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| - How does a vegan end up at a steakhouse in Painesville?
I was coerced into going to Bistro 70 over the weekend to attend a family member's birthday dinner. I don't spend much time in Painesville, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but this little restaurant was very cute. It has nice decor and a modern menu, featuring things like duck fat fries and pork belly. (and Moscow Mules on the drink menu)
I'm generally opposed to dining out in huge groups because, well...service is generally not the best. And that was the case with our table. There were 8 adults, one child, and an infant. We had reservations for 6 pm and were seated promptly. Our server got us drinks right away but as more people started arriving, she got kind of overwhelmed. Or the gar got backed up. Or something. She was really nice but the pacing was all off for our meal. I'd imagine there's a small kitchen in this restaurant but it took what seemed like an eternity for us to get our salads and we ate them out of bread because when we requested more, our server told us they were baking more. There was a big enough gap in time between our salad course and our entrees to take lots of birthday pictures. I guess that was a plus?
I give the chef props for making me a vegan meal on the fly. (gluten free, too, which I didn't ask for, but I can see why that would be a logical option) I had rice noodles with olive oil and garlic and a bunch of vegetables. It wasn't the best meal I've ever eaten, but I wasn't expecting much in a steakhouse. My fiance had a steak that he didn't really care for and I noticed a lot of other non-empty plates around the table. My mom had a mushroom pasta that she really seemed to enjoy, though. My mother had also brought in a cake and our server put candles in it, cut it, etc. That was a nice touch.
Overall, I think we all enjoyed a solid "ok" meal. Not sure we'll be heading back anytime soon but this was a nice little place to have a family meal.
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