Le Bistro

If Jean-​Paul and Kathleen are reading this: I was on the LeBistro mailing list and received notice that you had closed. You had an alternate business, however, selling French macaroons. Could you respond to this Unilocal comment and post the information regarding the macaroons for me? Thank you.

I’m glad to see that my opinion of Le Bistro has been confirmed by its recent closing.

I was looking for something special for Valentine’s Day, and decided to try out Le Bistro based on the positive reviews on Unilocal.Overall, I was extremely satisfied, and would definitely rank this as one of the better meals I’ve ever enjoyed.
To start, there was a champagne cocktail with a hint of violet that was perfectly balanced with enough violet to really come through in the flavor, but not so much that it overpowered the drink.
The next course was an assortment of macaroons, including black truffle and one that I swear could have passed for salmon if you were blindfolded and doing a taste test. It was incredibly flavorful, and I was surprised by how well the sweetness of the macaroons mixed with and complemented the other flavors.
A spicy sprout salad was served next, tossed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The beets were an interesting touch, and I liked the salad, though I wouldn’t say that I was blown away by it.
Next up was a French rose sorbet, and my only complaint was that I wished I could have enjoyed even more of it! The flavor was superb, and it continued the flower theme that the violet champagne cocktail had began the evening with.
For the main course, I was served the Lobster Cassolette with a sweet banyuls sauce draped with a crusty blanquette, and my date had the rack of lamb with a lavender crust served au jus. Both were delicious, with the lobster perfectly cooked and balanced nicely by the texture of the blanquette, while the rack of lamb was savory and strong on its own with just enough of the lavender coming through to add to the flavor.
Lastly, we finished the meal with a chocolate cake that had what I believe was passion fruit mouse layered within and raspberries on top. The tartness of the raspberries was a perfect compliment to the bitterness of the chocolate, and it had a light and airy texture that was the perfect end to a fantastic meal.
My only complaint, and it’s a small one, is that we weren’t asked about wine when we selected our entrée (the rest of the meal was pre fixe) so we had to flag down the waiter to request a bottle. Other than that, the service was attentive and helpful, including the owners, who serve as both hostess and chef.

Wife and I were looking for a place to eat lunch on the Friday before Valentine’s Day after seeing a movie in Pleasant Hill. We don’t get to go out to eat much without the kids around so this was our V-​day meal. We stumbled upon Le Bistro after walking around trying to figure out what we wanted to eat. French food is not our normal food which made this an excellent choice for something a little more special.
The restaurant was empty when we arrived (about 1:30 p.m.) but we were greeted by the friendly waiter, Joe, and seated. He explained the menu and we decided on the one dish wonders where you get an appetizer, entrée, and dessert. We ordered one of each appetizer and one of each entrée so we could sample each. The appetizers were a salmon gravlax with a wild greens salad and a carrot soup. The entrees were a chicken with mushrooms and a salmon puff with ratatouille. Dessert was a chocolate mousse.
There is a sign in the restaurant which said «the problem with French food is that you are hungry 3 or 4 days later.» We laughed when the waiter pointed that out and it was certainly true. The food was delicious but quite filling. We both were so full.
Overall, service was great and the food was great. Ratatouille was superb and I’m still thinking about it 4 days later!

I am totally shocked at some of the awful reviews of Le Bistro and amazed that this place is not ranked with 4+ stars. My husband and I used to live in the East Bay and Le Bistro was our favorite spot for special occasions. We’ve been here several times and have always been delighted with the food, service and ambiance.
One of my favorite restaurant memories is from this place. My husband and I were seated next to another couple. The woman ordered the filet mignon, well-​done. The waiter took her order and came back a few minutes later to tell her that the chef would not prepare a filet well-​done and he instead recommended a lesser cut of meat if she wanted it prepared that way. My husband and I wanted to applaud! We thought it was wonderful that we were eating food prepared by a chef who cared so much about his creations that he wouldn’t ruin them — even at risk of offending a customer. Because really, why order a filet mignon if you are just going to cook it until it’s tough?
Yes, it’s expensive. The menu is posted both online and outside — there should be no surprises then.
Yes, the tables are close together. This is «bistro» style seating.
Yes, the staff expect you to understand proper etiquette for a fine dining establishment. The prices on the menu alone should be enough to give this away.
Now that we live in SF, I miss this place terribly and have made a vow to go back soon. We heart Le Bistro!

