Restaurant Review: Bistro Gastronomie

Update: At this writing (June 25, 2014), Bistro Gastronomie is closed at least temporarily. We are hopeful it will reopen.

We were invited to a pre-opening “mock service” at Bistro Gastronomie. Located on the north side of Yamato Road between Lyons and 441, the food was the best I’ve had in South Florida. There were rough spots in the service, but that’s normal for such an event. We highly recommend it to those who want a top notch meal.
Two of us attended and we each had a four course prix fixe dinner. My companion started with the French Onion soup. It was very good.

I had the mussels. They were cooked just right and with a sauce that worked well.

For the second course we both had salads. Companion had the “Local beet harvest”, as did another person at our table. Not pictured in this shot, but there were a few different kinds of beets, all tasty.

I had the Roquefort salad, with caramelized apples and spiced pecans.

These salads were outstanding. For “foodies”, the ingredients were a clear step above what you see from typical fine dining. The cheeses, nuts and beets were exceptional, and paired with dressings that fit without drowning out their flavors. This is one aspect of what’s special about Bistro Gastronomie – the ingredients. Chef Walden incorporates elements you won’t find in regular supermarkets.
Before the main course we were served a palate cleanser which was simple and refreshing. It might have been a raspberry sorbet.
Our main course took a while to be served. The kitchen struggled with the volume – again something we expected under the conditions. But despite that pressure, the quality of the food did not suffer. Companion found the crab cake delicious and disproportionately large. She would have liked it if there were more vegetables, especially the carrots.

I had the Dover sole, which had a “melt in your mouth” texture accompanied with capers and a delicate sauce.

Both entrees came with a selection of vegetables. One piece seemed like a cross between broccoli and cauliflower. There was a small roasted onion or shallot, and then a couple carrots, a tomato wedge, some green beans, and one thing we couldn’t identify – maybe a small potato. All of them complemented the main item.
For dessert we ordered soufflés but changed upon realizing they would take a while. Companion had a rich and “yummy” chocolate pie. I had the flan, which was perfect. They looked so appetizing I forgot to take pictures before we started eating them.
With all that description out of the way, some commentary is important.
The service issues we experienced are completely understandable for a pre-opening event. It’s a way for the restaurant staff to figure out what works and what doesn’t, and it helps them to provide better service to customers once they actually open (February 12th). It would have gone much better if they had done two seatings or limited the menu, but that wouldn’t have provided the stress test they need to be ready going forward.
Any service issues were a minor detail in an otherwise great evening. The chef and his co-owners deserve congratulations for bringing this to fruition.
Bistro Gastronomie is not the ideal restaurant if you want a quick and cheap meal before a movie. Service will certainly get quicker, but it’s never going to be fast casual. That’s not in their DNA.
This is the kind of place people will travel an hour or more each way to experience a fine meal in a gorgeous space. You should expect to be there for two hours and spend more than $50 per person. Most of us can afford to do something like this only a few times a year, for special occasions.
With that said, you could order the $21 Thai basil chicken entree a la carte and get in and out in less than an hour. Keep in mind the menu, as currently set up, does not include salad with the a la carte entrees. The other couple at our table felt many Boca customers will expect an entree order to come with at least a simple mixed greens salad. They might be right.
There is also a Sunday brunch menu with a 3-course option for $27. And Chef Walden tells us there’s a kids menu too, with eight items.
The restaurant website is: Bistro Gastronomie. You can browse menus and make reservations through their site. Reservations are also available by phone at 561-883-2002.
The hours are:
Dinner
Open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday: 5:00 to 10:00 PM
Fridays and Saturdays: 5:00 to 11:00 PM
Sunday dinner: 4:30 to 9:30 PM
Sunday Champagne Brunch
Sunday 11:30 AM-2:30 PM
Closed Tuesdays
Full disclosure: Along with everyone else, our meals were on the house. We estimate that, with drinks and upgrades, this was close to $200 in value.