Paris Archives - Robert Redd Historian & Author

Thank you for taking time to read my restaurant review of Voo la Voo Cafe.

Voo la Voo Cafe 829 Canal Street New Smyrna Beach, FL 954-310-7293

New restaurants opening in New Smyrna Beach are almost a dime a dozen. Everywhere you look, something new is opening, many with an old, tired, theme and really offering nothing new for the diner. That’s why there were hopes for Voo la Voo Cafe, which opened just a couple of months ago in the old Auntie’s Soul Food Kitchen building on West Canal Street.

New Smyrna Beach didn’t have a French style restaurant (at least to my knowledge) until Voo la Voo opened. Owner Sylvie Le Nouail recalls making crepes from the age of six or seven. She and her family would make thirty or forty at dinner, having any leftovers the next morning.

The restaurant entrance is at the rear of the building and not facing Canal Street. Notice the grill on the right hand side of the image.

My wife and I ate there on a Sunday afternoon shortly after they opened. Not so close to opening that the bugs couldn’t be worked out, though maybe they needed a bit more time. The first thing we noticed is the entry is not the most obvious. It is at the back of the building, near the sign advertising barbecue ribs, an item not in keeping with the menu. Can you order them inside, is this for take away only, and how much are they? These are questions I was unable to answer.

The Restaurant and First Impressions

I noticed four things immediately upon entering the restaurant. The first was the heat. I don’t know if the air conditioning was not working, was set too high, or just couldn’t keep up, but the building was extremely warm. The second was that it was very loud inside. Most restaurants in New Smyrna Beach seem to have this issue to be perfectly honest. The large influx of new residents do not seem to eat at home. Good for restaurant owners and workers!

This is the entry to the restaurant. Cash register, dessert area, food pick up on the right, and the entry door is behind the photographer.

The third issue was the cramped quarters at the front entry. If you will notice in the photo, the food pick up window is right at the register area and the entry door is right behind where the photo was taken. This could easily become a bottleneck of servers, bussers, and guests. The final immediate takeaway for me was that I just didn’t sense this to be a French restaurant.

Everything was neat and clean and there were no kitchen smells which can sometimes take over a restaurant. It appear there is an outdoor seating area, though with the Florida heat and regular threat of rain, this is not a great summer option. It might be nice in the evening if there aren’t too many mosquitoes. I was unable to determine if the outdoor area is dog friendly. If so, consider that a big win in my view.

Service

We waited several minutes to be seated. There was no extended wait for a table. What was more concerning is that the limited staff seemed kind of flustered and there appeared to be no standard greeting. A host or hostess did not welcome us, but rather, our server ended up seating us.

It took a while for our server to get back to us and in the mean time, another table decided they had waited long enough and left, leaving money on the table for their drinks, but having never ordered food. In the server’s defense, he seemed to be covering more tables than he should have been and he seemed a bit overwhelmed by everything.

The restaurant menu.

We made our selections and were ready to order when the server returned. For me, the menu was a bit light on options. I wasn’t in the mood for sweet, and to be honest I am not a salmon or mushroom fan. I went basic and ordered the croque monsieur. My wife had an omelet.

Note: the menu image shown above was from our visit but differs from the menu shown online.

Spinach, feta, tomato omelette

Croque Monsieur

The Food

What you see in the images is what you get. The presentation is just OK. Mine tasted OK. It was good but it wasn’t the best ham and cheese I’ve ever had and for the price I was underwhelmed. The little side salad I could have done without to be honest. I would have rather had a bag of chips. My wife seemed to feel about the same on her meal. It was OK but nothing special.

We passed on dessert, which should have been considered a crime, however, we just weren’t feeling it after the meal and seeing the options at the front entry.

The Bill

Look, eating out anywhere is expensive, I get it. Our bill for the two entrees shown above, two unsweetened teas (at $4.50 each we would never make that mistake again), taxes, and tip, was pushing $50. For lunch, $50 is really getting up there.

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Final Thoughts

New Smyrna Beach is having an explosion of both population and restaurant options. Voo la Voo Cafe is currently unique in their offerings and poised to take advantage of this opportunity.

There are a limited number of tables so good food and service should be expected. From our visit, both need a bit of improvement. While new to the area, the owners are far from new to the restaurant industry. Their experience should allow them to right the ship, so to speak.

Would I go back? Maybe, if we were meeting friends for lunch and that’s where they really wanted to go. I don’t think I would go for dinner. There are other options in New Smyrna Beach that I personally would prefer.

Please consider reading my other restaurant reviews by clicking THIS LINK.

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Little(r) Museums of Paris book review — Little(r) Museums of Paris Book Review

Jacobs, Emma. Little(r) Museums of Paris An Illustrated Guide to the City’s Hidden Gems. New York: Running Press. 2019. ISBN 9780762466399. $20. 192 pages. Index, bibliography, drawings.