Le bistro is beautifully decorated for the holidays and the décor looks more of Tuscan than French. I ordered the Smoked Salmon with celery chutney on top. It comes with spinach, some veggie mix and pumpkin. the chutney was sweet and Salmon tasted as if it could use some salt and pepper. Overall the ambiance is good and the wait staff is friendly.

I have had lunch here twice and both times it was outstanding. The first time I was there with a girlfriend for her birthday. We had the anchovies for a starter which was lovely, not oily or overly salty with a delicate flavor. I had the most amazing salad with fish. In fact I loved it so much I ordered it again when I returned with another girlfriend who works in the wine industry for my birthday. While I know it isn’t to many American tastes, the Fanny cocktail is an amazing way to start your meal. It tastes like those violet candies you get in the tin with the anise seed in the middle.
Right now I am trying to see how I can go out of my way to pick up my BFF from Oakland airport, have dinner here and then go to Napa for the weekend. A little out of my way (Point Richmond) but worth it!

My husband and I had a lovely dinner at Le Bistro. What a charming little place… we actually sat outside and enjoyed a beautiful night while we ate delicious food! We also had a bottle of Rose and it was perfect on a warm evening.
How fun to see the chef amongst the diners too. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming and this restaurant is a place we left feeling very satisfied about.
Have wine, try an appetizer, take it all in and just relax. The staff is there to take care of you and the food is fantastic. This was a choice we would recommend and are so happy we tried ourselves!

This review is from my experience at this restaurant on July 17, 2009.
I was scheduled to watch Turandot at the Dean Lesher Center for the Arts so I decided to make an evening out of it and start with dinner. I’ve been to Le Bistro before but didn’t write a review because it was a miss and I really wanted to convince myself it was just a fluke and that they could actually do better. So I tried again a second time and below pretty much sums up my experience.
MEAL:
Toast of King: Ghastly. Garlic in the oil was overwhelming. The foie gras tasted like chicken liver and the brioche was close to burnt. An «A» for effort but the flavors were all sharp and separate. Good thing I wasn’t on a date that night. He would’ve been turned off with my garlic breath.
Halibut: The halibut was cooked well but the sauce was too creamy. It overwhelmed the fish. The sauce would have worked with veal or beef medallions because they could stand the overwhelming nature of the sauce.
Ratatouille: This dish was most tasty. It was ironic though because it was a side. I guess simple dishes make the statement because no overthinking was done to mess them up. Unfortunate for the foie gras/​brioche and the halibut.
Wine: The rose was exquisite. It was very light and refreshing on a 100 degree day. The comp water with fruit was suprisingly cooling. I had a Banyuls for dessert wine. Notes of honey and raisins dominated my glass. It was slightly oaky. It was a good finish though I hope I made a better choice.
DINNER EXPERIENCE:
Décor: Not too crazy about the netting in the front with Xmas lights and the vine was too much. Some serious editing needs to be done with this place.
Kathleen who was serving as hostess was too overbearing. I felt like I was in a convent run by a strict nun. Being served by a waiter-​in-​training did not help either because she was so domineering over the poor guy. It was unpleasant when she tried to tell the waiter step-​by-​step how to pour water into my glass. I did not appreciate the constant barrage of reprimand I was hearing within earshot.

My girlfriend and I received a $ 50 gift certificate to Le Bistro several months ago. We live in the Oakland hills so we kept putting it off.
We had the most wonderful experience, from beginning to end.
The drinks were delicious, (the best lemon drop we both have ever had) service and food outstanding.
I had looked at Le Bistro on Unilocal,and quite frankly was prepared to hate it based on some of the Unilocal and comments.
Fortunately we couldn’t because everything was so wonderful.
We will be back, bring friends and make this restaurant one of our special places to celebrate life.
The prices are fair considering the quality ingredients used and served.

