The Bistro

closed in August 2011. Another restaurant that closed here to make me go cry.

Certain to be one of my favorite spots.
If your not looking for this place you’ll walk right by it but that maybe due to the construction going on around it.
Stopped by for lunch with wife and really enjoyed the food not to mention we got a free order of duck fat fry’s for checking in via FourSquare! YES!
It’s touted as a «French» food place but they had a cuban sandwich on the menu –odd but it was delicious.
Food was good, fairly prices, service was prompt and personable.
I hope the place stays open as we were the only one’s there for about 30 mins before a few others arrived.
Go check it out and get your free duck fat fries! Quack!

My friend and I decided to try The Bistro on Friday night, and we didn’t know what kind of wait to expect so we made a reservation. I’m not sure if business is just slow, or if the combination of other events in and around downtown that night kept people outside, but we were led to our table and discovered that we were at one of only 3 tables with diners at 7:30pm. No matter, we proceeded to enjoy an excellent meal with service that left only one thing to desire: water. No, we never got water. Admittedly, we ordered a bottle of wine immediately and completely failed to notice that no one ever brought water to our table. Actually, we noticed when we were finished with our meals and starting to feel the effects of the tasty and reasonably priced Oregon pinot grigio we’d split. I won’t go on about the water, but it’s just strange at a U.S. restaurant not to at least be asked if you’d like water. And my headache the next morning made me really regret not noticing earlier.
Aside from that, our experience was great. Many reviewers here have commented that the menu is small. It is nicely limited, but featured at least 6 starters and probably 8 or 9 entrees, plus two specials. More than enough for the average eater to have to choose from two or three tempting choices. We started with the arancini, one big, fried ball with rice and mushrooms inside. Really creamy and flavorful, and surprisingly easy to share.
My friend ordered one of two fish specials for the evening; the branzino. She loved it, and the bite I stole was delicious. I tried the strip steak, which was definitely big enough for two adults to share and served the amazing duck fat fries as a side. It had a nice, smokey charcoal flavor and was served to my specifications. Again though, it might have been better shared because it’s a lot of beef.
We left completely satisfied with food and drink, and while The Bistro is not exactly a cheap night out, the final tally came in well under «special occasion.» Great for a date night, entertaining a client, or when your parents are in town.

While in town for a wedding, my boyfriend and I asked the hotel staff where to get a great vegan meal. They mentioned The Bistro and I was immediately sold when they said that they served only locally grown goods and that the chef was incredibly accomodating to vegan and vegetarian fare.
We walked into a charming space with tons of fun murals (puns of their dishes like Brick Chicken and Butter Tart) and paintings decorating the walls. Our waiter was super friendly and even brought me some oil and vinegar to dip my bread in instead of butter. The bread was an amazing rosemary foccacia. BF ended up getting the Cuban sandwich and the chef whipped up an amazing salad of arugula, marinated veggies and an lemon almond couscous for me. Out. Of. This. World. I ordered a ½ press coffee and we shared the homemade nutter butters for dessert (on the waiter’s recommendation that they were one of the few desserts I could have).
It was so refreshing to find an amazing restaurant that was knowledgable about vegan/​vegetarian fare with locally grown ingredients to boot! Best meal we had all weekend and we will *definitely* return.

