Bistro Bordeaux, Evanston

I noticed new French Bistro has opened up in the old La Petite Amelia on Church Street in Evanston, has anyone tried this new place out yet?


618 Church St
(between Chicago Ave & Orrington Ave)
Evanston, IL 60201

(847) 424-1483
www.LeBistroBordeaux.com

went for NYE dinner. fantastic time. a bit loud/tables a bit close together for some of the older crowd there, but NYE is a bit more raucous than other times. good wine list, to please most budgets. crusty bread, served with soft butter. we had oysters (PEI that night) and a nice simple bibb salad to start. then steak frites and skatewing with fennel, both really nice. steak temp a bit off from what was ordered, but definitely not worth bringing to anyone's attention. hefty pile of good fries. not transcendant, but thin, crisp and tasty. coffee and cappuccino both good. individual sized tarte tatin was perfect ending, though a little less caramelized than full sized ones get. read about their cheese cart, but didn't notice it out and about. did see people being served dense (in a good way) chocolate mousse table side. there was a sign for $1 oyster nights - i think tuesday. can't wait to go back for that. service was good, seems like everyone helps each other out with running food, etc. didn't have to wait too long for anything. good stuff, all around.

The website indicates that Chef Mnuk (not a typo, as I first suspected) was trained by Thomas Keller. Is there any indication of a French Laundry/modern American cuisine-influence in his cooking. The menu seems pretty straight-forward bistro dishes. This isn't a criticism, just a question.

GAF wrote:The website indicates that Chef Mnuk (not a typo, as I first suspected) was trained by Thomas Keller. Is there any indication of a French Laundry/modern American cuisine-influence in his cooking. The menu seems pretty straight-forward bistro dishes. This isn't a criticism, just a question.

I think he worked at Bouchon, not French Laundry, among other noteworthy place. See this page. Early reports (such as this) indicate that the food is traditional bistro fare. I look forward to trying it.

Seems to be completely traditional. Nothing wrong with that, for sure. But could be fun if they add a few more inventive touches after they get settled in.

Darren72 wrote:I think he worked at Bouchon, not French Laundry, among other noteworthy place.

The website says, "He staged at the French Laundry and then was hired as the chef de partie at Bouchon in Yountville, California - two of Keller's restaurants."

The Bistro Bordeaux webpage says Chef Mnuk staged at French Laundry and the website you provided indicates that he was at Sanford and L20. And being Chef de Partie, even briefly, at 11 Madison Park counts for something in my book. I like steak frites and onion soup and snails as well as the next guy, but if he well trained, he should show his talents. But there is nothing wrong with well-made bistro food, but good home cooks can prepare these dishes. I will try BB.

nsxtasy wrote:

Darren72 wrote:I think he worked at Bouchon, not French Laundry, among other noteworthy place.

The website says, "He staged at the French Laundry and then was hired as the chef de partie at Bouchon in Yountville, California - two of Keller's restaurants."

Thanks for this. I was just going by the resume at chefdb.com. I couldn't get the restaurant's website to display properly! In any case, he has worked at some great places and this should be a great addition to Evanston.

Of course, not to show any chefly disrespect, but one rather wishes that he would have stayed at some of these places longer than he did. Three-to-five years is more comforting than three-to-five months. But perhaps he is a quick study. We need all the talented chefs in Evanston that we can get.

I guess I should stop talking about Bistro Bordeaux and actually dine there.

Darren72 wrote:I couldn't get the restaurant's website to display properly!

It requires that your browser has Adobe's flash player installed. If you need it, you can download it for free from Adobe's website here.

GAF wrote:Of course, not to show any chefly disrespect, but one rather wishes that he would have stayed at some of these places longer than he did. Three-to-five years is more comforting than three-to-five months.

I can only guess that, as individuals work their way up from line cook to sous chef to chef de cuisine to executive chef (and I don't know what a "chef de partie" is or how it fits in), they take advantage of opportunities as they present themselves. It's clear from his bio that Keller promoted him from TFL to Bouchon, and he moved to NYC to resume his education - understandable reasons.

