Gist Bistro

Terrible is the only word for this dump.
Tough dry steak. Awful seafood.

Alas, I am really starting to question some of the reviews I read on Unilocal.Gist was really very disappointing. I recall back when it was Café Renee’ many moons ago, and was hoping for something great. I waver between a 2 & 3, but this was my anniversary dinner and it pretty much sucked, so I feel vindicated in giving it 2 stars. And here’s why:
Went here on a weeknight & it was dead (2 tables). The special board listed $ 5 Cuervo margaritas — they were worth about $ 3 (the price of the Cuervo), because we all know that crappy marg mix is worthless. Ordered a glass of wine — it had been open for at least 3 days (waiter claimed it had only been open for 1 day, but I know my Sauv Blancs). The bread was warm, but only because it had been microwaved. It was a shame — it was probably a really tasty bread when it was fresh, full of hearty grains & millet. However, it was chewy & overly microwaved & had clearly been previously frozen by the time we had it.
The Caesar salad was a joke — it was nice of them to split it up for us, but the menu listed «romaine & arugula». There was probably a total of 9 arugula leaves in this salad mixed in with what appeared to be shredded iceberg lettuce (see photo of my husband’s half eaten salad). The waiter acted offended when we questioned the lettuce — «We don’t serve iceberg here! I bought that romaine from Dierbergs myself!» Ahem — romaine is in season, sir. And I am not an idiot. At any rate, we ate maybe a ¹⁄₃ of the salad & sent it back (still ended up paying for it). Caesar salad is supposed to be GREEN… hello?! The eggplant bruschetta was all right. The toast was too crispy, but the eggplant, sauce & cheese were fine.
Mr. Beth got the shrimp & grits. For $ 25, it was ridiculously small — 5 shrimp & maybe a cup of grits (it did NOT look like the Unilocal photo that was posted). The grits were too salty for him to finish, so I let him eat the rest of my meal. I had the pork chop & it was decent. If you’re going to eat here, this would be one of your better bets. I have to mention that the mashed potatoes were orange for some reason, and no, they weren’t sweet potatoes. They tasted fine, but something must have gone terribly wrong in the kitchen involving an orange or a carrot.
The décor was ok, but everything seemed really budget (carpet, tables, chairs, wall décor). And it was weird that indoors my water glass was sweating as though we were dining outdoors in a rain forest. It was hot in this place, and there were only 2 tables. And it’s really weird that the chef’s culinary school jacket was framed in the entrance. Congrats on having a chef that went to culinary school, Gist.
Anyway, the waiter was really nice, albeit slightly dishonest — I don’t believe that albino romaine lettuce is one of Dierberg’s offerings, nor do I think that $ 8 glasses of Sauvignon Blanc should taste like the bottle was opened 4 days ago.
It’s interesting — all of the reviews from the UYE here just rave about the food. It makes me wonder if the owner just made a point of making it really good on a night that he knew some Unilocalers would be in. At any rate, THIS Unilocaler was not impressed on your average night. I’m really not that picky either, I swear. I’ll eat just about anything.
DAMN IT — wish we’d just gone to Monsoon instead!!! I bet they had some romaine.
I do NOT recommend Gist, unless you happen to be on a UYE & they know to be on their best behavior :)
*UPDATE* — Just realized that our waiter was one of the owners. I had my suspicions, based on some of the things that he said. That makes the whole experience that much more obnoxious (and sort of funny). That’s really poor customer service, Mike.

What a great meal. Presentation was top notch, I wish I had snapped a picture of the Caprese salad; the tomatoes were in season and I almost wished I had it instead of the corn chowder with shrimp. No regrets though because the chowder was outstanding. Followed it with small filet where the knife cut through the meat like butter. Garlic mashed potatoes and fresh string beans with a little corn for color. My wife had the pork chop and I think the three other of us decided we would have that next time. Our other companions shared their mahi-​mahi and filet. Service was ideal. We paid $ 20 for corkage and brought our own inexpensive pinot grigio. Our tab was $ 150 for the 4 of us + tip. A very nice evening, thank you Gist Bistro!

UYE last week. Thanks, Kate B., for organizing this delightful evening!
This little place could be considered a bit hidden. It’s at the far west side of Lafayette Center (Dierberg’s is the anchor) on Manchester Road.
The menu is rather small, but there’s plenty of variety In the offerings.
I got a hanger steak and fries. The description said the steak was 6 ounces, but it looked more like 10 to me. And that’s a good thing!
The steak was cooked just exactly as ordered, was incredibly juicy and had a great beefy flavor, for which hanger steak is known. The fries were skin-​on and had some extra seasoning that made them rather special.
I snagged a bite of Paul’s ham hocks, and they were piggy-​perfect with such robust ham flavor.
Service was spectacular and at-​the-​ready with water and soda refills. Everybody’s dishes looked terrific.
My recyclable to-​go vessel was plentiful and lasted two more meals.

I was invited to a UYE and I thought you know if someone is nice enough to invite me I should go. When I walked in they had a special posted $ 20 for a NY Strip. Kind of did not have to read the menu after that. With the strip steak I also ordered an appetizer of ham hocks. These are not your mother’s or grandmother’s ham hocks. Served cold with a touch of mustard, mini gherkins and cracked olives. Perfect flavor. On to the Gist salad. The salad for a dinner salad was huge came with a variety of greens and a balsamic dressing. Really was a first rate salad. The final entre was the steak. Of all the dishes I think this was the weakest not bad just not as strong as the other two. It was prepared to my request and had good flavor. I did hear the manager say to another guest was he was not happy with the steaks he received and that is why it was on special. Price value really the meal and service is outstanding. I would put this on my to go list for sure small cozy and good food and prices.