Man, I really want to love The Bistro. Local food with a seasonally-​inspired menu? Should be a total win in my book; unfortunately, it fell short in so many ways.
On a Sunday night it was pretty barren inside, only two tables with patrons and one person at the bar. We were greeted nicely by the hostess and seated quickly.
The menu is small (which I like) as was the drink list (surprising to me). We were told that two of the beers on the list of drafts were not available, which was nice to be told of in advance. My mother ordered some wine, but we were told they were out of that wine. She asked for another, which they were out of as well. Eventually she found one she wanted to order.
All together, the four of us ordered steak tartare, bone marrow, and two onion soups for starters. My onion soup was very good — not too salty, not overwhelmingly cheesy, and almost sweet. Very good. My boyfriend’s steak tartare tasted like pure black pepper; though something our entire table normally enjoys, we barely ate half of it. My mom enjoyed her bone marrow though.
My lamb shank entrée was very, very good; my mother also enjoyed her salmon entrée, as did my boyfriend and his burger (though it was more medium-​well than medium-​rare). My father’s medium-​rare burger was well-​done to the point that even the waiter said, «Wow, that wasn’t even close,» before apologizing and taking it away. By the time my dad’s burger arrived, the rest of us were nearly done with our meals. Furthermore, although I’ve heard nothing but great things about the duck fat fries, everyone at our table agreed that they were far too salty.
I absolutely loved the nutter butter «fondue» dessert and my boyfriend loved his brownie dessert. Honestly, the desserts were the highlight of the evening! We also ordered coffee, which was nicely presented in a French press (my favorite way to brew coffee).
The waiter definitely, definitely messed up when he didn’t decant the wine… at all. My mom had bitter wine grit on the bottom of her glass, too, because the waiter improperly poured the very last drop from the bottle into her glass, which a waiter should know NOT to do with that kind of wine. My mom wasn’t happy having a bitter, gritty taste in her mouth when we left.
Honestly, I enjoyed my meal, but given that everyone else at my table had something wrong with some part (or multiple parts) of their meals I can’t give them a good rating and I probably won’t be back, except for maybe a beer or their desserts.
(On a side note, while we were waiting for our dessert, a couple who was seated near us apparently disliked their entrees so much that they sent them back, got up and left very angrily. They came back after about 5 minutes to finish their glasses of wine at the bar, but then left for good soonafter. I’d never seen anything like that before!)

We realized we had over half an hour before our next event and that we were hungry, thus we happily stumbled into The Bistro. I appreciated the relaxed yet classy (and interesting) atmosphere. The wait staff was friendly and competent, and the menu was original. My only complaint is that it was way over air-​conditioned. I recommend wearing long pants and bringing a jacket. I hope someone who works there reads this and turns the flipping thermostat up.
On to the food: we ordered three appetizers, which was more than enough food for us. The duck fat fries were tasty (though my husband prefers the ones at Senate), the terrine was interesting (particularly with the red pepper relish), and the lobster salad was inspired (I loved the candied hazelnuts). If we had more time we would have ordered the roasted bone marrow.
I should also mention that The Bistro makes every effort to use local produce – combined with a great menu and cozy vibe, this makes The Bistro a stand out place for me, though the positive effects of eating local food is undercut by massively overusing air conditioning.

This place has a great vibe-​the art is fun and at times unexpected. We had onion soup and then a lentil smoked salmon salad that was unexpected and delicious.
Good wine by glass list and lots of beer on tap (micro and big names) and bottles.
Good service.

The brick chicken almost garnered The Bistro five stars all by itself.
Hands down the best chicken I’ve had at a restaurant anywhere. Juicy, flavorful, tender… I usually avoid chicken because it’s so standard and can be so bland, but I wanted something light – and I was thoroughly impressed. Even without the skin (I let my dining companion have mine), the meat was packed with flavor.
The farro salad (a warm wheat-​grain-​pastaish dish) served underneath, however, I could take or leave. It needed salt in a bad way (we had to ask for salt – there were no shakers on any of the tables).
As others have mentioned, the service can be a bit pokey. It wasn’t inattentive, but be sure to mention if you’re in a rush.
I would definitely return for a visit next time I’m in Cinci – many of their other menu items look absolutely delicious and unique. And who can resist a place with a butter prostitute painted on the mirrored wall?