GAF wrote:I guess I should stop talking about Bistro Bordeaux and actually dine there.

I want to try it, too!

nsxtasy wrote:

Darren72 wrote:I couldn't get the restaurant's website to display properly!

It requires that your browser has Adobe's flash player installed. If you need it, you can download it for free from Adobe's website here.

That wasn't the problem. I would have noticed that issue right away. In any case, it seems to be working now.

A chef de partie is a line cook. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chef#Chef_de_partie

Thanks for the information everyone, sounds promising.

I visited a couple of weeks ago. Service was truly excellent; our waiter had 3-star experience and it showed.

The owner is extremely gracious. Food was a mixed bag, but we didn't have a full meal. Soupe a l'oignon gratinee was quite good, although the toasts were soggy, not crusty. Escargots under puff pastry was a miss - by the time the pastry was done, the snails were overcooked. Pastry was pale.

Brandade de morue was, surprisingly, a potato-free version the chef was experimenting with; it was too salty and unsuccessful. Pascal comped a couple of dishes, realizing that they were works in progress. He was a most congenial host.
Ile flottante was satisfactory. I don't get the sense that this is a culinary idiom that this chef is entirely at home in, but I trust that he will come up to speed quickly.

I plan to return.

Short comment on Bistro Bordeaux as I dined there on 12/24 andit was just great. It is very traditional bistro, and I found the coq au vin wonderful and had an elegant Bichot white burgundy which I have been unable to get my hands on........will go back for that for sure. I found the atmosphere warm and inviting, service great and Pasquale was delightful. You won't be disappointed. Actually was recommended by owner of LM in Lincoln Square, where I dined the week before.

How is the bar there? I remember La Petite Amelia having a most welcoming wine bar, strictly French, but willing to give tasting pours before committing to so much as even a glass.

Loved it. Traditional and delicious. I will return.

nr706 wrote:How is the bar there? I remember La Petite Amelia having a most welcoming wine bar, strictly French, but willing to give tasting pours before committing to so much as even a glass.

I also loved sitting at that wine bar when it wasn't to busy. It will be interesting how the new bar is run.

Darren72 wrote:

GAF wrote:The website indicates that Chef Mnuk (not a typo, as I first suspected) was trained by Thomas Keller. Is there any indication of a French Laundry/modern American cuisine-influence in his cooking. The menu seems pretty straight-forward bistro dishes. This isn't a criticism, just a question.

I think he worked at Bouchon, not French Laundry, among other noteworthy place. See this page. Early reports (such as this) indicate that the food is traditional bistro fare. I look forward to trying it.

What an impressive resume in such a short time! The menu looks classic French. I will definitely check it out. I hope that, for the namesake, they will serve some delicious canele for mignardises!

PiC wrote:Loved it. Traditional and delicious. I will return.

Sounds like you had a good experience - what did you eat and drink, PiC? What do you think the strengths of this particular restaurant are? Do you have any response to the questions raised earlier in this thread about the wine?

And what are the weaknesses or limitations, PiC?

We took advantage of the Wed. night, prix fixe (appetizer, main course, and dessert) for $29.00. last evening for the spouse's 50th birthday.

The food was very good, indeed! Not every course was a home run, but each was well prepared and seasoned properly. This place came as close as possible to an authentic French Bistro, all on Church St. in Evanston.

We tried the soup du jour, a butternut squash soup, accented with creme fraiche and roasted hazelnuts - it was very good. Smooth and warming, the hazelnuts really were the accent that made the dish. We also tried the onion soup, which was almost an onion stew, thick with french bread and onions; it was satisfying and hearty.

Our main courses were both excellent. Olive oil poached cod was perfectly prepared, the fish tender, moist, and flavorful. The owner, Pascal, told us it was a new addition to the menu, replacing the sea bass that was posted on the web menu. It was served over a stew of roasted yellow peppers, with a light, almost nouvelle style broth. Skate wing served over fennel confit was tasty, with a lovely bordelaise sauce (I think). The seafood was fresh, and both dinners had very reasonable sized portions.

