The bistro (sometimes spelled bistrot) is a standard French restaurant term. According to Wikipedia (article in French), the bistro occupies a space in the restaurant hierarchy between brasserie and fine-dining restaurant in terms of food and price point. As you’ll see below, those definitions are quite fluid. The origin of the word may be Russian, as bistro is Russian for fast. [Julian’s wiseacre question: “Does that mean that Burger King is a bistro?”]
From what we’ve seen over the years, the bistro category is all-encompassing. It can be a basic beer and coffee bar with whatever can be cobbled together for food; alternately, a bistro can be very close to haute cuisine. Some bistros are neighborhood joints, others cater to a wider clientele. As with bistros, the customers vary from average folk to tourists to business tycoons.
Last night we had dinner at Le Grand Bistro, about a 20-minute walk from our apartment. (Many restaurants are closed on Mondays, as they are in the US.) Le Grand Bistro occupies the close to haute end of the bistro spectrum in ambiance and food. We each ordered the 44 Euro menu, which came with complimentary cocktails (Kir or Bellini) and a bottle of house wine to share. For entrée (appetizer), Julian had oysters and I had a mushroom soup with a scallop garnish. Main dishes for us were duck and lamb. Julian got a cheesecake for dessert, while I got “Chocolat, Mon Amour” – a molten chocolate cake with a small scoop of ice cream. We both left very full and more than a little inebriated.
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