the dining diva

bistro salad

The news shocked us all. My good friend from journalism school, Irwin, had accepted a job in Cambodia. And he was leaving in a few months. To top it all off, he was heading off to Ecuador for a friend’s wedding for three weeks of the summer – which meant there was little time to squeeze in a J-school reunion/farewell party.

We left the choice of restaurants in his hands. He decided on one of our crew’s favourites – Bistrot Bistro on Fourth.

Bistrot Bistro describes its menu as “traditional French country fare, comprised of the kind of dishes invented to share with friends and family over long, cozy conversation.” It’s true. Maybe it’s the simplicity of the dishes that keeps drawing us back, or maybe it’s the attention to detail. Or maybe it’s the fact that for well under a hundred bucks each, we can have three courses with wine and leave feeling full and satisfied. Whatever it is, we knew a revisit was definitely in order.

The restaurant is tucked into a small space on Fourth, between Maple and Cypress. It looks like a modern-day French farmhouse, with key-lime coloured walls, steel-grey wooden chairs and tealights flickering throughout the space. For the summer, they open the gargage-door-style windows, which let a warm breeze in. We were seated in the middle of the restaurant that night.

From Sunday to Thursday, Bistrot Bistro offers a three-course prix fixe menu for only $26. And lucky for us, they were offering this deal every day of the week for the month of July. We all decided to take advantage of this offer.

Another cool thing they offer is Karma Tuesdays. Every Tuesday, five per cent of their sales will be donated to a local charity or non-profit organization – pretty generous considering the dire state of the current economy.

carrot orange soup

We started off with a giant, crusty baguette, which came with a smooth olive tapenade. The five of us are typically conscious of filling up on bread (especially – gasp! – white bread), but we basically fought over the last pieces to slather on the warm tapenade.

The three gals ordered a half-litre of the Domaine Clos Du Bourg Sauvignon Blanc Touraine to share, while Irwin had a glass of rose (!) and Sam had a Stella. The sauvignon blanc was lovely and crisp – a perfect way to start the meal and a great compliment to my carrot orange soup.

The guys and I had the soup, while Leslie and Pat tried the bistro green salad. The soup was a bit thicker than I expected. It had tons of ginger and was served with two crostinis with blue cheese. It wasn’t a perfect way to start a meal on a hot night, but I would definitely order it again in the winter.

According to the ladies, the salad was all about the dressing, as our server had promised. The salad itself was just mixed greens, but the vinaigrette had shallots, olive oil, garlic Dijon and then balsamic vinegar drizzled on top – apparently it didn’t need anything else.

We were almost unanimous in our choice of main. Four of us ordered the New York steak – two with the peppercorn sauce and two with the blue cheese sauce – while Irwin tried the half roasted chicken au jus. We decided to share a plate of the carrots with glazed almonds (which is big enough for at least five people to share). And all of it came with shoe-string fries and mayo.

I have to say I’ve had better steaks in my life. Maybe it’s ‘cause I’m an Alberta girl and grew up with perfectly barbequed steaks. Or maybe I just find it weird to pan fry a steak. Anyhow, the sauce was definitely tasty (and surprisingly good paired with the frites), and the meat was cooked as ordered. I just don’t think I’d order it again – not ‘cause it wasn’t good, per se, but because I like my steak grilled.

new york steak with blue cheese sauce

Pat and I shared a bottle of the Cave de Rasteau Grenache Syrah Cotes du Rhone to go with our steak and desert. It was delicious – rich and full bodied and tasting of blackberries with a slight touch of pepper. A great compliment to our steak and went well with desert, too.

The carrots were sweet and tender, with a sprinkling of toasted almonds for crunch. Well worth the $3 that they cost (unbelievable!). And Irwin’s chicken looked delicious – crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. It was also a lot of chicken, so a dish to consider if you’re especially hungry (or in the mood for chicken).

As I’ve mentioned before, it takes a lot for me to be impressed with fries. I think the mark of a good French fry is that you don’t feel the need to use any sort of sauce.

These were just that.

I hate to say it, but they were like a gourmet version of McDonald’s French fries (from what I remember – it’s been probably five years since I’ve eaten at McDonald’s). Thin and crispy, but still tender on the inside, these fries had a light dusting of salt. They came in two buckets for our table and we dove right into them. And they somehow managed to be not greasy. These fries made it worth the trip.

No, wait – I haven’t mentioned desert yet….

I’ve been to Bistrot Bistro three times and every time I order the chocolate mousse. Although I’m a pretty big chocolate fan, I wouldn’t say I’m fanatical (unlike my friend, Amanda, who keeps a stash in her purse). But if you’d like to have the closest thing to an orgasm without taking your pants off, order the chocolate mousse.

chocolate mousse

The server starts by placing a white bowl in front of you. You’re then left hanging for a bit while they prepare the rest of your table’s deserts. The server arrives with a giant vat of the mousse and then scoops three huge spoonfuls of the glorious goo in your bowl. Honestly? It looks a bit like poo. But never mind the looks. You’ll be eating with your eyes closed in order to savour the chocolately, creamy goodness.