Desserts were both good. Profiteroles were very tasty, the puff pastry light as a feather, one of the better efforts in Chicagoland. The birthday girl had the chocolate mousse. The "tableside" presentation of the mousse was just bringing the cooking vessel to the table, spooning some (tres elegant!) onto a serving platter, and covering with raspberry sauce. I wouldn't mind if that was done in the kitchen. But the mousse! I tasted, and I could immediately tell the chocolate used was Valrhona - it was dense and deep flavored - quite good.

Wine list was well thought out, with some nice values, and smaller French imports. I have a soft spot for muscadet, and there was a nice pinot noir a Pays d'Oc, not from Burgandy) available by the glass.

My only complaint was a complete lack of bread at the table. I really wanted to soak up the broth from my cod, but I couldn't. Otherwise, service was excellent, with professional and attentive wait staff.

Unequivocally, we shall return!

We were impressed as well at Bistro Bordeaux last Saturday night. The interior is much improved over Le Petit Amelia-more photos on the walls, nice spacing of the tables. The bar is still in the center of the room, every seat around the bar was full. We had 8:00 reservations, we arrived about 10 minutes early and were immediately seated. By 8:00 all the tables were full. We started with a sparkling rose from New Mexico which we love. For salads we had the arugula and the lyonaisse both of which were large and fresh. We decided to order the pheasant for two - it takes a bit longer to prepare than most of their entrees but it was worth it. It was brought to the table whole and our server carved it. It's served with roasted onions and chestnuts and was delicious-the skin was really crispy and the meat was moist and tender. For dessert we split the tarte tatin which was good-not as good as LM but good. I would have preferred it to be served with ice cream instead of cream freche but that's just me. We had a nice bottle of Bordeaux (of course ) and were very happy. We'll be back for sure.

Deleted

From the reports on the thread, we probably shouldn't give a lot of weight to the chef's background. It appears that he is producing some very satisfying bistro dishes, but nothing that would seem at all inspired by Tom Keller.

I just received a response to my inquiry on whether or not they allow BYOB. They do, for a $15 corkage. Seems pretty reasonable.

John Danza wrote:I've not tried Bistro Bordeaux but definitely want to after reading about it here. However, my post is about the chef's comments about being at Bouchon under Thomas Keller.

I was in Napa for a week last May and we stayed in Yountville. For those who haven't been there, the main street of shops and restaurants is about 3 blocks long, so it's not much. Thomas Keller has four food places within that four blocks, one of them being Bouchon. I've posted a photo of the front of Bouchon below. It's essentially a bakery and soup/sandwich place that folks go for lunch. Not much to hang your culinary hat on.

GAF wrote:From the reports on the thread, we probably shouldn't give a lot of weight to the chef's background. It appears that he is producing some very satisfying bistro dishes, but nothing that would seem at all inspired by Tom Keller.

The picture shows Bouchon Bakery. Bouchon is a separate restaurant (with one Michelin star) that serves fairly traditional "French bistro food" (in other words, very similar to the menu at Bistro Bordeaux).

Each person can give whatever weight they choose to this information, but the information should at least be accurate.

BJY wrote:

John Danza wrote:I've not tried Bistro Bordeaux but definitely want to after reading about it here. However, my post is about the chef's comments about being at Bouchon under Thomas Keller.

I was in Napa for a week last May and we stayed in Yountville. For those who haven't been there, the main street of shops and restaurants is about 3 blocks long, so it's not much. Thomas Keller has four food places within that four blocks, one of them being Bouchon. I've posted a photo of the front of Bouchon below. It's essentially a bakery and soup/sandwich place that folks go for lunch. Not much to hang your culinary hat on.

The picture shows Bouchon Bakery. Bouchon is a separate restaurant (with one Michelin star) that serves fairly traditional "French bistro food" (in other words, very similar to the menu at Bistro Bordeaux).

Each person can give whatever weight they choose to this information, but the information should at least be accurate.

