Bistango

I really wanted to like this place. I had heard good things from my coworkers. I was here for lunch with said coworkers, and was sorely disappointed. I ordered the salmon, and they had lobster bisque for the soup of the day, which I had to start.
The lobster bisque was so so. I’d give it three stars. The salmon was dry and overcooked, one star. The salmon came on a bed of what they called ratatouille, but was fresh veggies chopped up, and mildly seasoned. Not bad, but nothing special about it either.
Honestly the best thing about the meal was the iced tea, which was very good. Pretty sad considering the price of the meal.

Love the service! Nice romantic night for two, or groups. The band is fun at the bar area or sit in the back where is a bit more enclosed, but you can hear the band so that’s really fun. The food is excellent, I love the lamb. Will be back as usual, love this place.

Bistango is a unique New American style restaurant, located in the heart of the business district of Irvine off of the 405 and 55 freeways.
I came here for a birthday party and we ordered salads and calamari for appetizers.
The salad was your ok standard salad, but the calamari was a little rubbery. They did have unique dipping sauces to try out the calamari, but overall it wasn’t such a great appetizer.
I ordered the steak with mushroom and pepper sauce which came with potatoes and grilled vegetables. My steak was cooked pretty well, and the vegetables were really crisp and flavorful.
My only gripe is that the mashed potatoes were a little runny. They weren’t thick and chunky the way I prefer them in restaurant settings.
My friend ordered the swordfish with risotto. I am used to rubbery swordfish, but this was actually a really good dinner plate. My friend let me have a bite or two of his plate and even though the food here is not HUGE, it is quite filling.
For dessert, they have a great chocolate lava cake.
Overall I will give Bistango a solid 3.5 stars. However, I will round down because the calamari wasn’t too great. Also, the prices are a little high for the portions.
This is a great place to get a corporate dinner, its a relaxing vibe, they have jazz music and even dancing with a live musician on weekends.
You will see a lot of 40 + yuppies, corporate lawyers, tech executives and others who work in the area. Apparently, an old buddy who I studied law with says its really popular with corporate attorneys In Newport and Irvine.
A solid New American Restaurant in Irvine, but a bit on the pricey side!

This is definitely a hidden gem for me.
I even felt underdressed and I only dress business casual and up. The atmosphere felt like I was for some reason in New York City.
I really joyed the pumpkin menu since I am a pumpkin fan. Yammy!
This place definitely gets five stars for me!

This is a nice spot for dining and relaxing, nice décor and friendly staff from valet to the server! Happy hour food and drink are are steal!

We’ve been here twice and the first time was for Thanksgiving dinner. The food was very good and the service was perfect!
Our second trip here we brought my in-​laws for dinner. Service was not nearly as good as it was our first time and the food wasn’t as good either.
Overall still a good meal though.

1^st off… Huge thank you to our amazing server Shane. From the moment we were seated he was awesome. His knowledge and patients was exactly what we needed.
We had a reservation for 8:30pm on a Thursday night for my boyfriends birthday. We were seated right away.
The ambiance is trendy and relaxing. There was live music that evening. The music was beautiful and not too loud.
The food was perfect. We ordered two steak entrees. For dessert we had the chocolate soufflé and it was Devine.
We hadn’t realized we were the last people in the restaurant… We were never pressured or rushed in any way. Such a classy environment.
Will definitely be returning and requesting Shane. He made the experience so lovely and memorable.

