Rendezvous Bistro

The room is nicely decorated and definitely has a bistro feel. The banquette's however are pretty high, which isn't too bad for me since I'm tall, but it made the table feel pretty far away.

The menu was typical bistro and includes many bistro classics. Starters were all around $7 with the exception of the terrine de foie gras which was $9. No entrée is over $20.

Since Rendezvous is BYOB we elected to bring along a 1999 Vosne Romanee Les Beaux Monts. Knowing that new BYOB places typically don’t have the greatest glassware, we also elected to bring along our own burgundy glasses. This turned out to be a good call. While the mismatched glassware which adorned the tables was quaint, when it comes to drinking a Premier Cru wine I prefer a better glass.

We arrived at about 7:00 p.m. to an empty restaurant and were greeted by a gentleman who identified himself as the owners brother. The owner arrived minutes later and came over to introduced himself.

Throughout the evening 3 more two tops and a single diner arrived. One couple didn’t realize the place was BYOB and the owner brought them each a glass of red wine.

A basket of very nice baguette and a slab of butter were brought to the table. We started out with an order of escargot and the foie gras terrine. The escargot were nicely done, just enough garlic and nicely cooked. They were tender and tasty. The foie gras terrine was really nice with a good hint of Madeira. It was served with a drizzle of some kind of highly reduced fruit juice (cherry maybe?) some cornichon, and a few pieces of beautifully poached pear. A small basket of toasted brioche was also provided. The brioche was very thinly sliced and just OK. Overall both apps were really good.

Entrées were a steak au poivre and duck breast with leg confit. The steak was a New York strip served with a heaping pile of very thinly cut pomme frites. The texture of the fries was really good, they were perfectly fried and seasoned. The steak was good and the peppercorn sauce was just great. So often I find the pepper in au poivre can be pervasive. Not here, the sauce complimented the dish wonderfully. My friend commented that perhaps a bit more cognac could have been used in the sauce. I didn’t notice though. There were also some perfectly cooked green beans on the plate.

The duck breast was cooked to a perfect medium rare and was served with a decent, but not great red wine sauce. The leg confit was OK but seemed to have been left under the salamander a bit too long as it was a bit dry. Still, it had good flavor. Not sure if this was made in house or bought in. With this dish was a rather pedestrian braised red cabbage, some good lentils, well cooked sliced carrots, and 4 beautifully turned and perfectly cooked boiled potatoes. I really loved the steak au poivre and would order the duck again.

For dessert (all $7) we ordered the tarte tatin and the crème brulee. The crème brulee was really tasty and had a wonderful texture. I prefer a bit of a thicker more burnt brulee than this one had and it used vanilla extract rather than whole vanilla. Still a decent dish. The tarte tatin had great flavor. The apples still had a bit of bite and it was served with a good caramel sauce. The crust was sort of burnt. Not burnt badly and I actually liked the bit of burnt bitterness it added to the dish. I’m not sure if this was intentional or not, but I liked it.

One final note. Upon returning home and after a bit of relaxing I realized I had left my two Reidel burgundy glasses at the restaurant. I headed back over to find the doors locked but the bus boy was still cleaning up. I tapped on the window and when he saw me he ran in back to get the owner who came out of the kitchen holding my glasses. When he unlocked the door he told me he knew I’d be back and that when he felt how delicate the glasses were he decided that he would clean them himself. Just a sign of a neighborhood restaurant doing a neighborly thing.

All in all I’d recommend Rendezvous Bistro. There’s some real skill in the kitchen. While there are better French Bistros in the city this one is still solid, and since it’s only like 3 blocks from where I live I’ll be back.

Rendezvous Bistro
2656 W Lawrence
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 561-4400
lerendezvousbistro.com

After a couple of visits last week, I like the place too. Decent roast chicken, well-prepared escargot, very good shoestring fries, and tasty foie gras terrine. I'd stay away from fish dishes unless you like them well done. Fair prices, friendly service, byob and proximity are the main draws for me. Overcooked fish, very small tables, and a packed-like-sardines seating arrangement are the main downsides.

Kenny, Yeah the tables were certainly small which the reason the two of selected a 4 top. Over dinner we discussed that the chairs (and likely the tables) looked as if they had been bought at an auction. I too noticed that the table were close together and thought that perhaps the place could do with two or three less tables.

Glad I didn't order the fish. Have you had fish there more than once, or just one bad experience with it?

JLenart wrote:Glad I didn't order the fish. Have you had fish there more than once, or just one bad experience with it?

Two visits with others folks, so I got to taste a total of three fish entrees: two with salmon and one with halibut. All overcooked, at least for my taste.

I forgot to mention the lamb shank with couscous, which I thought was wonderful.

I am looking for someone who has been to both and can offer their opinion.

I have been to Cafe Touche quite often since they've opened and the visits never disappoint (other than weekend noise levels).

The Rendezvous menu shown online seems somewhat limited....but then again I'd probably choose one of those entree items no matter which I bistro dined at.

I live in the north suburbs so both are relatively convenient.

So....any opinions?

Jerry D wrote:I am looking for someone who has been to both and can offer their opinion.

