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| - "Excusez-moi...s'il vous plait? Before we order, could we have more of this incredible bread? Two or three loaves would be nice. And about 4 dozen pats of that butter, too?. . . Merci."
The Bistro's delectable, fragrant, full-of-air-pockets, chewy-tender French bread (served with a sinfully addictive high-quality butter), their simple mesclun salad with French vinaigrette and two sweet/slightly tart beet slices (similar to candied Harvard) served with our luncheon choices, were all especially delicious, but their pureed BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP? C'est magnifique! A Must Do for a smallish size bowl, and only $2.50 with all luncheon sandwich, quiche, and entree orders. The soup du jour will probably change, but order a bowl of WHATEVER it is. A great value, and the perfect opportunity to taste an extra Bistro offering. (Haven't tried it yet, but their French Onion is served daily.)
It had been years since we had frog legs or Quiche Lorraine---so those were our choices. The legs were slightly strong-tasting (likely a rare occurrence, and beyond the Bistro's control) and the sauce (butter, garlic, parsley, and wine) was a touch too garlicky. (And I love garlic.) But may try again on another visit. The unusual quiche, with an excellent, surprisingly thin but flaky crust, and small cubes of roasted bacon fat throughout---intentionally not fully rendered down, like pork belly---was very good, but far richer than expected. Even though I was hungry, I could eat only half of the slice. (A small tart on a little mound of mesclun, however, would be a perfect appetizer or amuse bouche.) For me, too much of a good thing, but if you love quiche---by all means---order it. It might become your favorite. And if too decadent for you, too? Share it. I'm sure that others at your table would love to sample its unique savory richness.
For the finale we had the peach clafoutis (good) and the chocolate mousse (very good). La mousse won the Grand Prix Dessert---a 6-7 ounce coffee-cup size, topped with a generous swirl of whipped cream and a vanilla wafer. With all luncheon prices being surprisingly reasonable, the diminutive Du Beaujolais---but with an uncrowded, spacious seating for around 50---could VERY easily become habit-forming.
Even though this charming, white-table-clothed bistro has that definitive air of refinement, it's totally unpretentious---from friendly, efficient server Bailey, to jocular, down-to-earth owner, Georges, who had just finished a jog and was sitting at the bar in his running shorts and shoes, eating something fabulous, I'm sure. Of course, that doesn't mean diners are given carte blanche to come in yoga or exercise attire. Casual duds are an unquestioned privilege reserved exclusively for owners of any establishment, so forget about wearing anything with Adidas, New Balance or Nike labels. On the other hand, Louboutin, Dior, Gaultier or Chanel are totally acceptable---but also totally unnecessary. In-between is just right.
No surprise---lots of favorable reviews. May try the frog legs again next time---or their stewed chicken---or escargot in puff pastry---or who knows what? We may just stuff ourselves on their perfectly irresistible bread, butter, soup, and salad. Haven't decided yet, since everything on their menu sounds so wonderful---
especially in French. They don't offer it, but even a fried bologna sandwich with potato chips would sound divine. And if they DID? It probably WOULD be divine. (Not to worry. English translations printed on menus.)
~~~
Choo-Choo warning.
Allow an extra 10-15 minutes to avoid a possible delay in arriving here on time--- especially if it's nearing closing hours. If coming from the north, heading south on Columbia Road, there are train tracks nearby that you'll have to cross. From it's location, the Bistro is probably part of the retail-bar-restaurant-antique Grand Pacific Junction.
Our first visit 6 weeks ago was, unfortunately, sans food, since we arrived at the stroke of 2:01, and the kitchen had just begun closing for lunch---after we were literally parked on Columbia in the southbound lane for almost 7 minutes. Georges apologized profusely, then immediately took us by the scruffs of our necks, escorted us back toward the entrance, and threw us out the door onto the cold cobblestones. Those ever-playful, fun-loving French. (Shamelessly exaggerating.) Dusting ourselves off---and not the least affronted since I've been known to run my kitchen at home in much the same way, at times---we knew we HAD to return because of the mouth-watering aromas inside.
Our second visit---WITH food---confirmed the offerings here truly DID taste as good as they smelled. Enjoy. Then you can change into your Nike's for an after-luncheon hour or two of Grand Pacific shopping and sightseeing. While you're at it, maybe a bit of brisk walking, too, to help burn off some of those marvelous Du Beaujolais calories.
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