Our party of 5 had dinner at Bistango on Thursday night. We were able to get a reservation just a few hours ahead of time and now I think I see why. I did like the décor and artwork, and the live band playing near the bar was excellent. The restaurant is huge though so it feels impersonal. I would not recommend it for a special occasion or romantic evening.
Service was very slow throughout but especially at the beginning. I think the servers were changing shifts or ours was just leaving, or. the handoff was extremely awkward. It took a very long time after ordering to get our food. Our waiter did stop by to let us know the status and apologize which was nice.
One of our servers smelled very strongly of cigarette smoke and every time he came to refill our water the smell was noticeable by everyone. The sommelier also smelled strongly of cigarettes.
Wine: I didn’t see the wine list but my colleagues were able to find something they liked and we ordered 2 bottles. One of the bottles, a white, was VERY yellow. The person who ordered it immediately detected something was wrong and commented on it several times. The waiter poured it anyway and she was forced to send it back. (The sommelier stopped by to let us know that he agreed the wine was bad.) I feel like the appropriate thing to do would have been to check with the sommelier about the color first, and if he agreed that it was off, try to locate another bottle rather than opening the one that was clearly off.
Food: My tuna was very tasty, although they said mixed vegetables and it was literally just mushrooms. But the fish was nicely seared and tasted fresh.
Other well reviewed food was the tartare, mixed salad, and seabass. The paella was terrible and should be taken off the menu immediately. Paella should not be made with basmati rice and should definitely not be soupy… Fortunately, the person who ordered it was not shy about letting them know and to their credit, they took it off the bill.
Overall I’d say there were some hits but also some big misses. Perhaps if you know what to order and go during less busy times you might have a better experience.

Bistango – what happened to your fettuccine?! I loved Bistango’s old fettuccine which had beef tenderloin, shiitake mushroom, fennel, and gruyère cheese. it was so delicious!!! now it’s braised beef and has a totally different flavor. bummer. also, their bread didn’t taste as good as i had remembered.
Bistango: please advise me when you bring back your old fettucine. or give me the recipe. thanks.

Service on point. Food was great. Atmosphere made everything more appealing.
I thought the lamb was more tasty then the filet mignon. Dessert was okay.
On a side note, expect everyone around to be elder people in casual business attire.

I had an amazing date here with excellent service. Our waiter didn’t check up on us too much, but checked in on us enough that we didn’t feel so interrupted. The glass was always full and the vibe was really good.
It’s a great place for a date night. The ambiance was great and there is valet right in the front.
Oysters for appetizers: it was delicious. Horse radish was very strong, so be careful on how much you use! The oysters were juicy, but nothing crazy.
I had the rack of lamb, cooked medium rare. It was absolutely amazing. Probably one of the best dishes there. Perfectly seasoned and the sauce complemented the meat so well.
The filet mignon was super flavorful and honestly, you can’t go wrong with filet mignon. I absolutely loved it. I would order one or the other again.
The chocolate soufflé for dessert was a must! I was recommended by some friends to not skip out on the dessert because they’re known for their soufflé here. I wasn’t disappointed. I’m a huge dessert fiend, but not that crazy on chocolate. This chocolate soufflé really lived up to its expectations! Recommended!

Very dissatisfied with their service here!!!
We went here for Pre-​Valentine party for 20 people. First, when u walk in there’s a big billboard advertising for three-​course meal for V-​Day. But, then it’s for Sunday only.
Then, saw another advertisement on another three-​course meal for Feb 12 & Feb 13. Ask our server Victor about it and said «sorry» we not serving that!!! But, he’s willing to ask manager. Ray the manager in charge came and only said «sorry» again pointed out that fine print said, subject to change! What kind of answer is that??? Not very accommodating at all!!! Its Valentine’s weekends???
Bottom line, they can only say SORRY!!! Food is OK. Will never come back. Worst place ever!!!

I can not say enough good things about this establishment.
The service– EXCELLENT, I didn’t have to think twice if I wanted more water, or if i needed new silverware. The waiters are very on point, and even better they are not very chatty.
The food– I had the swordfish with lemon risotto and I left telling my husband that so far that is the best meal I have had. period. My husband had the halibut with mushroom risotto and the quality was sheer perfection.
Atmosphere– Live beautiful soft jazz music in the background.
In summary worth every penny.

One of my favorites. Kitchen is open till 9:30 daily and the food is amazing. Sit in the dining room for a romantic and fancy dinner or get the same food in the bar on happy hour!
The guys running the bar are the best and the reason I keep coming back.