I was visiting Cincinnati for a few days. I didn’t know where to go eat and I was cheated by the Hilton’s hotel concierge which gave us terrible recommendation to another restaurant within the walking distance of the Hotel. I learned the lesson from the previous night and instead ask couple guys from the valet parking just outside the hotel. They recommended «Bistro», conveniently just about 50 yard away.
I was skeptical due to the bad experience of the previous night. But then upon reading the Bistro’s menu, It seem rustic and simple, and yet descriptive in term of the Ingredients. This menu gives me a hint of some kind of decent food I am about to eat.
Our party was 6, we ordered Onion Soup, Veggie Lasagna, Hamburger with duck fat fries special of the day Salmon mushroom risotto and Coffee Rub Duck Breast. The food was outstanding compare to San Francisco Bay area which is where we live.
I had the Duck, the breast was pan fry to perfection. Classic duck breast dish, and the seasoning was right on the spot, just enough, the breast was tender, moist, the skin was scrips, all the fat rendered completely due to the cross cut on the skin. ¹⁰⁄₁₀.
I did not taste any of the other dish, but judging from look of satisfaction from all of my friends face, their clean plate and a few offer to lick the dish, tell me they have enjoy the meal as much as I did.
The server was outstanding, quick, and attentive. ¹⁰⁄₁₀ to who ever he was with the pony tail. I forgot his name, which was same on me.
Overall experience was great, would definitely come back if Cincy ever cross my road.

Very disappointing dining experience at The Bistro last night (writing this as an «update» to my review of Jean-​Ro Bistro, but to be clear, except for the physical location, there is no resemblance).
Service failed at literally every point and the food, while not a complete failure, was not nearly enough to make up for the disastrous service experience.
How did you fail, The Bistro, oh let me count the ways:
1. Took waiter forever to acknowledge us, even longer to take our dinner orders and an astronomically long time to come back with a wine recommendation.
2. When ordering, server did not write down orders; apparently didn’t hear my husband’s first course soup order the first time around and repeated back a bibb salad for his first course. At our puzzled looks, explained «that’s what I say instead of I didn’t hear you.» Also came back 20 minutes later and re-​confirmed our orders, never a good sign.
3. Orders either didn’t get put right in or there was some other kind of mix-​up because we waited almost 2 hours for our entrees. No apologies or explanations. The table right next to us who were seated 30 minutes after we arrived, finished their food before ours arrived (one of their entrees was the same as ours).
4. Lobster bisque was horrendous – tasted like dirty lobster stock without any of the usual richness or creaminess, not to mention pieces of actual lobster. Left it alone after 2 bites; server had abandoned us yet again so couldn’t tell him I was dissatisfied until a good 20 minutes later. At which point, he took it away without offering to bring me anything else.
5. Manager came by at the end of the meal to ask us if everything had been «wonderful» and which point I politely told her that I didn’t care for the bisque and the timing of the meal was seriously off. She explained that they were a person short, but didn’t apologize or offer anything at all to make up for it.
6. When the server brought the check, it was incorrect (he had charged us for the more expensive 3-​course prix fixed option vs. the 2 courses each we actually ordered). When he brought it out again, it didn’t have the $ 50 gift certificate taken off that we gave him and we were charged for the awful bisque I didn’t eat. At least he had a sense of humor when he remarked, «you’d think it was my first night, ever. At least it can’t get any worse from here.»
To be completely fair, I have to say that my husband’s onion soup that we ended up sharing was quite good, as was his charcoal steak (tastes like a campfire!) that I snagged a few bites of. My trout was very simply prepared, but fresh and good, although the greens that came with it were so bitter as to be inedible.
I understand that hectic nights at restaurants happen, but better communication from our server and some type of acknowledgement on the part of the manager would have gone a long way into maybe turning this «eek» into an «a-​ok».

Ah The Bistro, which was Jean-Ro’s Bistro and is now The Bistro minus Jean-​Ro.
I never went there back when the big man himself owned it, but I figured it was still worth trying. The raves are still review and it’s a landmark of our Cincinnati area. Let’s get eatin’
The concept of The Bistro is local. Local food, local cuisine choices, local local. It almost seems like they want you to feel this food is coming right off the farm and onto your plate. While that’s not exactly the way I felt, I appreciated the effort.
The décor in the place is wonderful and funky. Bits of Americana spread everywhere, with old ads for food and crazy artwork on the walls. It was very nice to just sit there and enjoy it while sipping a glass of wine.
The food was good, not unbelievably amazing, but not terrible either. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I came for lunch, where I could have gotten a very fresh sandwich for about half of what I paid for dinner. It was tasty, it just didn’t blow me away for the prices they were charging.
It also took forever to get our food. My gal and I started with soup and salad and it never came. We waited at least half an hour for our first course. Very strange. After that, everything came out nicely. I’m not sure if they wanted us to drink more wine while waiting for the meal or if there was confusion in the kitchen or what, but it did take a long time. And our waiter never apologized … or even mentioned it, to tell you the truth, so I’m not sure if that’s just the norm.
So three stars. Not terrible but not amazing either. Still, I’m sure I will be back sometime though and try it again … maybe for lunch.