Freaking awesome from the food, ambiance to the staff! I came here with a bunch of Unilocalers for UYE dinner tonight. I rarely eat steak, & this place serves delish steak! The fries were totally worth cheating on my low fat diet. The steak was juicy & cooked to perfection. Smallish place & very homey feel. Love, love, love the wall décor.

We had lunch today and it was delicious. It was the best blackened chicken sandwich I ever had. I can not wait to go back for dinner. I would strongly recommend dining at the restaurant. It is hard to spot off Manchester, set back in a strip mall lot, but well worth the trip.

My wife and I enjoyed Gist. I had the pork chop with the blackberry sauce and it was fantastic. My wife had the shrimp and grits and it was also were very good. May have had a bit too much olive oil and not as creamy as other places we’ve been but she would have it again. We were surprised that there weren’t more patrons on a Saturday night given the quality of the food. The spinach salad was quite tasty and the ham hock terrine was better than I expected. The chef presented us with fresh heirloom tomato and mozzarella appetizer which was a nice touch. We will be going back, I only hope they have a few more options on the menu or some added specials and a larger crowd.

This place was pretty legit!
I think I had it bookmarked from a while ago, but I can’t remember… but yesterday night, we were looking for a new place to eat and randomly decided on this place as I was going through Unilocal.I couldn’t really tell how ‘fancy’ the place was based on the few photos alone but it seemed like it might be a mix of upscale and casual.
Upon arrival, we noted that it was in a strip mall next to a Dierberg’s. Definitely an unassuming location. I had called in advance to ask if we would need reservations but the guy who answered said it wouldn’t be necessary. We were greeted by a friendly man when we walked in, and his greeting seemed very genuine.
It was fairly quiet – maybe only two other tables there besides us – but it was a Wednesday night. I wonder how busy they get on the weekends… I did feel a bit under-​dressed in jeans and a polo, but I didn’t feel as though I was being judged for it.
Had already stalked the menu online prior to leaving so I knew in advance I wanted the mushroom pasta. Sean opted for a burger. Our server, Clayton, was on the spot with everything. Sean noted this and was very impressed stating that it was, quote, «no joke, fine dining.» Whenever we felt like we needed more water, he was already standing behind us, reaching for the glass to fill it up! A+
The pasta was amazing. Like woooah mind-​blowingly good. I was also ravenously hungry, so that probably made it taste better, for sure. The mushrooms were rich and delicious probably due to the intense flavor from the shallots. There was some cheese on top but not too much. The pasta is homemade here and SO freaking good. Wayyy better than Pastaria’s and much better than my homemade attempts too. I’d go back for almost any type of pasta dish alone. The portion was just right too. I didn’t feel like I over-​ate, didn’t feel like I wanted more, and didn’t need to take home any excess. Spot-​on. The only negative was that I felt it was pretty oily. I am hoping it was olive oil instead of butter though… maybe a tad bit more nutritious. But yeah, really good.
Also tried their house cab for $ 5 not a bad deal.
Sean really enjoyed his burger and I liked how they stacked the fries like a jenga game or a log cabin. Cute touch. It was cooked perfectly the way he wanted, and the bacon on it was reeeally good. I was worried he wouldn’t like the fries as the menu advertised them with Parmesan on top but everything turned out just right, with a very small quantity of cheese sprinkled on them.
It seems most everything here is homemade and you can really taste the difference. Price-​wise, not too bad considering the quality and degree of service you get here. $ 48 was our total after the tip, and that was for a burger, pasta dish, and glass of wine.
On our way out, we struck a conversation with the guy who greeted us on our way in, and turns out he’s the owner. (His name is Mike.) They’ve only been in business since February, I think, is what he said. I’d love to have a UYE here, in fact I am probably going to plan one for end of August if anyone is interested. I hope they do good business. I really appreciate being treated with respect in «fine dining» restaurants… doesn’t always happen when a young person walks into such a place. So kudos to Gist!

Fantastic menu. Full of local ingredients. Highly recommended. I had the wilted salad with poached egg and the surf and turf. Very good all around.

This is a nice addition to the West County restaurant scene.
Pleasant décor, attentive service. I had the dover sole, and I think the restaurant’s goal is to focus on the flavor of the main ingredient of an entrée rather than drown it in sauce. So, my sole came with simply butter. It was delightful.
My dining companion had the mushroom soup, and said it was full of flavor.
Note — they do not give you a menu when you sit down. They give you the drink list and give you time to settle in before looking at a menu.
There is a separate bar area for people who like to watch TV while they dine.

Closed. Check out Grapeseed — same chefs, same delicious flavors. My friend and I checked this place out a couple of weeks after it opened. The service was great (although it was late in the evening and there was only 1 other table). They had an extensive wine list and I was excited to see Moscato on their wine by the glass list. I was also excited to see a Shrimp and Scallop dinner because I love scallops. The dish was great and both the shrimp and the scallops were large and plentiful. My friend just got a bowl of French Onion soup but it looked delicious with a huge baguette covered in cheese sticking out of the top, and she had no complaints. We ordered the white chocolate crème brûlée and it was great as well. The restaurant was quiet and with the dim lighting and candles, seems like a great place for a date night. Probably not an all the time thing as it’s a little pricey, but for a nice, relaxing night out every once in a while with good, locally grown food, I’d happily go back.