Amazing! Great food… inventive modern cuisine. Service-​classy, informative, fast, awesome!!! Great atmosphere, modern art. Just great all the way around! This was our first trip to Bistango and we will be back for sure. The Garlic soup is to die for!
My husband and I love to try new restaurants and this was a pleasant surprise. We started with the diver scallops over sticky rice… wow…amazing taste, big portion for an appetizer… cooked perfectly and looked beautiful. Then I had the garlic soup… amazing! My husband had the duck salad and is still wanting more! For entrees I had the bone in prime chop. FANTASTIC…flavor was perfect, cooked beautifully, taste was fabulous. My husband had the mushroom crusted halibet

What a swanky little hidden gem.
Came during happy hour yesterday (Thursday) and it was hard to even find one seat at the bar. It wasn’t loud or crowded «feeling» but most of the tables were filling up for dinner and the bar was almost full and quite a few people standing as well. I took this as a good sign. Mostly 40’s and 50’s crowd of gentleman which I enjoyed until my friend arrived. This place is similar to an upscale hotel lobby bar/​restaurant, but it’s on the bottom level of an office building (doesn’t feel like it at all). Don’t worry about dressing up too much, most people were in business causal wear from work.
Happy Hour goes until 7pm I wanna say… possibly later. Tons of small bites on the Happy Hour menu as well as specials on cocktails, wine and I’m sure beer (I didn’t see an actual Happy Hour drink list). The Happy Hour food was actually way more affordable than I was expecting, but those drinks add up, I think our bill was close to $ 300.00 for two people and we didn’t even order dinner. The bar is really nice and very well-​stocked with unique alcohols and both of the bartenders were amazing (David was one and the other was an older guy who clearly knew what the fuck he was doing, and was doing it well). I never had to wait for anything (except my friend who was 30 minutes late). There was a live musician that came at some point, but it was very chill and completely unobtrusive to conversation.
I had a cocktail and a couple glasses of wine (nice that they do 3oz pours as an option), and my friend had several martinis (sorry to the bartender who had to deal with that disaster later). We also ordered the hummus plate, the lamb in a curry sauce from the happy hour menu, garlic truffle fries and a couple desserts. The lamb was a little overdone, but the sauce was very good… you know lamb though, hardly any meat so I wouldn’t recommend this one. The fries were the most massive portion of fries I’ve ever seen… very good, but the sauce (dijon inspired) was missable. The hummus was WAY under-seasoned…needed so much more garlic, lemon juice and tahini. So overall, not impressed with the food in the slightest.
The crème brûlée was pretty delicious and the chocolate trifle or whatever it was, was again not impressive.
The best part about this place is the ambiance, the drinks and the amazing service. The bartenders are really the only reason I would return here. They nailed it.

