I've eaten at Bistro twice, once for lunch, once for dinner. At lunch, the avocado in my avocado salad was so unripe I could barely bite through it, but it was served to me as if it was fresh (hard to imagine a chef wouldn't recognize this). Dinner was better, though my friend's steak, which I sampled, was tougher than I expected for a $20 piece of meat. All in all, I think Bistro gets away with being lax in their food quality because of their location. If they were in Chicago, they would shut down in two months if they tried to charge what they charge here. The decorations are nice, service friendly, but at the end of the meal, the food just isn't that good to justify their high prices.    [10 Nov 2003 00:01:35]

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Recommended Dishes: Duck for dinner, Crab cake sandwich for lunch

     ­Patrick   pkelly at purdue dot edu

THE best martinis ever.
Seriously, I been around and you won't find better martinis than from the bartender Dan. The man knows his stuff, and likely the most creative bartender I've known. Every martini is smooth and amazing. If you order cognac he'll even warm the glass for you.

I drive 2 hours to frequent the place when I'm really wanting a *good* martini and not just vodka with olives.    [21 Feb 2004 16:50:03]

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Recommended Dishes: Dirty Martini, Lemondrop, Girlscout, Kelt VSOP

     ­Brandon   

The staff was having some problems with their ovens in the kitchen. Over half of the items on the menu were unavailable. I understand that sometimes things like this are beyond control, but we were not even told of the menu restrictions until the time we were to place our order. It was quite disappointing to find that a lot of the menu items were unavailable. We didn't enjoy our service either. Our waiter was very unattentive and when it came time for dessert we had to ask our server for a dessert menu. He proceeded to tell us that we didn't have a choice for dessert because of the kitchen problems. I felt that someone should have at least made arrangements to have something else in house to cover for this problem. This was my first visit to the restaurant. I was not highly impressed with the restaurant.    [27 Mar 2004 23:33:22]

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     ­KD   

Great Food GREAT SERVICE!
Bistro was fantastic for food and service with a most interesting menu for the experimental palet. Simply good food! And you pay for the service.    [10 Dec 2004 10:45:22]

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Recommended Dishes: Black Linguini, The Duck!!!

     ­Anonymous   

A $12 steak for $28
While the ambiance is fantastic, the food leaves something to be desired, especially for the price. The service is decent, but I would still expect better for the price. The martinis are fantastic. Overall, overpriced for dinner. but good for lunch.    [24 Feb 2005 12:03:10]

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     ­Anonymous   

Entry for August 06, 2005
Walked in at 6:45 had a reservation at seven. I was promptly seated. Had dessert first. I wanted something light and refreshing. So I picked the Lemon Mousse. Althrough, the lemon taste was there it also had a discerning aftertaste that was not at all pleasant. I moved on after rinsing my mouth out with the glass of water before me. The soup du jour was par excellence I may add I was pleased with this visit! I have eaten there before and have been pleased both times. Just the dessert menu needs some help!    [05 Sep 2005 15:24:50]

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Recommended Dishes: not the Lemon Mousse

     ­Anonymous   

Good food medium price
I have eaten here quite a few times and it is pretty good most of the time.    [14 Jan 2006 17:30:57]

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Recommended Dishes: Salmon

     ­Steve H   

Good Drinks- Bad Food!
I completely agree with Brandon's comments about Dan- the man does know his stuff! However, the food is seriously lacking! I've eaten there on numerous occassions and each time I have a different experience with the food. Im not picky, but at times it seems like a dishwasher is preparing my food! Inconsistency, flavorless entrees and watered down sauces and soups are a few of the problems. Maybe the Chef should try his own food before it comes out of the kitchen! Other than that, the drinks are great!!    [26 Jan 2006 01:17:11]

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Recommended Dishes: Hard to tell

     ­Micheal Ferguson   

Fantastic Dining in a Small Town
My wife and I regularly make our way to Lafayette from Chicago for dinner at the Bistro. She orders the duck and I generally get the braised short rib. The duck is always served at medium rare (which nobody does, thanks to the overbearing health department -- but thank you bistro!) and the short rib absolutely melts in your mouth. We always end our meal by sharing a creme brulee. OR some of the house-made ice cream or cheesecake made by the owner's mother fresh everyday.

We make the drive from Chicago rather than dining in the city because we get great food with comparatively no wait and enjoy an upscale yet quaint and casual environment.    [20 May 2006 01:09:33]

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Recommended Dishes: Braised Shortrib, Roasted Duck, and check out the wine list!

     ­Daniel Short   

Truly Amazing!
I have been to the Bistro on numerous occaisons for both business and pleasure. The owner, Gabrielle, often visits the tables personally to check on your experience. A very nice touch. The food is always exceptional and of the highest caliber. I was told they often use local growers when they can, I enjoy that. The ambiance is so comfortable that, I often have a hard time leaving. Thank you for such a fantastic establishment!    [19 Jun 2006 15:14:30]

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Recommended Dishes: Ceaser Salad, Bleu Cheese stuffed Filet

     ­Annie Lynn, Chicago