Bistro Blanc

Service was horrendous and it was a SLOW night. Our server was constantly on his cell phone in between watching football on TV. Never did he even bother to discuss any highlights of the menu. He never cleared our table. The oysters had cracked shells in them and the food was not memorable. It was clear no management was on site that Sunday night. To date this is my 3^rd review in Unilocal and so far the other 2 restaurants reviewed are out of business… I hope you are not 3 for 3…

We just came back from dinner here, and what a monument disappointment of a meal it was.
1. Eat here if you want to wait 30 minutes for every course to come out.
We were here for Restaurant week and had the 3-​course meal. It took 20 for the soup to come out. Another 25 minutes for the entrée to appear. And then another 20 minutes for the cold dessert to make it on our table. Meanwhile, the waitress hardly came by to check on us or refill our water during these wait times. She briskly walked past us dozens of times and hardly gave us a glance, except when she brought out the food. We were wondering if the bad service was related to us not ordering wine, but it seems like other people have had this awful service too.
2. Eat here if you like tiny food portions that are over salted.
For our first course, we got a lobster bisque where every spoonful tasted like pure salt with a hint of seafood essence. The gnocchi starter dish was also quite salty. Then after waiting 45 minutes, our entrees arrived in these giant dishes, but the actual food was about the size of a palm. The dishes we got were the chicken confit and the tile fish. Both were okay but nothing spectacular, and certainly not filling. The desserts were probably the highlights of the meal: panna cotta and the chocolate bomb. However, it was astounding that for a 3-​course meal, I left hungrier than before I came in. Their portions are seriously small and the 3 dishes could actually qualify as one appetizer elsewhere.
Overall, our experience at Bistro Blanc was wholly disappointing. We appreciate that they source their ingredients locally and that their menu selection is different than others, and were so excited to give them a try. However, we will not be coming back as the service, food quality, and food quantity were completely lacking, especially for the prices they charge.

Called them up and set a reservation!
Nice service and was seated immediately. Waiter was friendly and the owner even came to talk to us.
The food was absolutely amazing!
The risotto was creamy and delicious, but a tad bit salty.
The Burger was cooked to temperature, the buns did get a bit soggy, but was crisp on the outside!
Desserts never fail to impress!
Would definitely go again and call ahead (they can be booked)

This place is overpriced and not good. The wait staff is not friendly either. Skip it and go to ten oaks tavern.

Fantastic food, ambiance and service. I love the ever changing and unique menu. Bistro Blanc is my favorite restaurant to take out of town guest to or celebrate special occasions.

This is a very nice restaurant inside, but you wouldn’t guess it when you first pull up. The menu was really interesting and we ordered several different items.
The Good: pomegranate & ginger Mule… fantastic; Brussels sprouts with old bay popcorn… yum; pig & fig app… so good; toffees bread pudding… yum again.
The Not so Good: you have to pay for bread…$ 4…hmmm; ordered special of braised short rib with gnocchi… great flavor a only 3 bites of meat on the rib for $ 28…won’t order again

Food was good. Prices were little bit higher. They chargef $ 10 for kids pasta bowl which is very tiny and no sides.

I would never return again, the food was amazing but the service killed any chance of our return. We arrived at 8:20 for our 8:30 reservation. We were seated promptly and it all went downhill after that.
It took a few minutes for our server to greet us. By the time she did, we ordered our bottle of wine. A few more minutes later she came back, placed the bottle on the table, and then walked away. She swung by again saying she was looking for wine glasses, they had run out of clean glasses. The restaurant was full but there was no wait and approximately 6 people in the bar, so they should have enough glassware. When she finally located wine glasses, she clearly had not been trained in wine presentation.
When the server took our order, there was no warning of the kitchen being behind. By 9:00, 40 minutes after arrival, we still didn’t have our appetizers. The server walked by saying the large party just got their dinner so our food would be out soon… why are my appetizers behind a dinner? After waiting another 10 minutes, I sought our a manager. The manager is the bartender. How can a manager manage the floor from behind a bar and with walls hiding most of the restaurant to his view?
The attempt to bring us Brussell Sprouts to keep us from starving was an epic fail. We had switched out our Brussell Sprouts from our dinner for cauliflower. No offering of bread or something else.
At 9:40, 1 hour and 20 minutes after being seated, our dinners came out. The request of cauliflower became some melody of some sort, not cauliflower. The waitress said oooops it is a melody instead and walked away.
A few bites into our meal, the waitress asked if we wanted more wine… well I would have loved to have wine with my steak but my bottle of wine was gone a long time ago and because we had to drive, we didn’t order another glass.
The manager never came back to check on us, the waitress only did once. While our dinners were great, the hunger pangs and fury from the experience far surpass a great meal.
The manager took $ 25.00 off but to have to spend over $ 100 for a terrible experience is maddening.