After enjoying many high end restaurants, I have finally found one that shouldn’t be classified in such category. This one had an unusual environment and felt out of place. With a name like this, you are entering a different venue that separates from the others. Let’s preview this overrated, but yet salvageable, Bistango in Irvine.
Located near John Wayne Airport at one of the office complexes that are both addressed at 19 100 & 19 200 Von Karman Ave, you will find Bistango. During the weekends, I am sure it is quite busy due to the many various offices that are open during the week, As for the weekends, it is dead until it starts getting closer to closing. There is a parking garage behind the building. During the weekends, its free to park. However, you do have the option to use the valet service. You will find the long tented archway to the double door entrance of Bistango. When you walk in, I have to admit, was pretty amazing. There was a wide view of the dining area. There are amazing little statues & decorations throughout Bistango. To the right of entering, you will see the bar area that holds many varieties for the Happy Hour crowd.
My girlfriend checked in our party & were seated in the booths. The booths had wonderful art work on the walls. The odd part of where we were sitting was, I didn’t know we were right under the inner office windows, but the canvass was covering our view. To add to the unusual environment, we were the only ones while there were so many host/​hostess walking around like there was a security breach somewhere. Especially, when they wear all black & seem to be scouring the area for James Bond or something.
Our host for the evening was Scott. He was soft toned host, but did convey the offerings. However, he didn’t inform us that the Sparking Water was not complimentary. BIG MISTAKE! At some of the other luxury restaurants, you had three choices of water, 1) Tap 2) Complimenary Mineral Water 3) Then, the pay for Sparking Water. We are in a drought. Its been automatic to ask for water, but not pay for bottled water. Ugh! I don’t know who to blame: Bistango or just ignorance. We didn’t realize the cost until the end of the menu. Tsk tsk! However, my girlfriend ordered a Shirley Temple. Her best friend & I ordered Hot Tea.
We received complimentary bread & butter. OK, that I can be satisfied with because there was no charge for it. However, if they charged bread & butter per slice, then I would be very upset. As we were looking through the menu & eating the bread, we noticed a gnat on the table crawling. We all stared at it & flagged down Scott. OK, that was disgusting to be seeing it. I know you can’t control every aspect of insects coming in, but I have a feeling it was there the whole time & no one really checked the table. The way the gnat was removed was incorrect. When Scott grabbed it with the napkin, it basically hovered over my girlfriend’s plate. What if the gnat landed on her plate? or drink? Yeah, this wasn’t going to end well.
When that scene ended, we continued to order hoping that this visit could be salvaged. I don’t remember what my girlfriend & her best friend ordered. To be honest, I don’t even recall majority of the prices, but will do my best in this review. First off, I ordered a Garlic Soup ($ 9 & change) to start. Followed by, a Sesame Tuna ($ 32) entrée. The wait was about 15 – 20 minutes for the food. While we waited, we still noticed the room was still empty. There was a party that came in & sat a booth over. Scott mentioned to the party that Bistango had a limited supply of Seabass. OK, why didn’t you tell that to my girlfriend? She had some sort of fish dish, but that would help her decided if it was the route to go.
I received the Garlic Soup. I do love this creamy texture with the whipped cream in the soup. I added some of the complimentary bread because of the croutons already devoured in my mouth. It was delicious. The main course came in & I was ecstatic with the plating of the food. Three wasabi drops and the chili vinaigrette drizzled across the plate. The slices of Sesame Tuna was very exquisite and absolutely a great dish. There was a vegetable mix that was formed almost like a sushi. I believe it had mushrooms and that was as great as the Sesame Tuna. How was it that the food was much better than the service?!
At the end, I was so mixed about Bistango. The service and etiquette was not at par. I didn’t even meet the chef and I would have preferred to be served by the chef. There was too many things wrong that I am surprised why its even considered why its considered a «Wine & Dine Artfully». I swear this was more like Wine and Dine in-​training. The food preparation by the kitchen staff was the highlight of the meal. Other than that, I wouldn’t want to come back for anything else. Unless it was on someone else’s dime.
Unilocal…My passion is not to write my reviews, but to share my experiences with you. Take that journey and share your story.

I recently had lunch at Bistango. It is located on the bottom floor of a large commercial building. Inside, it is fairly nice. I think that there could be a little updating.
I ordered the lunch special which was grilled ono with a macadamia nut sauce on top which was placed on top of wilted flavorless spinach and on top of your typical mashed potato bottom layer. The piece of ono fish was average in taste and quality. The macadamia nut sauce was less of a sauce and more of a coating on top. It had a slight macadamia nut flavor with no spice thus making the entire dish bland and uneventful. The wilted spinach was bland and the mashed potatoes were flavorless and basically there for function and less for impact to your palate.
I liken my experience at Bistango to the majority of higher priced restaurants in the Irvine and Newport Beach area which are for the most part neutral in flavor taking the easy route catering to the masses with no umph, spice or creativity.

This place is a hidden gem! And by hidden, I really mean hidden. Unless you work in the business park where this is located or heard wonderful word of mouth, this wouldn’t be on your radar… at least it wasn’t on mine until a coworker told me about it. This place has it all. Wonderful food, great menu, and amazing customer service. I was very happy!

Had a group lunch here for the holidays. The oraganic baby mixed salad is really fresh. Beef is a little bit overcooked but the whisky pairs with it nicely. The tiramisu is awesome, not as sweet as most other deserts. Service is excellent.

