French food in Buffalo for the common man. Finally. Rue Franklin has great food, but the blue blazer crowd bums me out.
Hopefully they will keep it traditional. No attitude. No processed /canned garbage. And modest prices for the "working man". It would be nice to see a hangar steak frite on the menu too. Hopefully they, or their Chef, has traditional French training. It would be a shame if it was only a bistro in name.
Best of luck. I know I will be checking it out.
SLEEPL8,
You're not the first person to ask that question, and I'm glad that you did. The fare typically found in French bistros is pretty simple compared to the more complex offerings typically associated with French fine dining. Fresh, quality ingredients are fundamental, but preparations are considered less complicated and not so high brow.
Salad Nicoise, steak frites, quiche and croque-monsieur are all good examples of traditional French bistro fare. You're probably as sick of the term "comfort food" as I am, but French bistro cuisine is really that- French comfort food.
Had dinner in this location under a couple of different owners, was good each time, parking was the problem if any. Looking forward to trying it again---- Good luck
It's funny that a Russian word gets to describe a French restaurant, and it means simple of the proceeding word to Bistro, funnier still, many American Bistros ( simple American food) opt for French sounding dishes and oblivious foreign style preparations, Shouldn't the labels be Americanized French Cooking as a more accurate description.
How's about a Croque Monsieur, Griff? You can always tell them to "hold the pickle".
i think it's a great idea...looking forward to something other than greek...good luck guys!!!
Sounds like Tabree has the potential to be the Elmwood equivalent of a place I used to frequent in my old Chicago neighborhood (see photo gallery):
http://www.bistrocampagne.com/
Hopefully the owners will see this and take a few cues from what they did at Campagne..it was the perfect indoor/outdoor neighborhood bistro
Maybe this is a stupid questions but I know what to expect at an italian, mexican, chinese, japanese, restaurant etc. but what is typical of a French Bistro?
J'aime la pensée d'avoir un petit bistro français sur Elmwood ! Bonne chance avec votre entreprise !
French bistro fare doesn't have to be as cliched as Nicoise and quiche, and let's hope it's not in this case.
Good...and bad. Astoria was one of my all-time Buffalo favorites. Never had a bad meal, service was top notch, and...(I suppose this was a prime reason for change) we often had the place to ourselves (or 2 tables max). Good luck to the new operators. :)
Other examples of French bistro dishes I would hope to find on the menu would include coq au vin (chicken cooked in red wine with onions and mushrooms); goat cheese salad or tart; roast chicken; simple preparations of fish such as cod, trout, skate wing; duck; brandade (herbed mashed potatoes and salt cod); some kind of lentil dish; moules (mussels); potato gratin, choucroute garnie (braised ham, variety of sausages, and sauerkraut).
Astoria was one of my favorite elmwood spots, but I'm happy to see a new restaurant and menu. Astoria's creativity was beginning to lack, but the atmosphere was always incredible The back patio has to be one of the best kept secrets in Buffalo
French Fries, French Toast, French Dip, French Bread... I think that should be a good start
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