Went here for a birthday recently and had a lovely experience.
Pros:
–Friendly and attentive service — water and drinks always filled, waiter always around in case you need him/​her. Makes you feel like you are somewhere special
–Good beer and wine options
–Beautiful décor, feels fancy (dark woods, high-​backed chairs, etc.)
–Appetizers were delicious: pig n fig, lamb empanadas and mussels
–Burger was great: cooked perfectly to our orders (we had two at the table with different temperature requests, medium and medium-​rare).
Cons:
–We tried to sit outside at first, but there is a very large dumpster with no lid nearby, and we were inundated with a sewage smell that sent us inside.
–The corn risotto was WAY oversalted, almost inedible, which is too bad because the consistency and flavors were great otherwise.
–Our entrees took much too long to get to the table. The waiter noted that there were two other large tables that ordered at the same time as us.
We would certainly go here again but would not order the risotto.

The most innovative, delicious, creative food in the area, with the most mellow vibe and unpretentious environment. My favorite.

It’s not often that you can find a place like this. I happened upon it when my frat brother wanted to meet up after work. It’s located in a little small strip with just a few shops. The place is small but wasn’t crowded. The one draw back in my opinion is that they don’t have any beer on tap but they have a pretty wide selection of bottles. They are known more for their wide variety of wines, so if you are into that you would love this place. The bar is very small and only has 6 stool with not much room to stand. There is a private dining area in the rear that seats 15 or 16 if you need to host an event there. The outside seating area is a decent size but not much of a view out there in my opinion. On this occasion I sat at a table in the dinning area and it wasn’t crowded on a Wednesday which happens to be burger night where all burgers are half priced. It looks like a great place to bring a date with the romantic lighting and intimate tables. I chose a Lamb Burger medium well. It came on a brioche bun and was cooked to perfection. Medium well on the exterior and juicy at the center. The meal came with rosemary garlic fries that paired well with my burger. I ordered an Elysian Stardust beer to wash it all down. Some of the items on the menu can get expensive so it would be helpful to try them out during restaurant week. Its a great place over all and I look forward to going back soon.

having recently moved to glenwood, its hard finding good restaurants that are not 10 mins away. this place was suggested to us. as first timers we loved everything we ordered!!!
peach and blackberry gazpacho! so unique. it was like diving in a fruit orchard covered in flowers with some jalepenos too.
the mussels were cooked perfectly! and the bread they come with was amazing.
we ordered the bbq steak flank we garlic fries. and the steak was melt in your mouth perfect.
there is a giant selection of wines and a large dessert list but we were too full.
our server was such a sweet girl who was very knowledgeable about the menu.
i love restaurants that use local farms and businesses. cheers to bistro blanc!

Very good. mushroom risotto was perfect and Jason our server was outstanding. great food and great service.

A treasure in an out of the way location. The chefs do magic with salads, courses and deserts. A premier wine focused cozy dining experience.

I’ve been going to Bistro Blanc since the day they opened. While I don’t go as frequently since they’ve changed chefs, they’re still a restaurant I can count on for good food and special occasions. I’m so very sad as my mother and I used to come here all the time for lunch. They’ve changed their hours to dinner and brunch only which is why we don’t dine here as often anymore. Their lunch menu was so much better than the dinner menu so now we’re stuck with dinner only or brunch. Not as good.
LOCATION: Yes this place is very far off the beaten path if you don’t live in the area. Please don’t let that dissuade you from giving Bistro Blanc a try. The wine alone is well worth the trip (just make sure to have a DD!) And be careful at night driving as there are deer everywhere (another reason why we preferred brunch!)
FOOD: Thank you so much for keeping the Reuben for your dinner menu!!! It’s honestly the best my dad has ever had. We previously used to have to always come to Bistro Blanc for lunch so he could get it so thanks guys for adding it to your dinner selection! I’m still annoyed because they cut out lunch AND the dinner menu seems like it’s been chopped in half. You can’t go wrong with the flatbreads, the grilled brie (actually reasonably priced at $ 13 compared to other places), and the beef burger is one of the best I’ve ever had. They used to have great soups of the day but lately they’re just so so. Brunch is good with a few non-​breakfast options which is better than nothing.
WINE: They have a plentiful selection of wines to choose from whether you want them with your meal or to take home. They offer several discounts if you purchase multiple bottles so make sure to inquire if interested. The owner loves wooden wine crates which add an extra sense of charm to the dining room. As a lover of typography and fonts, he kindly gave me one of the crates I’d been eyeing up along with our wine purchase. So nice.
BOTTOM LINE: Please please please bring back lunch! And please bring the soups back to the quality they used to be! If you haven’t tried Bistro Blanc this means nothing to you so do give them a try. I’ve always been pleased with the staff and haven’t had a dish I haven’t liked in the years I’ve been coming here. The burger won’t let you down!