Nice bistro
Good food
Great chef
what’s else do you need
Vas y Jean Paul
tapes dedans

My wife thought it’d be fun to go out and celebrate Bastille Day at a French restaurant. We tried booking Bouchon in Yountville a month ago but, alas, they were booked solid. The Left Bank in Pleasant Hill recently closed so we thought we’d give Le Bistro in Walnut Creek a try. We booked a table on OpenTable for 7:00 PM a few weeks ago.
I got a call on Monday, the day before Bastille Day, to notify us that the dinner would be served Buffet style and that, due to a computer error, our reservation was moved to 7:30 PM. I asked about corkage and was told that their corkage was $ 30. Ouch, way pricey!
I purchased a beautiful bottle of Domaine Ott Rose a couple of years ago at the Beverly Hills Cheese Shop. For those of you who enjoy Rose wine, look for Domaine Ott and it will blow your mind. It’s pricey but this seemed like the perfect meal to open the bottle so I was willing to overlook the corkage fee. We arrived promptly at 7:30 and were seated at a table near the back.
Service was slow but nevertheless very good. We found out during the meal that one of the waiters had not shown up that day. Clearly they were understaffed but made the best of a difficult situation. I’ve got no problem with the service. In fact, when we finally got up to get a plate of food at the buffet, they mistakenly took down our table and dumped out our glasses of wine (yes, the same wine for which we had to pay $ 30 corkage). I mentioned this fact to them and the owner offered us 3 glasses of their rose wine which was, incidentally, very good. Even after this mix-​up, we didn’t get upset or flustered. They apologized profusely and clearly we understood this to be an accident.
The food was decent, but certainly not great. I very much enjoyed the ratatouille they served, even if it was a little slightly sweeter than the ratatouille I had when I lived in the South of France. I was surprised not to find any Pissaladiere, a dish which would have fit nicely on the buffet and brought out flavors reminiscent of Provence. Still, they had a very nice cheese spread and an assortment of nice, albeit unimaginative, hot foods. Honestly buffet style dining is a very hard way to showcase your culinary skills and I am surprised that they would choose this formula on a day like Bastille Day. In short, I’d come back to eat here but would want to try their actual menu. I wouldn’t come back for the buffet, especially at $ 40 a person.
So far, believe it or not, this review would garner Le Bistro 4 stars. As I said, they were very kind. The atmosphere was festive with the Chef dancing with a patron to the live music playing at the front of the restaurant. Clearly the vibe was good.
So why 3 stars? I was honestly surprised that they did not remove the corkage fee of $ 30 especially after they’d dumped out what probably equaled a full glass and a half of the wine we brought in. Yes, I realized they served us 3 glasses of their own rose, but still, guys, you dump our wine and still charge us corkage?
I’d probably give them another chance although it’d be harder to convince my wife to return. Clearly if you’re in the mood for French food in the 925, your choices are limited so this is a safe bet. Still, it’s no Bouchon or Bistro Jeanty in the Napa Valley.

Before me and my husband moved out of the Bay Area last August, we visited this restaurant frequently. My husband and I are big fans of great French food (my husband speaks French and we’ve both been to France) and we loved this cozy, yummy little hole in the wall restaurant in Walnut Creek.
I have never, ever had a bad meal here, nor have I had a bad experience with the service. My absolute favorite dish here is their potatoes au gratin — it is absolutely fabulous! Their meats are stellar and their deserts are superb.
I actually prefer this restaurant to many of the restaurants me and my husband have frequented in Paris!

You might be surprised to know…
You can enjoy a delicious and filling lunch for under $ 20.00 at this darling little French Bistro! People often assume because it’s French, the portions are small and the price is large and the atmosphere is full of snobbery… But it’s not so! Wife and business partner Kathleen offers a genuine and warm welcome when you open the door and she continually glides through the dining room making sure everyone is comfortable and happy. Chef Peluffo offers up traditional fare from his hometown Nice with fresh ingredients and healthy portions. Whether you’re looking for good honest French country fare or a modern and sophisticated plate you’re sure to find it here! And they can even whip up a special plate for the veggies (vegetarians).

