It has been awhile since the Oracle did a restaurant review. We do still dine out, but new food venues worthy of our taste buds cannot be found on every corner. We refuse to visit every hole-in-the-wall pizza joint and sandwich shop just to get review material, so we were pleased to get an opportunity to finally visit Bistro Bleu at 2402 South MacDill Avenue just north of SOG City.
Bistro Bleu is the reemergence of the NoHo Bistro that was located on North Armenia. As stated on their website: "Bistro Bleu brings its reputation as the former NoHo Bistro to South Tampa. We are proud to offer a unique menu, created by chefs and featuring local products, all paired with an ever growing wine list and craft beer selection."
The bistro offers outdoor seating - a couple of car lengths off of busy MacDill. On a cool evening after traffic has died down this might be a pleasant experience, but on our visit we chose to dine inside. The interior is clean and modern with original art work on the walls. We were promptly seated and presented with menus.
The wine list is modest with wine by the bottle or glass. Since we weren't sure of our dinner selections yet we chose a couple of glasses of a white Tamari from Argentina to start our evening. The Tamari was fruity, floral, spicy with an enjoyable finish and paired well with the Bistro Salad ordered by my dining partner and the Mussels and Frites that I chose.
The salad was described as excellent with applewood bacon, candied walnuts, apples, Vermont cheddar dressing. The Mussels and Frites were served in a bowl with a creamy, soupy sauce. The fries swimming in the sauce were very tasty. The mussels were just a tad under-done, but still very good. And filling!
For our entrees we chose the Housemade Gnocchi with applewood bacon, spinach, caramelized onions, gorgonzola sauce and topped with chicken; and the Steak & Frites with choice Angus ribeye, garlic oil frites, Sauce Diane, but instead of the garlic frites, I chose the wild-mushroom potato strata, and garlic sautéed spinach that is normally served with the flat-iron steak.
Both entrees were very well prepared, very pleasing to our taste buds, and very filling. We definitely did not leave hungry, and we had no room left for dessert. I might also mention that we were both so pleased with the Tamari that we stayed with it during our entire meal. A white wine may not have worked with the ribeye but for the Sauce Diane.
Since we had stuffed ourselves like the little piglets we are and had no room for dessert, we never saw the dessert menu. Our bill for the evening including several glasses of wine and a 20% gratuity came to $132.
It is a rather nit-picking point I suppose, but the chef, who sat at an adjacent table talking with another customer, totally ignored us as we got up to leave. We consider it to be a nice gesture whenever the chef comes over to inquire about our dining experience. To not even get the flip of a finger as we departed was a little disappointing.
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