I have been to Cafe Touche quite often since they've opened and the visits never disappoint (other than weekend noise levels).

The Rendezvous menu shown online seems somewhat limited....but then again I'd probably choose one of those entree items no matter which I bistro dined at.

I live in the north suburbs so both are relatively convenient.

So....any opinions?

I guess I can now respond to my own posting.

In short, Rendezvous does not hold a candle in comparison to Touche'. Food was very average. Service was below average. Ambiance was fair. What it did have going for it were good prices and byob. It reminds of the joke about the two ladies discussing how terrible the food was at a restaurant "and such small portions".

Four of us went.

Two people had salad. I had the French onion soup. Given the size of my wife's endive salad I dared not ask for a taste. My soup was adequate....at best.

Entrees

My wife had the roast chicken....again, very average. I had the steak au poivre...average.

I'm beginning to sound like a broken record. I'll stop.

Bottom line. Sometimes when you find a good, reliable restaurant like Cafe Touche, stick with it. Expanding your horizons can a two edged sword.

Rendezvous Bistro was closed last night due to a water problem according to a sign posted on the door. If anyone is considering a visit, it might be best to call ahead.

I made it to Rendezvous Bistro last night and came away mildly impressed. For me, it's worth a trip if you live in the neighborhood, but not quite the finest of French bistros. The menu is not exciting, which is not a big deal to me. If you're looking for bistro classics, you'll certainly find many of them here. Service is friendly enough, but the one waiter working the room seemed a little overwhelmed (not sure about the kitchen but I thought the 90-100 minutes for just two courses was a bit long for a Tuesday night).

Bread service was nice - a simple sliced, crusty loaf of bread.

Appetizers: The onion soup was a letdown for me. This soup demands a well made beef broth, and this was a bland chicken or vegetable broth. Also, it could have used time under the broiler - the cheese was melted but not browned or crispy in the least. Do they even have a working broiler?

The mussels Provencale were nice. Well cleaned mussels, a pretty tasty sauce, though nothing great. Roasted beet salad was fine, but again nothing really exciting. I was really hoping for a Lyonnaise salad on the menu, but no luck.

I thought entrees fared better. The roast chicken was a little disappointing because the skin was not the least bit crispy, but this was a delicious, herby bird and quite moist. The ultra thin frites were also quite good, as was the sweet and tangy red cabbage, which was served on the dry side - no complaints, as I liked it even more than the red cabbage served at Laschet's.

The roast duck was a perfect medium rare, and the accompanying lentils quite good. I really liked the flavor of the pasta Provencale, and was especially impressed with the perfectly cooked shrimp, although the pasta was a bit overcooked and gummy.

My favorite entree was the coq au vin because the sauce was very good. If I'm going to complain about the dish, I would say that it could have used more lardons, it could have used mushrooms and it would have been better served with frites or over buttered noodles.

But all in all, a respectable meal, corkage free byo, and very reasonably priced menu served in a nicely decorated dining room. I wouldn't say this place is good enough yet to compete with the best of the bistros in town (Le Bouchon comes to mind), but if you're looking for some very reasonably priced French bistro food in a casual setting in Lincoln Square/Albany Park, I don't think you'll be too disappointed.

Just one last note: the phone number listed at the beginning of the thread must have changed. The correct phone number is 773.728.0628.

I dined at Rendezvous Bistro with some friends last night. While I went there expecting to like it, I came away totally disappointed.

First off, the dining room was warm and didn't get any better as the place filled up. I don't like dining while I'm sweating.

Appetizers: Everything was claimed to be made in house. The mussels Provencal were tasty. The foie gras terrine was totally average and was likely commercial and not house made. The french onion soup was average and dominated by half a bowl of cheese. The beet salad, according to the ladies at the table that are pseudo aficionados on beet salads, was totally underwhelming.

Main courses: I ordered the duck breast and leg confit and was very disappointed. The breast meat was ok, but the leg confit was more like rubber boiled duck. Just awful. The rack of lamb special was decent, but a very small portion. The coq au vin was very good. The steak frites were good.

Service: in a word - horrible. The waiter kept apologizing to us for being slow to come over to us to start us off, and then was very curt and unpleasant when he did work with us. He then apologized for the poor service when presenting us the bill. If you know you're giving bad service, shouldn't you just stop giving poor service instead of continuing to do so and apologizing for it?

I'm soory to say that I won't be returning.

I went in to Rendezvous last week expecting french cuisine, but the menu has been completely converted to Middle easter fare - shawarma, falafel, etc. The roast chicken is still there and now misleadingly called "Chicken Tikka" but it's just a really well done roast.

I was disappointed, only because I wanted something French and there are enough middle eastern places in the area. But the food was very good, regardless.

Closed...drove past tonight, Available signs on the windows and confirmed on Yelp. Not sure about the Good Times Cafe next door, it was dark at 4:30 so it might have been too early.

In the past week, this location seem to have reopened as Rendezvous Restaurant. No menu is posted, so I could not tell if it is back to the bistro menu, the more recent falafel menu, or something else.

One window has new lettering saying Moroccan Cuisine along with a picture of a tagine. It was not open around 5:30 today.