My husband and I were looking for a last minute NYE dinner option and as luck and the gods would have it,
revealed that there was a table left at Le Bistro for their late seating at 9:15Pm — yay!
The atmosphere was so jovial and relaxed last night, it really was the perfect choice. Chef Jean-​Paul was in rare form, blowing a celebratory whistle at his regulars, wearing his 2009 party hat and just generally having a great time doing what he does VERY well: creating delicious food. The tables were outfitted with confetti and their signature fruit-​infused water (seriously, how can water smell and taste so wonderfully?).
The table bread and butter (which there was an abundance of) were both flavored with rosemary and nice and soft so you could tear off chunks easily. My husband and I both ordered the 8^th Sin cocktail which was a bubbly medley of St Germain liquor, lychee vodka and topped off with french champagne (naturelement) — was yummy, but finished pretty strong, so keep that in mind if you’re a lightweight! The waiter, who was adorably charming, laughed and said we were very bad having 16 sins at one table ;)
For dinner I ordered the Canard a l’Orange (Orange Duck) which was served with a side mélange of tomato, red pepper and eggplant (I think?), a pureed potato and orange sauce. The duck was melt in your mouth buttery and topped with chunks of orange. It was well presented and more than enough food! My husband had one of the specials veal wrapped in sweetbread with the same sides — it was roll your eyes back into your head good. I almost had dinner envy, except my duck was equally delicious.
So, in keeping with my previous Le Bistro visits, both the Chef and his fabulously fun staff exceeded my expectations and was (again) the PERFECT way to ring in the year year. Bravo!
p. s. Their menu indicated you can order a few dishes for pick up for a very reasonable price, so if you don’t have an excuse to have a sit-​down dinner, you can still bring a piece of provence home with you!

How do I make this short and to the point? It all seemed «too much».
It’s overpriced. I was really wanting some nice cheeses, so I ordered the cheese plate as an appetizer. It was so so small and was about $ 20. I could have bought have the cheese department at Whole Foods down the street for that price!
The flavors in the meal are all a bit too heavy and rich. They didn’t offer any vegetarian meals, so I went with some sides, salads, etc. It wasn’t until after the meal that the owner came over and said she, too, is a veggie and that they could have made something for me. Since I couldn’t understand the waiter who had such a thick accent, I didn’t even bother asking for something special. But I have to wonder why they don’t at least put one vegetarian entrée on the menu if the owner’s wife is a veggie and they live in the Bay Area!
I wasn’t impressed.

This place is somewhere between a 3 – 3.5 star.
Came here on a Sat for lunch. The menu is quite simple with a few selections.
The provide a fruit-​infused water to start but since I was guzzling down the water, they started serving me normal water. Not as if I cared, but it was something I noticed.
We tried Le Picnic, from the dinner menu. This was the priciest item on our check, $ 18 or $ 20, forgot which. It was a platter of salami, fruits, roasted red bell peppers, two kinds of pâté and two kinds of cheeses. If you don’t like pâté or don’t like soft cheeses, don’t get this. After eating everything off this plate, along with almost 2 loaves of bread to accompany the meats and cheeses, I was nearly full.
We tried the wellington puff pastry. A spin on normal wellington. It was a puff pastry with minced tenderloin pieces inside. Great flavors though. Just be aware you’re not getting a lot of meat nor a piece of meat, it’s minced. Also tried the fisherman salad which was greens, some fruits, and a piece of salmon on top.
I think we may try and come back for dinner. It might be 3 – 3.5 stars but it’s still on the books for a revisit.

Very nice little French bistro. We have been here 3 times and the food and service have been great each time. The owners Kathleen & Jean Paul are very friendly and want to make sure you are having a good experience.
We try to order from the daily special «board» and haven’t been disappointed, there’s something for everyone from escargot to steak. We had an excellent mixed green salad w/​chantrelle mushrooms and balsamic reduction as well as a grilled scallop entrée. The food from the regular menu is also very good, especially the crusty baked tilapia w/​ratatouille sauce or the trio of fillet mignons. The flavors are rich but not overpowering, and there a lot of complimentary tastes and textures.
The also have a homemade (light and sweet) peach wine that you have to try.