Stopped in here on Thanksgiving. The restaurant has a nice upscale feeling yet it is «connected» to a business building and I wore a tee shirt here Ha!
They had a «prix-​fixe» menu for Thanksgiving which came with soup or salad, turkey with vegetables and stuffing and your choice of a pumpkin cheese cake or chocolate cake.
Although they did have a limited menu that offered other items which I normally would have ordered but everyone else ordered the «prix-​fixe» menu as so did I!
Not a huge turkey fan but I’d give the 3 course meal a 6 and that being generous. Again, I’m not a huge turkey fan so nobody’s getting over an 8 anyways.
The bar area is nice and has a big TV nearby to watch sports. Nice full bar and attentive bartenders.
The wait staff at our table was outstanding. They really impressed me with their level of service.
I’d definetly return here but order off the regular menu.
Plan to spend some money here tho!
Free valet parking per say. You just tip.

Another one of those… I have lived by here for years, but never tried it places.
Bistango is definitely a «hidden» gem so to speak. It’s tucked away in a corporate style building, and while it boosts a sign out front, it is still easy to miss.
I love the décor and overall design of Bistango. As noted before they are literally part of a corporate building, and part of their restaurant actually opens up into the lobby of the main building. However, the dark wood, dimmer lighting, white tablecloths and featured local artwork makes you feel like you have stepped out of the office. They also feature live music in the bar which is a nice touch.
We decided to go for an early dinner, but ended up enjoying happy hour as well. They offer a nice variety of dishes on both the happy hour and normal menu. We had the following
–Garlic Soup-​This was amazing, and apparently a local favorite.
–Diver scallops-​These were excellent, and paired nicely with a risotto and lemon sauce vinaigrette.
–Spicy Chicken sausage– Very good. Just the right amount of spicy.
–King Salmon-​Very good as well. If you are looking for a healthier option this is a perfect choice. Severed with brocollini, potatoes, and a lemon caper sauce.
Service was excellent, everyone was pleasant and attentive.
I recommend and will return.

I’ve worked nearby for 15 years and finally made my way here to this business lunch staple. A colleague and I met up with some people here for lunch one afternoon at their recommendation. I came with the expectation it’ll be like the normal business joints around town, ok food, ok service, etc.
To say I was blown away would be an understatement. Our server, if you can call him that, was a dignified older gent wearing a sweater and shirt combo, definitely not your average waitstaff. He was johnny-​on-​the-​spot with water and drink refills. The busboys were also very quick and efficient.
The food was surprisingly good. I got the $ 22 prix fixe menu and started with the garlic soup (yummy and hot) and picked seared diver scallops (perfectly cooked) as my entrée.
Only complaint was that it did take a long time to work through lunch. Food took a while and after we were done, things took a while to wrap up. It was probably due to the other tables that were seated after us.
At some point, I’d like to return to try more things. This place is by no means an economic lunch option but if you’re feeling like a splurge at lunch (and have two and a half hours), this might be it.

I was expecting to be wined and dined at a fabulous restaurant for a work event but the meal quickly went south. The outside of the restaurant wasn’t anything fancy but the inside had the potential of a upscale feel to it.
The night off so promising with my Hendrick’s and Tonic drink and then right into appetizers. Crab and Lobster Cake was the highlight of that portion of the meal.
Garlic Soup — creamy yet oh so savory. I could probably eat another bowl but then again I don’t want to know how many calories are in there.
Elk — I tried to be adventurous on this night and boy did it backfire. It was slightly gamey, which was ok, but the bad part of it was texture and taste. It was like a piece of meat that was tenderized too much that it was breaking apart and it tasted gritty. It didn’t taste fresh but more like it was previously frozen too long. All bad.
Luckily I was able to salvage any of my night and had the Soufflé. Why not go out with bang and have both the Grand Marnier and chocolate? At least the did me right with the dessert. It was fluffy with the right amount of sweetness.
PARKING: Get the ticket from the gate and there is a self-​parking structure in the back. When you leave to gate should be already open so no need to pay.