Ah, the Bistro, I finally made it into the doors. Great space with exposed brick and some funky sort of country-​home art on the walls. This is a great place for a nicer dinner date or a small group.
The service was nice, but be ready to have a… leisurely meal. This is probably not the place to grab a quick bite. But if you do decide to grab a bite, you won’t be disappointed. All the dishes sound like strange combinations but are so very delicious, and the presentation was lovely. We loved the pork confit appetizer. The onion soup is pretty standard but good, and the husband’s burger was pretty perfect. I had the lobster salad, which looked small but was filled with hearty chunks of lobster and ended up being very filling. We ordered the pot de crème dessert– heavenly, but you really need 4 people to eat it all, and that chocolately goodness should not go to waste!
All in all, great beer and wine list and a unique selection of food makes for a very nice dining experience. I will have to try out the happy hour menu next!

My parents and I stopped in here for dinner pretty late on a Saturday night (after 9 pm). We mostly just needed a quick bite, but wanted something a little nicer than your average fare. We stumbled into the warm and aptly named Bistro. Casually elegant, I enjoyed the atmosphere very much.
Sipping a glass of great but expensive wine while I perused the menu, I decided on their soup of the day (roasted squash, as I recall), and a bowl of mussels with a side of fries. My mom got the heirloom tomato salad and dad had the burger.
The soup was all right — good flavor, but odd consistency. Too thick to be called soup, it seemed more like «squash purée.» Or baby food. The taste was pleasant but the texture was not what we expected. My mussels were fair as well — well cooked, and the broth had mostly nice flavor but was a bit salty. A good, large portion for the price. The side of fries was enormous. Massive. I don’t even know if two people could finish them as a side dish. We barely made a dent. They were good, but not what I expected when I saw «duck fat fries» on the menu. I hoped for something a little more… perfect? Decadent? And mom’s salad was shockingly small. I know appetizers at nice restaurants are often tiny, but this was just… minuscule. Which would’ve been okay, except the waitress knew Mom that the salad was the only thing Mom ordered, and it seems like it would’ve been nice for her to go «by the way, it’s tiny.»
All in all — pretty decent stuff, well presented. All the dishes had good qualities, and things to be desired. I think it’d be worth a try if you are in the area, just order carefully and you might get more hits than misses!

I came here the first night I was in Ohio because I was drawn in by the «local fare» idea of this place. I mean, if I’m going to try something in Ohio, I might as well get food grown locally.
The waitress was super nice and I appreciated her attentiveness. I got the charcoal steak with duck fat fries. The steak was cooked very rare which I like… and I was impressed that it wasn’t bloody. I usually prefer my steak rare but the blood is what puts me off. I got a beautifully cut piece of meat and a side of fries and aioli. The meal, was good but didn’t blow me away as I was hoping.
Since it took them a while to get my entrée out (unsure why) the waitress offered me a free dessert (how could I say no?) and I opted for the pot de crème. This blew me away. It was UNBELIEVABLE. I could not stop eating this cup of delicious chocolately goodness! It pains me to even think I could have missed out on this. It’s a must have for dessert.
Overall, I had a great first meal experience in Ohio thanks to great service and food!

Sometimes there’s nothing like a cold beer. Even better if that beer is good.
The Bistro offers a great assortment of draft imports and microbrews, drawing a big bar crowd for Half Price Draft Night all day long on Mondays. I was tickled to try a refreshing white beer with great citrus undertones and another darker, hefty beer.
If beer isn’t your thing, you might want to check out The Bistro for half price wine night, offering diners great discounts on full bottles.
And if you only want to grab a quick bite, be sure to swing by before 6:30 pm to take advantage of the restaurant’s happy hour menu — complete with a curry poutine dish.
Delish!

