text: I heard about this restaurant through mutual friends and coworkers praising his breakfast and lunch menus warning me to get there early if I want to get a seat on time I decided to look it up on opentable my one true place to find great vegas food and sure enough he was listed there for reservations I made my reservation thankfully got into casual attire and headed outnnThis restaurant is in the most unexpected placethe business district south of Industrial Road Off Tropicana and Valley View right on Ali Baba Ln it is in a corner suite along the road Parking is perfect and we entered the restaurant without hesitation or trouble As you first come in you realize that it is a cozy casual bistro with tableclothcovered tables and cloth napkins finely placed on each one I love the small details such as paintings of Normandie a play on the name of the restaurant of course and a rack for wine with grapes adorning it The dessert cabinet is the first thing to see as you enter and it boasts a great variety of wonderful cakes and bread puddings I was truly excited when I saw this place a quaint brand new restaurantnnChef Neal worked on the strip in some of the finest dining establishments learning his techniques from school as well as from restaurants he worked at It shows clearly in each of his dishes all made with love and care What was nice to see was that we received his special attention for the evening as dinner service was brand new to his hours of operation and therefore unknown to many of his usual breakfast and lunch crowd patrons Wearing his headset to answer the phone while he serves he took very good care of us and made us laugh a bit with him through short conversations between coursesnnWe decided to order escargot in mushrooms and scampi for appetizer with mushroom soup and roasted tomato soup The soup came out first and they were both bisque styleperfect in texture seasoning and flavor The bread that came with dinner was the perfect baguette boasting a crispy outside and a fluffy light inside I used it to soak every last drop of my tomato soup as did my fiance for his mushroom soup It was that divine With the appetizers the escargot was cooked so well that it literally melted in my mouth cooked in white wine garlic and shallots and adorned with sliced wild mushrooms It is the perfect combination after all they taste like mushrooms in a way so what else would compliment them the best The sauce was impeccable something so vibrant and savory and very opposite of the typical wine and garlic sauce that I was truly impressed and happy to eat it all to myself As for the scampi it was cooked perfectly large prawns and in a tomato basil cream lemon sauce which was to die for My fiance again ate every last drop with breadnnWith appetizers being perfect our entrees were hard to wait for I was so excited to have rack of lamb crusted with a mustard and herb bread crumb with sauce and my fiance was waiting for his prime rib king cut We both ordered medium and gobbled down that heavenly bread as we waited which was not long at all When the entrees arrived they smelled incredible The crust on my lamb was tasty and perfectly seasoned and as for the doneness of the meattrue perfection I have eaten as many restaurants here before and never has any chef made my lamb perfect except for Chef Neal With the slight pink center and served standing rack it was not only beautifully cooked but beautifully presented With seasoned vegetables as well as tomato slices topped with spinach and served with a herb mashed potatoes it was all heavenly in my mouth and I even picked up each bone to suck off the fat and meat leftover As for the steak my fiance let me have a bite immediately the meat melted in my mouth We both used butter knives for our meat because it was that tender Everything was eaten up nothing left to spare The perfect mealnnHow else to end perfection but with perfect cheesecake The chef took it upon himself to split the order and place fresh strawberries and a slight strawberry reduction on top His recipe for cheesecake is incredible Creamy luscious silky and not too sweet it was the perfect end to a perfect nightnnAt a cool dollars after tax we enjoyed every last bite of our meal Not only was the cooking outstanding but the presentation for such a quaint and cozy place was unbelievable It was served the way I would expect it to be served at a restaurant on the strip and the taste and cuts of meat were fabulous You must try everything on their menu and we are dying to go for lunch and breakfast one day as well I am truly looking forward to the creations Chef Neal has up his sleeve for dinner service A truly passionate chef his cooking reflects his love of food and his love of food indulges my palettennNormandieA true hidden treasure