I’ll try something new and make this a little interesting for myself… I will draft this review as I sit here. I have never been here before and had never heard of this place until I searched for happy hours near Orange Chair Nail Salon in Unilocal.Though I am not dressed as I would like to be on a Friday night at a three dollar-​signed establishment, I sho nuff walked in with my skinny jeans, black henley, and flip flops. At least the flip flops have nice bling on them… I just got my toes did! And I fit in just fine! I’m «dressier» than the guys in their ripped jeans and faded polo shirts!
My mindset: my head is hurting me — not as much as earlier today, but it’s not happy. OC and I have had an interesting relationship ever since I was little, but I won’t let past experiences cloud this one. It’s a new dawn and a new day… I am not OC’s type so I don’t have to be concerned with over zealous flirting — not that that’s ever an issue of mine.
First impressions: I like that I did not have to valet. There is a parking structure a little yonder past the restaurant. I parked there. The venue is in kind of a random location tucked away amidst office buildings. Nice ambience inside. Muted colors and classy open floor plan. Cigar humidifier in the corner. Sexy, better than elevator, music.
The folks: interesting mix of yuppies and «cotton-​tops» (a mix of big– haired, big-​boobed ones in designer duds and other mousy ones with funny «accents» in Target-​looking dresses). The live music act just came on. I’m not sure if this is his sexy voice or if he is whisper-​singing. Either way, it’s cool. Mix of Motown, Sam Smith, classic stuff I don’t know… Michael Jackson?!?
Some oddities: There’s one creepy crawler at the bar who keeps peepin’ and smilin’…is it because he likes the chocolate? Does he wonder why I am here alone? Or why I am sitting at a larger booth by myself? (I tried sitting at the bar but folks there just looked at me and resituated their belongings so I couldn’t sit in the empty seats — so I’m at a booth!) People seem to be playing musical chairs! The one extra large booth to my left had a table of about eight people who all knew each other. Now I see one guy from that group across the bar sitting by himself at another booth and two others are at a new table with a whole new crew!
Food and drank: I have no idea how much this happy hour cosmo is. It’s pretty yummy though! If you want something other than a couple of wines or select standard martinis, you will pay very full price. I ordered the 4 ounce filet flatbread. I should have known better than to order filet — I don’t like pink meat so I ordered it «pinkless». I ended up taking off the meat. The rest of it is good though!
This review is probably showing my craziness so I will end with these takeaways:
— shout out to Victor who is very sweet and attentive and the only one here who smiles without it looking like it hurts him. Ally was nice, too.
— I would give this place a 3.5 rating if I could. It’s entertaining here and live music makes everything better. I would return with some friends with whom I could chat and laugh. Of the (not that many) places at which I’ve happy-​houred in OC, this is the most ethnically diverse.
— God willing, I will, at some point in life, learn to dance so sweetly with my boo (husband!) to the sounds of live smooth jazz…
— if not, I will take my designer shoes (from Ross!) and be a confident cougar in OC. The wiser women here get mad play from cute youngins!

Came here around 6:30 on a Friday and only the bar area was fairly crowded-​probably for Happy Hour. So, even though we had reservations, we decided to move to the bar (first-​come, first-​serve seating) to eat what everyone else was eating. The online hh menu that we checked right before asking to move to the bar was not the menu we ended up with. Keep in mind that most of those options were not available.
We ordered:
lobster mac and cheese
shrimp scampi
duck confit sliders
beet salad
Of those dishes, only the shrimp scampi was worth ordering. It was cooked to perfection and it was sad that it came out last (due to an error where they initially brought out scallops) so we ended up not finishing the best dish.
Everything else was lackluster. The mac n cheese was so bland, not to mention stingy with the lobster, and the duck confit sliders were dry. The beet salad was fairly good, but would I order it again just on its own? Probably not.
If the drinks were good, perhaps the food would have tasted better. But no. I ordered a blackberry caipirinha and it ended up tasting like a normal caipirinha. I was ready to drink on a Friday (who wouldn’t be ready?) but I ended up drinking only that because I was scared for what else I would waste my sugary calories on.
The décor is nice and unique, not to mention spacious. The live music bumped this place up to a 2-​star rating. The musician was playing a good mixture of jazz (my fav for live music) and babymaking jams. Parking is in a structure if you drive past the valet area and look to your left! It’s easy to miss, making you think that valet is the only option.