One of our drug reps was taking us out. While most docs take advantage and want to go to Chez Panisse or Fleur de Lys or some other totally overpriced prestige place, we usually opt for local ethnic places. We were loimited to Walnut Creek for several reasons and our friend suggested Prima, an Italian place. When we arrived I looked at the menu. I saw nothing that interested me and high prices. We found a little Thai place a couple of doors down which we’d been to before. Perhaps we should go here. Jack didn’t seem to excited despite Thai being one of his faves. I looked down the other way and saw Le Bistro. Being a devout francophile, I wanted to inspect the menu. Venison, wild boar, escargot. Great! Let’s do it. Our host did not object.
Upon entering, a very pleasant lady greeted me and seated us. I remarked how I liked the menu which seemed to be quite country French. She told us, yes, «We are from Nice.» When I commented that I liked the sanglier on the menu she stared at me. She did understand «wild boar».
Then our waiter, George arrived. He looked like he could be French but the accent was wrong. And it got worse. Every other word became «Mexi!» or «Mexi Meeshoo!» After listening more I figured that he was most likely a Spanish speaker. This bad French continued throughout the evening. Now he was extremely nice, although over the top with how everything was so fantastic.
Now to the food. I had to get the escargot. So, they were in garlic/​herb butter which was great. No bizarre mushroom caps or other such anomalies. But something was missing. Jack had the seafood chowder special. Excellent taste but the final finesse was missing. I had the wild boar which had a good texture, but the sauce still was not rounded. Jack had the venison which did have an excellent sauce.
For dessert our host had the chocolate mousse. For his taste it was too lite; he like dark chocolate. I actually enjoyed it. But I wanted my digestif, a word which our waiter who was spewing bad french did not understand. I did get the bar menu after requesting after dinner drinks. They had several availables all at $ 15. Most were generically labelled like calvados or marc de gascogne. Now I find it peculiar to have all the drinks at the same price. And I had no idea what Calvados it was. So I opted for the Marc de Gascogne. Usually the Marcs are from Alsace. And I love Grappa. Well, it turned out to be a great one. Not the usual jet fuel, but just really good.
On the way out I saw the chef/​owner/​husband Jean-​Paul. Finally, a Frenchman. And he was able to understand my thanks and good-​bye and respond accordingly. But he should know better: don’t make (or even allow) someone to butcher the French language in your own pride and joy restaurant. Tell them to speak English. But maybe that’s because he’s from Nice and not from Paris!

First I will admit that I’m no expert on French cuisine. I’ve been to France, and was not blown away by the food there. With that said, I do enjoy some French dishes and restaurants (Butler & Chef being one) and so I’ve wanted to try this place since the first time I drove down Main Street in Walnut Creek and noticed the cute setup with the tables outside.
I finally got to try Le Bistro, and was hoping for a 4-​star experience, but in the end the food forces me to award only 3 stars.
Owned by a husband and wife team? Check.
Cute décor and ambience that makes you feel like you’re in France? Check.
Authentic French-​speaking chef and waiters? Check (but not all the waiters are French).
So where did they go wrong? Certainly, the tables are too close together, but I wouldn’t dock a star for that. Appetizers were promising — crabcakes were delicious, and escargot (a first for me) were actually good. But when it came time to the main courses, they ran out of cassoulet, so I ordered Beef Bourguignon and my wife ordered an orange duckling dish. The flavors of the former were spot on, but the quality of the beef was unfortunately bad (good Bourguignon should split with a fork and melt in your mouth, and this was not the case). The duck was better, but there was a strange quality to the duck, almost gamey, that I didn’t enjoy. Desserts were good, but not mind blowing or particularly original.
Menu prices are in line for a higher end French restaurant, but I thought the wine prices were high, starting at $ 48/​bottle and going up from there. Corkage is $ 30/​750ml bottle. Considering that my $ 48 bottle of Merlot retails for under $ 9, BYOB might not be such a bad idea.
I think if it were a cold, slow weekday evening, I might return to sample some soup, or a traditional peasant dish like cassoulet, and enjoy some of the attention that the chef seems to lavish on some of his regular customers. Otherwise, the fare I’ve had at other French restaurants in San Francisco was of better quality and more affordable, so if it’s French you crave, I think you can do better. Overall it was not a bad experience, it just wasn’t as good as I had hoped for.