After 27 years in historic downtown Sarasota, a beloved French bakery and bistro, C’est La Vie, opened a second location in Lakewood Ranch (9118 Town Center Parkway Unit 102).
Co-owned and operated by Christophe and Geraldine Coutelle, C’est La Vie brought an authentic French bistro experience to Florida, and was one of the first restaurants in downtown Sarasota to offer outdoor seating like many of the established bistros in France, according to their website.
French and fresh
“We wanted to bring a real Artisan bakery,” says Christophe, “with products done from scratch with French ingredients and French bakers, pastry chef, and chef, which we are still doing after 27 years.”
The authenticity at C’est La Vie is apparent in their popular pastries: classic croissants, chocolate croissants (pain au chocolat), and almond croissants. Just as important as the taste is the smell. You could eat the air in C’est La Vie, which practically falls apart in buttery flakes.
C’est La Vie offers extensive menu options
Beyond the classic staples, C’est La Vie has an immense menu, ranging from seafood, land-food, pasta, sandwiches, crepes, soups, salads, and quiches. And those in no way exhaust the menu items. Peruse the full menu here to get a sense of how much there is to taste and enjoy.
“Many times over the years…people come to me and say, ‘Christophe you need to know that since we came to your store, you changed our life’. That is so important for me to make people happy,” says Christophe. “It sounds pretentious, but it’s true.”
