: 9/10  Value: 9/10  Overall: 9/10

I have had a few good meals at The Village and would recommend it to family and friends. The bread is exceptional and so are the Boudain balls and sea food salad.In fact what ever we have ordered was really delicious.
Friends who have been patrons since before the restaurant moved to the new location in downtown tell me that the service has been inconsistent in the past. Hopefully the owners can get their act together and not let everyone down.

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Posted by mweeks (anonymous) on October 26, 2007

Food: 3/10  Vibe: 5/10  Service: 1/10  Value: 3/10  Overall: 3/10

We had tickets to Poncho Sanchez last night so we decided to make dinner reservations. When we arrived the hostess was sitting outside on the curb with other staff members. One waiter (Bald guy/mid 20s) who was drinking a glass of wine got up and very rudely pushed past us in the narrow entry tried seating us in the bar telling us that the empty tables in the other room were reserved. I tried explaining that we had a reservation and would like to sit away from the bar. He was very put out (probably due to the alcohol) and showed us another table. We really should have left at this point but we were hungry.

The menus we were handed had grease spots all over as did the black vinyl covered tables. The place was super loud. It reminded me of a dive in the French Quarter. Our waitress convinced us to order "The special" Fried Green Tomatoes with crabmeat topping. The Tomatoes ripe with pink centers, they were cut way too thick and very tough and the sauce too lemony. I heard that this place had the best bread but we got NO bread.

My wife and I thought it would be a nice change of pace to order fresh pasta, mistake. We first knew there was a problem when my wife’s lasagna was served sitting on a fancy paper doily! My wife laughed and said, "What would Chef Ramsey say", too funny! I suppose the doily was supposed to make us forget about the bad food, black tables and bad service. The consistency of the pasta was awful. It was chewy, gewy and undercooked. Yuk. I tasted my wife lasagna and it actually tasted exactly like biscuits and sawmill gravy from Frank’s restaurant.

At one point in the meal that rude waiter that seated us walked by with another full glass of wine and went into the kitchen and downed it like a wino in plain site of the dining room. He and the other wait staff were all standing in the back cutting up and using language that should not be used in a public place. They dropped and broke 2 glasses while they were washing (Probably due to being intoxicated) and each time they cleaned a fork or spoon they would hurl each into the holding bin like a spear making a loud clanking sound.

There were two other tables with customers in the room and every one of them had that "deer in the headlights" look. The lady next to us mentioned that she wasn’t coming back here to her husband. I don’t think we will be going back either. We will also be letting as many people know about our experience as we can. It’s a real shame that this place can’t get its act together. The downtown area needs more good businesses and this type of place will drive people away. I would recommend this place to another restaurateur or real estate agent. It would be a nice location to open a good restaurant.

By the way, those "reserved" tables that the rude guy mentioned were never used by anyone.

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Posted by Ray1097marriott (anonymous) on October 29, 2007

Food: 10/10  Vibe: 10/10  Service: 10/10  Value: 10/10  Overall: 10/10

I think this mweeks person is nuts the restaurant is a beautiful restaurant and the food, service and quality is amazing. He sounds like a mean old man with nothing else to do then to beat down something that helps downtown be what it is. Get a life. GO LITTLE VILLAGE

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Posted by bethany1307 (anonymous) on November 1, 2007

Food: 9/10  Vibe: 9/10  Service: 10/10  Value: 10/10  Overall: 10/10

My name is Bethany and I have no need whatsoever to remain anonymous. I stand by my opinions regardless of whom or what they're about. This comment is in response to "mweeks" who does feel the need to be anonymous for whatever reason....possibly out of cowardice. I think it's a disgrace that this person would have so many contemptible comments toward an establishment which has become one of Downtown Baton Rouge's first-rate restaurants. My husband and I dine at The Little Village often and I have never had an experience even close to that of "mweeks." On the contrary, the service has always been impeccable; the food is outstanding. It's a good thing the management team at The Little Village knows and believes in their waitstaff so that no weight will be given to the despicable, rude remarks made against them. Obviously "mweeks" is one of those people who have a few lousy moments and takes it out on everyone for the rest of his evening. By the way....my husband and I were in the restaurant the same night and just happened to sit next to a shockingly rude couple with a young boy at their table. If my memory serves me right, this couple was arguing when they walked in and seemed to find something wrong with everything. How incredibly sad I thought this couple looked! But I did notice that this couple did, in fact, receive the bread in question.

I got on to leave a positive comment for this quaint little restaurant....how bizarre this has turned out to be. Baton Rouge is blessed by its presence as are the people who dine there.

My comment to "mweeks"......you've done nothing but make the hungry people of Baton Rouge more curious about such a remarkable restaurant. They'll find out for themselves that you are nothing more than a mud-slinger. Are you, perhaps, a politician?

