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| - I've been frequenting Bistro on Main for several years now. What was once a place where you could count on consistently well-prepared food has turned into a fairly pretentious eatery where quality control simply doesn't exist. I feel it would be struggling if it weren't the only restaurant in Kent where pretentious people could go while convincing themselves they're getting a better dining experience than they actually are.
Don't get me wrong, sometimes the food is not too bad. Things tend to be properly cooked (for the most part) and nicely presented, but the disappointment comes when the food hits your taste buds. The food seems to be terribly under-seasoned. It's like they're trying to save money by not using salt or other seasonings. And then they are arrogant enough to not even provide salt or pepper at your table! My girlfriend joked that next time we should bring in some salt and pepper packets from Wendy's and I said that we could also pass them out to the other diners and tell them, "You're going to need this!".
Last night I ordered the flank steak with mashed potatoes, green beans and pork belly (for the 2nd time in the last few months). The steak, potatoes and green beans literally tasted like they had no salt or pepper at all! The potatoes were fairly garlicky, but just really bland overall. The pork belly was the shining star- perfectly cooked and seasoned, but it was too little, too late.
The same can be said for their "Bistro Burger" (only $5 on Mondays). The burger is topped with bleu cheese and served with rosemary-garlic fries. Sounds good, right? I thought so, too. Once again, it's like they took a wad of ground beef and slapped it on the grill without a grain of seasoning. The burger is also fairly large, so the cheese and condiments do little to carry their flavor all the way through. The fries are good, depending on how they feel that day about actually giving you any garlic or rosemary. Once again, the menu promises one thing and you get another.
Another quality control issue: A few weeks back I ordered the honey creme brulee for dessert. When it came out, the sugar on top was completely charred! I realize that it's supposed to have areas of "burn", but this was literally black, and covered the majority of the surface, making the dish overwhelmingly bitter. I sent it back and when the server brought the replacement she said that yes, it was obviously burnt and apologized. So, why was it sent out in the first place, if you could tell that just by looking at it?! Arg! (this was the same server that when I ordered the braised short rib special asked me how I'd like it done...yeah, I usually order my braised beef cooked medium. The dish was also so bland, it tasted like horribly underseasoned pot roast). The replacement dessert was absolutely delicious, with just the right amount of sweetness and a subtle honey flavor.
In conclusion, I wish the Bistro would just be what it advertises. It's a shame that the people in Kent have such low standards that they think this is the best it gets. Hopefully the management can take a step back, ACTUALLY TASTE THEIR OWN FOOD, and see that if they made some actually quite minor changes, they could live up to their own expectations.
If I could rate with 2.5 stars, that would be more accurate.
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