Dinner: Bistro on the Avenue
Bistro on the Avenue
1362 Greene Avenue, Westmount
(514) 939-6451
Okay. So I went to the Bistro on the Avenue with another friend. We'll call her La Española. Let me try to jump straight into this review without much preamble about why I got together with La Española on this particular night. The first thing that I noticed is this restaurant is very...well...anglo. There's really nothing wrong with a restaurant having a distinctly anglo vibe about it, and there's nothing wrong with being anglo in general, it's just that the ambient noise in the Bistro is really more of a din if you catch my drift. Just pointing that out for those of you who like to know that kind of thing.
So, my friend and I dined among many people decked out in shades of navy blue and wire-rimmed glasses. They were a very nice, very "send you a drink without compelling you to actually speak to them" kind of crowd. I like that. It lets me focus on the person with whom I'm actually there to speak.
Our waitress was a very nice lady. She stopped by periodically to see if we were ready to order without seeming like she was trying to rush us. It did take us quite a while to choose our meals. The Bistro offers the kind of menu where everything looks good, but nothing really jumps out at you. They serve a variety of baguette sandwiches, which come with fries, salad or half and half. There is the usual "meaty" fare like filet mignon, lamb and veal. There are three or four salads to which you can add spiced chicken, shrimp or a filet of fish. There is lobster. There is crab. See what I mean? It all looks good, but none of it looks interesting.
We both had the Boston salad with spiced chicken, mushrooms and vinagrette. It came in, like, five seconds. Wow! Do they just have piles of salad plates ready in the back? Were they eavesdropping? Was there a betting pool for the person who correctly predicted what both of us would order? Because I was thisclose to ordering the sirloin baguette, so I almost screwed up the pool.
Well, for a minute-salad it was pretty good, although, not great. The vinaigrette wasn't overbearing, the chicken was spiced...but not hot. The mushrooms tasted nice. The lettuce was fresh. For dessert I had the chocolate torte with a nice, light whipped cream. Ya know, the torte was pretty good. Very chocolatey. All in all, it was not an offensive meal.
I had a selection of drinks as well: a ginger ale to start (my tummy was feeling wonky), a glass of the house white wine with my meal, and a glass of porto for the digestif. Now, some of you may ask, what kind of porto did you have? Well, the answer to that would be: I don't know. You see, this being the kind of place where they "send you a drink without compelling you to actually speak to them,"someone did just that. The waitress came over to us and said, "A man at the bar would like to offer the two of you a digestif." Now, La Española and I are not really drinkers, so we didn't know what to get. The waitress suggested porto, so we took it. I must tell you that we stressed quite a bit after agreeing to take the drinks. This guy, who we'll call "Jim," apparently knew one of us from a few years back, at least according to the waitress. Huh? Sure, we've met a Jim or two, but no one who sticks out in our minds. Also, the ladies out there will know that sometimes when a guy sends you and your friend a drink it is problematic since you don't know if this guy is cool, or if he thinks this is his ticket to bedroomville, which it usually is not. Anyway, this being an inobtrusive environment, "Jim" merely bid us a good night and promptly left. Good. Problem solved. Oh, and "Jim" apparently knew La Española from a few years back. She, unfortunately, did not remember him.
I think that little anecdote quite succinctly sums up my experience at the Bistro on the Avenue: nice, but it just doesn't stick out in my mind. Knowing myself, I might just forget I've even been there. Three stars.
Kisses,
Laurelle
Price: $70 for two with tax & tip.
Bistro on the Avenue
1362 Greene Avenue, Westmount
(514) 939-6451
Okay. So I went to the Bistro on the Avenue with another friend. We'll call her La Española. Let me try to jump straight into this review without much preamble about why I got together with La Española on this particular night. The first thing that I noticed is this restaurant is very...well...anglo. There's really nothing wrong with a restaurant having a distinctly anglo vibe about it, and there's nothing wrong with being anglo in general, it's just that the ambient noise in the Bistro is really more of a din if you catch my drift. Just pointing that out for those of you who like to know that kind of thing.
So, my friend and I dined among many people decked out in shades of navy blue and wire-rimmed glasses. They were a very nice, very "send you a drink without compelling you to actually speak to them" kind of crowd. I like that. It lets me focus on the person with whom I'm actually there to speak.
Our waitress was a very nice lady. She stopped by periodically to see if we were ready to order without seeming like she was trying to rush us. It did take us quite a while to choose our meals. The Bistro offers the kind of menu where everything looks good, but nothing really jumps out at you. They serve a variety of baguette sandwiches, which come with fries, salad or half and half. There is the usual "meaty" fare like filet mignon, lamb and veal. There are three or four salads to which you can add spiced chicken, shrimp or a filet of fish. There is lobster. There is crab. See what I mean? It all looks good, but none of it looks interesting.
We both had the Boston salad with spiced chicken, mushrooms and vinagrette. It came in, like, five seconds. Wow! Do they just have piles of salad plates ready in the back? Were they eavesdropping? Was there a betting pool for the person who correctly predicted what both of us would order? Because I was thisclose to ordering the sirloin baguette, so I almost screwed up the pool.
Well, for a minute-salad it was pretty good, although, not great. The vinaigrette wasn't overbearing, the chicken was spiced...but not hot. The mushrooms tasted nice. The lettuce was fresh. For dessert I had the chocolate torte with a nice, light whipped cream. Ya know, the torte was pretty good. Very chocolatey. All in all, it was not an offensive meal.
I had a selection of drinks as well: a ginger ale to start (my tummy was feeling wonky), a glass of the house white wine with my meal, and a glass of porto for the digestif. Now, some of you may ask, what kind of porto did you have? Well, the answer to that would be: I don't know. You see, this being the kind of place where they "send you a drink without compelling you to actually speak to them,"someone did just that. The waitress came over to us and said, "A man at the bar would like to offer the two of you a digestif." Now, La Española and I are not really drinkers, so we didn't know what to get. The waitress suggested porto, so we took it. I must tell you that we stressed quite a bit after agreeing to take the drinks. This guy, who we'll call "Jim," apparently knew one of us from a few years back, at least according to the waitress. Huh? Sure, we've met a Jim or two, but no one who sticks out in our minds. Also, the ladies out there will know that sometimes when a guy sends you and your friend a drink it is problematic since you don't know if this guy is cool, or if he thinks this is his ticket to bedroomville, which it usually is not. Anyway, this being an inobtrusive environment, "Jim" merely bid us a good night and promptly left. Good. Problem solved. Oh, and "Jim" apparently knew La Española from a few years back. She, unfortunately, did not remember him.
I think that little anecdote quite succinctly sums up my experience at the Bistro on the Avenue: nice, but it just doesn't stick out in my mind. Knowing myself, I might just forget I've even been there. Three stars.
Kisses,
Laurelle
Price: $70 for two with tax & tip.
posted by Laurelle St. Laurent at 1:45 AM
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