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Posted by Ray (anonymous) on February 17, 2008

Food: 9/10  Vibe: 7/10  Service: 9/10  Value: 8/10  Overall: 9/10

If you choose to dine here make a reservation. My wife and I arrived at 5:30 pm Sat. The place was basicly empty, but all tables were reserved with the exception of one by the kitchen door. We chose to sit at the corner of the bar. Not very comfortable and lacked privacy but that was our choice. Glad we stayed. Bread was very good, crab cakes were good. Dinner salads were fresh. Wife ordered seafood canalone and was very pleased. I had the Chilean Sea Bass. It was incredible in both presentation and taste. Fit for a King. Had I known the price beforehand I probably would have passed. So glad I didn't. Well worth the $35. We chose to pass on desert and coffee and were finished in a hour. By 6:30 the place was 70% occupied and getting loud in the bar area. I will get a reservation in the dining area next time. The service was friendly, but not bothersome. Since this is my first dining experience here, the #10 rating was not an option for me in any category(except for the Sea Bass)

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Posted by JakeAComo (anonymous) on April 30, 2008

Food: 4/10  Vibe: 5/10  Service: 3/10  Value: 3/10  Overall: 2/10

I went here three times from the time that they opened (back in 2006 I think) through 2007 (couple times). I haven't been back due to poor service and inability to get things that are offered on the menu. The food that I have eaten there has been generally ok, but please don't get it confused with the type of cuisine that was served by The Village. Oyster appetizer on the menu has not been available supposedly since shortly after opening, but yet the item was still being offered well into the year of 2007. Last time I was there my wife ordered a fried eggplant appetizer (they were out of eggplant) - so the Eggplant Parmesan was also out of the question (that she wanted). I wanted a New York Strip. I have tried to order this on the three occasions that I have been - never tasted it - always "out". They suggested a filet, but instead I requested the ribeye - no luck - "out" - so I had the filet. On to veggies - I ordered the spinach - "out". I ordered the brocolli - "out". Then I said, Ok what vegetable do you have? They said squash - I said, interesting cuz that isn't on the menu. I had yellow squash and a filet. The food was fine - not great, but ok. It was really sort of weird though to order so many different things and have them say to everything "out" - especially vegetable staples for an italian place like eggplant, spinach, brocolli. The owner/manager was in the place on these occassions and could have easily run to a local supermarket to get eggplant, spinach and brocolli (it was pretty early in the evening on each occasion 7ish). When you look at their menu it is a few fried and grilled items with a bunch of red sauce pastas. Basically, I think they feel like if they have a big pot of sauce in the kitchen and a few different pastas boiled up, they can open for business. I haven't been back, but I will probably give them another try. On the other hand, I have generally had pretty decent meals down the street at the other italian restaurant. That place is owned by Sammy's from Industriplex (can't remember their name).

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Posted by pc4080 (anonymous) on May 27, 2008

Food: 9/10  Vibe: 10/10  Service: 10/10  Value: 10/10  Overall: 10/10

My wife and I are frequent visitors to the little village. I find the comments made by the man that says he gets bad sevice and the menu is always out must be thinking of some place besides the The rest we go to downtown. It is loud and small and all the charm you could ever ask for. We go at least 2 or 3 times a month and have never had the exprience that these people are describing. As for the menu the most awesome steak I have ever put in my mouth. My wife loves the seabass with all the crabmeat and the trout is great. We dont go there to eat fried catfish it is not that kind of restaurant.
The best Italian food that any one has very had. The fact that they are an Italian Rest would explain why there are several Red sauce dishes on the menu. I know that when ever we go we always see friends. It is so nice to go where you are aways treated like a VIP.
Make sure you call and make a reservation . We found out the hard way to call early.

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Posted by lsu4ever (anonymous) on July 7, 2008

Food: 7/10  Vibe: 7/10  Service: 4/10  Value: 3/10  Overall: 4/10

Such potential! Fabulous location, decent reputation, and a great menu (when properly executed). The downfall of the this restaurant will be in their lack of consistency. Terrible management, varying degrees of server experience (some are world class, some should have stayed at Chili's), and the lack of an executive chef (I say this because NO ONE in the kitchen has been properly trained), ultimately will produce results as shown above. Some will enjoy a pleasant evening, though the rest will have to deal with the horrid manager that seats tables, receive a server that reeks of smoke and could care less if their customers ever come back (as long as the tip is favorable), and possibly be given a dish that doesn't represent the price tag. The Little Village doesn't concern itself with repeat business, and perhaps this, among the multitude of other issues, will be their downfall.

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Posted by vmc0926 (anonymous) on July 10, 2008

Were you fired from the LV thats what it sounds like to me. I read these comments from time to time but I have never commented to any. This was however one of the funniest I ever read. Anyone with a brain can tell you are someone trying to just be mean and hurtful. We go to the LV all the time someone like this wont change that. I have to say the comments you are making sound very much like someone in the business just by the terms you use and that really is so childish to try and do damage to a great place just because you dont know any better. Just so people can hear an honest opinon. My group of friends love to go and always have a great time and are treated great. For what is worth!!!!