For our celebratory dinner to congratulate our friend (and fellow Unilocaler) Christine R. on her 4:05 finish in the Flying Pigs marathon, we chose Bistro Jean-​Ro for our group of 7. There was a nice selection of choices on the menu and our server was extremely helpful in making our decisions easier.
Most of my party got the short ribs, which looked DELISH. I partook in the special of the evening, a bowl full of penne wheat pasta with a chicken confit in a garlic crème sauce w/​aspargus and carrots. It was VERY good. I also had the warm goat cheese salad which came with a side of roasted beats, which I was nervous about. It turned out incredible. I’m glad I went outside my comfort zone and landed on that salad! It was soooo good and a great light way to start the meal.
The others partook in sweet potato and pear soup, which looked heavy but delicious. I was jealous, but glad I didn’t get it and totally ruin my diet. :)
I got a lemon drop martini which was overpriced and small so I might have stuck with wine next time, but other than that, I have no complaints. However, I was underwhelmed with the choices on the dessert menu, so we went elsewhere.
The restaurant is covered in beautiful mirrors with clever food related sayings listed on them and lots of clean lined photography for décor. The atmosphere is very romantic and I would recommend this for a couple going on a date (or even getting engaged) and groups looking for a nice balance of variety, that this Americanized modern cuisine offers! YUM YUM!

My boyfriend and I have been here 3 times — the first 2 times about two years ago, when it was still owned by Jean Robert’s organization, and the third time tonight, after the transition — and we were very pleased all 3 times.
The food is excellent. Tonight we shared a charcuterie plate, my boyfriend had the ribs, and I had the scallops. Then we shared the artisan cheese plate for dessert. Everything was delicious and perfectly paired, particularly my scallops and risotto.
Our server was also very good — friendly, knowledgeable (we asked a lot of questions), and attentive. I love the French décor/​posters, and the noise level was good («busy» but not loud).
In all, I definitely recommend this place for a nice evening out. Being right down the street from Fountain Square is nice too!

Bistro Jean-​Ro is absolutely superb. My husband and I went last week I can’t say enough good things about the food.
We started with some appetizers, the steak tartar and the chestnut gnocchi. Both were awesome. If I had to be picky, I would say more garnish on the steak tartar. For entrees, I had the coq au vin and my husband the pan seared scallops with foie gras, mushroom risotto and lemon confit. The coq au vin was amazing. The chicken so moist and flavorful. The scallops were cooked perfect and the risotto married perfect with the lemon confit. Again if I had to be critical, there weren’t any vegetables served with, which I don’t understand.
The restaurant itself is wonderful inside. A nice bar, decent wine selection, and a quiet atmosphere. Our waiter was a little flighty at hte beginning, but he made up for it by the end. I can’t recommend this place enough.
Oh and the price? Not too bad at $ 90 (not including tip) for 1 cocktail, 1 glass of wine, 2 apps and 2 entrees!

I came here for lunch.
Their French onion soup was pretty good– not the best I’ve ever had, but good. I also had their Croque Madame– very filling, and pretty good, the egg is what’s key to the sandwich, not as crispy as it should have been.
I got the pot de crème for dessert– it just tasted like hard chocolate mousse in a cup. It’s OK.

We loved this place. We had read about it and then I sort of stumbled upon it during a lunch break. We came back for dinner.
We had a wonderful, flaming waitron, Jared. He definately took great care of us. We started with the appetizer special, which was this special mushroom, that was grilled (i think), it was huge, the size of your fist and really meaty and delicious.
For my entrée, I had the sauteed trout with hazelnut beurre noisette and pumpkin flan. It was incredible. It was one of those dishes where you simply savor each bite as the flavor is so incredible.
My sister got another fish dish, another special, again, it had scallops so I couldn’t try it. We split the fries, cause they looked so yummy going by. They were!
For dessert, Jared recommened the Pot de Crème, which Jared said is «sex in a cup», again, superb!
We loved it, would recommend it highly and go there again and again. It’s one of those places with great food, good service and it’s not too snobby!