I don't recall seeing anything but this Bouchon, but I'll certainly admit the mistake and change the post.

had a fabulous valentine dinner here tonight. the atmosphere was perfect with 200 votives hanging from the ceiling of this picture perfect bistro. the service was very professional and we never felt like we were getting the bum rush. enjoyed the salad lyonaisse and the skate wing. if i have any complaint, the bordeaux reduction was a tad salty. my husband enjoyed the steak frites. finished with the creme brulee. everything came together for a very enjoyable valentine's day. the votives will be in place all week. it really is very romantic, and fun to watch people ducking them.

It is my sad responsibility to give my impression of Bistro Bordeaux. I really wanted to like it, if not love it. But sadly it is not in the first rank of bistros in Chicago. Every course was disappointing.

To start off on a positive note, the restaurant, although not as elegant as some Chicago bistros, is a nice step up from Petite Amelia which once had this space, but decor is not enough. Service was fine as well. Also, on Wednesday night, they offer a three-course prix fixe for $28, which would be quite a deal if the food rose to a high level. Perhaps the price meant that they cut back on the quality of the ingredients, but that strategy has its dangers.

I began with the bistro classic of escargot de Bourgogne en Croute (snails with herb butter in puff pastry) - a dish that the restaurant emphasized. The snails were tough, the herb butter was watery, and the puff pastry was certainly not buttery (I had my doubts as to whether, given the small number of diners, each identical piece of puff pastry was made by the kitchen). Snails are not something to commit to unless your are committed to them. If you know someone who thinks that they hate snails (I love 'em), this dish will not change their minds.

This was followed by an overcooked Skate Wing a la Boudelaise "Chef Auguste Escoffier" (Roasted Skate Wing fennel confit, fresh herbs with a Bordeaux wine sauce). To be fair, this would have been an impressive dish had the skate not been cooked to mush (the fennel was very tasty). Skate is a hard fish to cook properly, and the accompaniments were fine, but this is not the way that a student of Thomas Keller should cook fish. Not at all.

The saddest part of the meal was the simplest: the cheese plate. How could a French bistro serve brie that was not runny - not even walky? The cheeses I selected - a blue, a comte, and a mimolette - were all Whole Foods worthy, but nothing that diners couldn't easily find for themselves. And although the menu promises honeycomb, only crisp bread was served. Surely an ambitious French bistro should be able to source some first-class cheeses. A discouraging end to a meal that should have been better.

With restaurants like Kiki's, La Tache, Bistro Campagne, and others, I can't see a rosy future for BB unless a real commitment to quality is evident. Evanston needed an excellent bistro; it still does. Maybe a few posts like this will cause the staff to reconsider. I would be a regular at a restaurant like BB if the food improves.

Sorry.

We went to Bistro Bordeaux this evening, to take advantage of their Wednesday night $28.95 prix fixe special, and we thought it was excellent!

We started with appetizers. My dining companion ordered escargots. I'm not huge on snails, but these seemed to be very good. I ordered the crispy sweetbreads, and they were excellent and delicious. These were breaded and deep fried, very light and not at all greasy.

For our main course, my companion ordered the Nieman Ranch free range beef tenderloin with bone marrow crust, and this was just wonderful, one of the best steaks you'll find anywhere. (It was one of only a few items on the menu with a small upcharge over the $28.95 prix fixe, but having a $5 upcharge on a $26.95 entree so that it's $33.95 for three courses is still an excellent value.) I had the roasted skate, which was also excellent, and was served over a bed of fennel confit, which was very nice.

For dessert, my companion ordered the lemon tart with pine nut crust, which was very nice (and it was a tart tart indeed!). I had floating island, which was an excellent rendition of one of my very favorite desserts.

Note that some of these items (sweetbreads, beef, and lemon tart) are not currently on the menu on their website, but they have been added to the regular menu (they were not daily specials).

So we had six dishes, and all were excellent. Our server (Michael) was excellent, and Pascal stopped by the table to make sure everything was going well.

Bistro Bordeaux is a welcome addition to the Evanston dining scene!