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Posted by lsu4ever (anonymous) on July 26, 2008

I was employed at "LV" for a time, but certainly was not fired. I am not a disgruntled employee, I am only trying to explain why the above reviewers may have experienced a less than perfect evening. Yes, I am "in the business", and have moved on to a true "fine dining" restaurant. Please continue to enjoy great evenings at LV, I am not trying to deter their business. My only reason for commenting was to shed light on some of the negative reviews shown above and provide accurate insight into the workings of LV.

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Posted by dwdjr (anonymous) on July 27, 2008

Food: 10/10  Vibe: 9/10  Service: 10/10  Value: 6/10  Overall: 9/10

People writing the negative comments must be just hard to please. We went to LV downtown Fri night. I had read these reviews beforehand so I did not know what to expect. The entire experience was great! The food was unbelieveably good. I got the arancini for an apeteizer and then wished I had ordered a dish with their red sauce for my meal. I must say however that it was entirely too small for the price. In fact the prices are pretty high for what you get on all the dishes. But the food reminded me of going to the original Village when I was a kid. We actually went to the Airline Hwy location Sat night because we wanted to get the true Italian dishes like Lasagne and spaghetti. This location was just a great as the downtown location and the food was just as good. Baton Rouge needs more locally owned restaurants, especially one that can revive some of the old traditions of the city. With the exception of LSU football, Baton Rougeans don't really care for the history and traditions of the city, so I hope this great restaurant can survive.

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Posted by lolomein (anonymous) on January 20, 2009

Food: 4/10  Vibe: 8/10  Service: 7/10  Value: 2/10  Overall: 6/10

Sauce from a jar.

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Posted by Celia (anonymous) on February 14, 2009

Food: 10/10  Vibe: 9/10  Service: 10/10  Value: 8/10  Overall: 9/10

I have eaten here many times before I retired and never had any problem with the service or the food. I retired from the State so we only had 30 minutes for lunch and we always made it in time. So if you think the service is too slow you must be used to eating in fast food burger places. I remember the original Village (showing my age) and this one is just as good or better. So glad to hear that a new one has opened on Airline Hwy, since I am no longer working downtown I hate to go there since parking is such a problem.

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Posted by saxjunkee (anonymous) on March 5, 2009

Food: 3/10  Vibe: 3/10  Service: 1/10  Value: 2/10  Overall: 2/10

We went once. The servers were drinking wine and they also smelled of cigarette smoke. The resturant was loud and the service and food were lousy. I agree that this place is not concerned with repeat business.

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Posted by ksanfords (anonymous) on March 25, 2009

Food: 9/10  Vibe: 10/10  Service: 9/10  Value: 9/10  Overall: 10/10

This is really one the most unusual little places we have ever been. It was our first time and most surely not the last. Our whole crowd (8) had the best time. We have had friends that have told us to come for a long time. And we just waited. Well we knew half the other patrons in the small place and yes it is loud but no one seemed to mind because they were having such a good time. We went to enjoy friends food and drink not be quite. By the way the food was excellent and I dont know what waiters you saw but the ones that worked the nite we were there were very professional. All and alla great night and we will make it at the top of our going out list By the way the best martini in town. You have to order the seafood stuffed steak its to die for

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Posted by makescakes4U (anonymous) on January 9, 2010

Food: 9/10  Vibe: 9/10  Service: 8/10  Value: 6/10  Overall: 9/10

I personally love the place. Now, I've yet to have a bad experience. Even if and when I do I wouldn't stop dining there all together. Obliviously food is different for everyone. So it's really your call if you like what you're eating or not. I say; stick with a red sauce dish, stay away from the cold salads, and always have their bread! Before and during the meal. It's the BEST BREAD!
Every restaurant is guilty of having a few bad waiters/waitress' at times. So, get over it. If they're that bad talk to someone about it and then either they'll learn and then become better. Or they'll get fired and move on. Now as for your waiter/waitress smelling of smoke, that would be because of the bar down stairs, the Thirsty Tiger Tavern. Your waiters/waitress could be one of the few that is delivering appetizers, and or deserts. It's not their fault that their clothing is picking up the odor. As for your waiter/waitress having a glass of wine themselve..I've never seen that before, but it sounds kinda charming, NOTE: If they're drunk, that would be a totally different story!, but this sounds like it's a great way for them to sell you on to having one yourself. That brings me to price... Yes. This place could look expensive next to the other lousy restaurant chains in Baton Rouge, but look at what you're getting. Lovely atmosphere, great food, and good service.
This place is great for those special occasions. Just let the hostess know that when you're making reservations and they will surely try to make it a night to remember.

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Posted by swamp_yankee (anonymous) on March 1, 2010

Food: 8/10  Vibe: 7/10  Service: 9/10  Value: 7/10  Overall: 7/10

We enjoyed the "Little Village" on Firday 02/26 at 530PM. The service was good. The food was good. My only complaint is I thought the servings were small for the price. My wife had the chicken parmigiana. The chicken was a good size, but the side speghette was small. I enjoyed the baked lasagne, but the portion size I'd consider smaller than normal.
We'll visit again, but try different dishes.