Planning a trip to Paris can prove to be an overwhelming task. How much time do I need? How to get there? Where to stay? Where to eat? Should I rent a car? What are the must see destinations?

While she can’t answer those questions for you, author Emma Jacobs can provide you with some off the beaten path alternatives that most visitors to Paris will never even know about. If you crave the unknown, less crowded, local flavor type of destinations, this is a book you have to read before visiting Paris.

What to Expect

In a book that is whimsical, yet serious; travel guide, yet travel writing; and brief, yet thorough, Emma Jacobs holds our hand through some locations that Rick Steves will not guide you to. With that in mind, this guide (if you want to call it that) is ideal for travelers who have visited Paris and seen the major sites. Maybe you are one of those travelers who doesn’t care to see the Eiffel Tower (gasp and shame on you). Or maybe you want to see Paris like a local might. If this sounds like how you travel, step on in.

First, a couple of things that differentiate this book from a standard travel guide. The book is in hardcover format. It’s not a traditional hardcover size but it’s hardcover none the less and a bit more difficult to take with you during a days excursion. Second are the illustrations. This is not your standard travel guide that is packed with color photos. Rather, these are Jacobs own watercolor illustrations. I might have like to have some color photos included but the illustrations are charming and well thought out.

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What is Included

The book is divided into nine chapters, listed below

Marvels & Machines
History
Architecture & Design
Around the World
Time Capsules
Artists & Ateliers
Stage & Page
Science & Medicine
On the Outskirts

Each chapter contains multiple listings. All listings contain some basic information. This includes the museum name in both French and English. The address, phone number, and website are listed as are the hours of operation and admission fees.

Perhaps the most useful piece of information however is that Jacobs provides readers with the nearest Metro location. This information is crucial in trying to actually visit each location. Remember above when I asked about renting a car. Having been to Paris, here’s my advice, DON’T. Public transportation is readily available. The Metro is more reliable than buses, which are often well off schedule. Traffic in Paris can be a nightmare. If you aren’t familiar with the city and don’t have a good handle on the language, do not rent a car.

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Examples

Musee Curie — The **Curie Museum** is located in the third and last laboratory used by Marie Curie, the Curie pavilion of the Paris Radium Institute, built between 1912 and 1915. Consisting of a permanent exhibition space and a resource center historical, it offers the public the opportunity to discover the history of the Curie family, radioactivity and its first applications.

So, one issue I did have with this book is trying to determine just what is meant by “little(r).” Jacobs doesn’t supply a true definition of the term. She kind of punts on a definition in her introduction. Here she states, “luckily, a city with a museum the size of the Louvre left me a lot of flexibility in defining small.” I worked at a true small museum. A small museum does not have millions of artifacts or the budgets many of these facilities would appear to have. Potato, potahto.

Museums such as Musee des Arts Forains (Museum of Fairground Arts) focus on the whimsical such as carousels, arcade games, wax figures, and the like.

If you are interested in fashion, a visit to the Musee Yves Saint Laurent (Yves Saint Laurent Museum) has to be on your list.

Paris is known for its art and art lovers will find plenty to enjoy in this book. A visit to the Musee Rodin (Rodin Museum) will satisfy any fan. You can see the famous Liberty Leading the People during a visit to the Louvre, or you can visit the Musee National Eugene Delacroix, and learn much more about the artist.

I could go on, but I think you are getting the picture here. There are museums for every style and taste in Paris. And while the author admits this book is no where near comprehensive, you could live for a year in Paris and not cover all the museums she has provided.

Some Cautionary Notes

As with any travel guide there are some cautions to be aware of. Travel guides can age poorly. This one is probably no exception.

Jacobs lists open hours and admission prices. Please remember, this book was published BEFORE the COVID-19 pandemic. Much of that information could have changed in the ensuing years. It’s best to check the official website for each museum to confirm. I spot checked about a dozen of the sites from the book and with only 2 exceptions, all translated automatically to English. The others showed the option to do so with a click of the mouse.

An issue with the set up of the book by topic becomes the difficulty in planning to see several museums in a single day. It takes some work to determine museums that are within reasonable proximity to each other. Jacobs does provide several brief itineraries to close out the book. You have to reference these back to the text. It might have been nice to have these nearby destinations referenced in the individual listings as well.

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Takeaways

Overall, I found this to be a worthwhile read. The book can be read cover to cover, as I did, or piecemeal based upon your interests.

This book is ideal for someone planning an extended stay in Paris, or for experienced visitors who are seeking adventure outside of the standard sites recommended everywhere else.

The price of the book is very reasonable at $20. The format makes it good for keeping on your shelf but maybe not for day to day wandering throughout the city. As with any travel guide, some information can become outdated, but you all know how to use Google to verify the information provided.

Recommended.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you click these links and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This commission does not affect any price that you pay. Affiliate programs or sponsors providing products do not influence the views and opinions shared in this blog.

Tag: Paris

Voo la Voo Cafe Restaurant Review New Smyrna Beach