If you want to play a little 1990’s Back-​to-​the-​Future game with your significant other, bring them to Bistango (like I unwittingly did based on a skewed Unilocal rating based on 2013). Why, you ask?
Well, the sign greeting you to Bistango is pretty much Matisse font. You know the one. It was trendy to use in your 1995 communications via AOL but NO ONE CAN F*ING READ IT. *sigh*
Entering the restaurant, you feel like you’re most definitely either walking onto the set of Full House, Saved By the Bell or Step by Step based on the 90’s décor…
Then you realize that the only people in Bistango who are under the age of 50 are you, your boyfriend, the cocktail servers and questionably the jazz entertainer. That being said, we all know that «black don’t crack»…dude looks better than Stevie, can definitely tickle keys, sing like Marvin and he’s entertained by 50-​something white couples dancing. GOOD FOR HIM. #highfive
In all honesty, he probably isn’t very entertained by these people dancing but Bistango pays the goddamn bills and this is Orange County and rents AIN’T cheap #preach!
Anyway, on to the positives… the valet is complimentary (tip obviously), we walked in and immediately snagged a bar table on a Friday night at 7pm, the Happy Hour menu is extensive and goes til 9pm, the service was impeccable, HH wine $ 6 per glass. Score!
Food…I’m sorry to report that none of it was special. We ordered the calamari — meh, rubbery, served with an odd, flavorless aoili — had to request lemon wedges but our cute cocktail waitress offered up marinana also. Yes, please.
Sliders…meh. But I gotta give them props for replicating Big Mac sauce.
Scallops, pretty flavorless, not properly seared and served over an asparagus «risotto» that was decidely undercooked and in need of seasoning.
Lastly we ordered the lobster mac & cheese. Again, bland, lacking of seasoning and maybe a quarter cup of scant lobster meat mixed in. And I’m being generous asserting a quarter cup.
I later heard that Bistango has amazing garlic soup, but that tip came too late (Thanks, Aaron E) and I’m already uninspired to return.
Still, the entertainment (aside from aforementioned jazz entertainer) was plentiful as dicussions around us centered on doctors appointments, rebellious teenagers and taking probiotics *cough* Viagra.
Wait, are you sure those blue things at the host desk were mints?

The ambiance at dinner started off as quiet and relaxing and soon escalated to musical and lively. There happened to be live music that night — jazz — and an elderly couple with the swiftness and agility of 20 year olds wowed the dinner crowd with their twirls and dips. We were happily entertained.
Service was unfortunately very slow (and not in the leisurely way). Communication with our server also proved to be difficult throughout our dining experience. Due to dietary constraints, we requested a vegetarian risotto and asked if mushrooms could be used. Our server seemed rushed and may not have heard the last bit about mushrooms for he was quick to leave our table. For dessert, one of us asked if there were other options aside from cheesecake, which the server was unable to answer. He returned later to suggest that we should order sorbet when what we really would have appreciated was to peruse the dessert menu (or at least be given all the options for dessert).
The meal itself was a bit inconsistent. The complimentary bread was quite the crowd pleaser as it came warm, moist, and aromatic (as if right from the oven), accompanied by salted butter. For the entrée I had the halibut, which had a firm, chewy texture as expected, but was a bit dry. The accompanying vegetable sides didn’t leave much of an impression but were served with a simple tapenade. Among the dining party, those that extolled their dinner choices were the ladies who ordered pasta. For dessert, we decided upon the pear tart that came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The tart itself was not freshly made as the texture of the pastry was stiff and stale. The pears were on the dry side.
Parking was available in the lot and complimentary valet was provided as well.