Bistro Blanc Brunch this past Sunday was delicious! We started with a bread basket and coffee. The bread basket contained Pretzel Rolls, Everything Parker House Rolls and some kind of Foccacia bread paired with olive oil/​balsamic, Parmesan Gelato and citrus 5 spice butter (all made in house). The coffee was very good as well.
Mr. D had the biscuits and duck sausage gravy dish that came with 2 poached eggs, and hollandaise. It was a pretty salty but good over all. I had an omelette with duck sausage and spinach. It was very tasty.
We were very shocked to be the only people there at 11 am on a Sunday. Bistro Blanc Brunch is apparently a well kept secret. The service is very good, the food is good, the prices are reasonable and the drive is very scenic. I highly recommend this as a Sunday morning spot.

Can’t say enough good things about this Bistro. The restaurant is warm, woody, wine and bottles aligned on every wall.
The food was amazing. Come on Sundays for brunch. No wait.

Their «half price burgers & beer» night is a great deal. The burgers (beef or lamb) are the best I’ve ever had, and the fries that accompany them are excellent too. Add a wide selection of fine beer, and it makes for a very fine evening. We’ll be back.

I’m so happy I was led to Bistro Blanc! It was an absolute wonderful experience. The service was great, our server made sure to check in but wasn’t pushing us to order which was great because we ended up ordering a lot of food over the next few hours. We ordered several appetizers, an entrée and several desserts and I gotta say not one item was disappointing. I definitely recommend the Pig and Fig and the Seared Duck. The bread pudding was on of my favorite desserts. I will most certainly be going back, with more friends!

My hubby found this place for the first (of many 30^th bday dinners this week). I was surprised to find such a big city place in the middle of no where Glenelg. The artwork is beautiful and there were several pieces that I wanted to take home. The only reason that this doesn’t get 5 stars is the service. I’ll talk about that last.
First, the food.
Started with the cheese plate. 4 excellent cheeses with fun accompaniments. Quite yummy. Hubby got the Pork Duo and clean his plate. Said it was amazing. I had the Wild Mushroom Tortelloni. OMG. My only complaint was that whatever pan seared veg that was on top was just the otherside of bitter. I wish I’d had bread to sop the sweet corn butter sauce. It made the dish. Not at all heavy. Finished up with the chocolate walnut banana bread pudding and the free form apple tart for the hubby. Both were excellent. We were very impressed by the food and wine list.
Also, the guitar player was very good. Make for nice atmosphere.
Now for the service. We were about 10 minutes early for our 7pm reservations. We were told when we got there that «our table» wasn’t up yet. Waited about a minute and then taken to another table. –The place wasn’t full. It did fill up shortly after that but I can’t understand why you were stressing over a two top when there were plenty of open tables.
Our server was lackluster. I couldn’t tell if she was new or just bored. Multiple unnecessary trips. I’ve never worked in food service but I know that if you walk by one of your tables you check and see if they need anything. The cheese platter was not explained, so aside from the blue cheese and brie, we weren’t sure what we were eating. Maybe it was just her because we heard other servers being more outgoing. The wine serving system thingy was never introduced. Had I known it was there I would’ve checked it out.
And ladies, the wood floor is very slick if you are wearing new heels that haven’t had the bottoms properly scuffed. I almost slipped a couple times. Just FYI.
We’ll probably go back because the food was good but the service could use an upgrade for what you are paying for food.