Order. The. Chocolate. Mousse.

By the time we finished desert, it was just after ten and the tea lights began to give a soft glow to the place. The servers didn’t rush us out and chatted with us about Irwin’s new gig. It felt kind of like a dinner party winding down. And really, what more could you ask for when dining out with friends?

Bistrot Bistro
1961 West 4th Avenue
Vancouver | BC
604.732.0004
bistrotbistro.com

terrine de campagne, compote de raisins

It was the end of a very long, tiring day and week – and I was very much looking forward to trying out Jules. I had walked by a few times and was drawn to the warm candlelight flickering off the crystal chandeliers and always packed house.

But when I met my friend, Irwin, at six on the dot, it was just us and another couple. “I guess it’s not that busy this early,” I said to the hostess as she took my coat.

“Don’t worry – it’ll get busier,” she said.

Irwin was waiting at a small table for two by the window, which looked over the increasingly busy Abbott street. It was anyone’s guess as to where the parade of well-dressed guys and gals were heading. Pre-Juno party stuff? BC Fashion Week shows?

I wasn’t familiar with most of the wines on the wine list, so asked our server what she thought. She gave me the low-down of the three dry-ish whites on the list and I chose one that was subtly sweet and had a dry kick I was craving that night.

The menu was small-ish, but well-thought out. We finally decided on starting with the terrine de campagne, compote de raisins (that’s country style pâté and grape chutney for those who don’t speak French).

The pâté came and along with it was the promised grape chutney (is anything these days that basically resembles a jam now called chutney?), but also pearl onions, cornichons, Dijon mustard, and a treble clef of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

While I thought the pâté was really tasty – that perfect blend of meatiness and spice – it was so crumbly. And I like my pâté to be a little bit smooth. Not “wazzed up in a blender” smooth, but like there was some actual elbow grease that went into mixing the components.

But our basket of baguette and butter always remained full (and no extra charge on our bill, which is always appreciated), and it was a perfect way to start our meal and evening.

Our server, Celia, was perfectly attentive – even when the room started to get busier. I think she reflected the French bistro style perfectly – casual, but not flippant.

We both wanted to save room for desert, so we ordered mains on the smaller side. I had the moules frites (steamed mussels in white wine with garlic and parsley, served with French fries), while my friend had tagliatelles a la crème champignons et julienne de legumes (linguini with a cream sauce and sautéed mushrooms and minced vegetables).

steamed mussels in white wine with garlic and parsley

My mussels were just as I craved – tender, juicy and bathed in enough wine and garlic to satisfy. I always think that the best mussels are done simply – and these were just that. And, as my friend pointed out several times, “Those mussels are huge!”

The fries were okay. I think it takes a lot for me to be impressed with fries. Yes, they were hot. Yes, they had just enough salt. And yes, they weren’t cut too thick or too thin. Or maybe it was just the lingering guilt in my head from just finishing my cleanse. Anyhow, I was glad that she brought two condiments: ketchup, for the North American pallet; and mayo, for those who prefer their fries the European way (my choice).

Irwin said his pasta was good, but hard to criticize as it was just pasta. He thought the noodles should have been a bit more al dente, and also a bit more hand made, “but it’s also a bit ridiculous to criticize pasta when ordering it in a French restaurant, I suppose,” he said.

The sauce, he said, was tasty although on the plain side, but he did like the combo of the winter vegetables with it. “But again, it is pasta,” he said. “If it was macaroni and cheese I would have ordered it too.”

linguini with a cream sauce and sautéed mushrooms and minced vegetables

And then it was time for desert. I have a hard time resisting French deserts. For me, they seem to always have just the right amount of sugar (I’m not a fan of anything super sweet) and are not too complicated (like some chain restaurants’ molten lava brownie cake with eight kinds of ice-cream, whip cream, chocolate, strawberry and caramel sauce… all topped with a maraschino cherry).

So I was glad to dig into a crème caramel and drool over my friend’s crème brûlée – which is normally my first choice, but I hadn’t had crème caramel in about five years, so I decided to go with that.

And I didn’t regret it. The texture of the flan was perfect – soft, buttery and smooth. It swam in a pool of golden caramel, which was a little on the sweet side, but somehow I didn’t seem to mind – it is basically pure sugar after all.

My friend’s crème brûlée was also good – but nothing out of the ordinary.

Just as my friend and I were slowly savouring the last bites of our desert, I looked over to see a completely full room – and it was only 7:30. Something to definitely keep in mind when I return for my second, and probably not last, visit to Jules.

Jules Casual French Bistro
216 Abbott Street
Vancouver, BC
604.669.0033
julesbistro.ca