It's a charming little place in its own way, with dark, moody lighting, 50's style black-and-white vinyl chairs, the entire menu written on a blackboard behind the bar in back, and one long side wall entirely covered in mirrors, upon which is scrawled the wine list. It's got the bohemian vibe down pat: everyone eating here isn't French, but they look and act as if they wish they were. There are no big surprises on the menu. Apps are mostly bistro mainstays like escargot, rillettes, pâté, soupe de poisson, and the like, with some less exclusively Gallic notes here and there like tuna tartare, scallop carpaccio and caprese salad. Mains are much the same: steak (a ribeye) and frites, scallops provençal, and lamb chops share space with chicken curry, spaghetti bolognese, and farfalle alfredo.
We started with the fish soup and the rillettes. The former was a good take on the French classic, a murky, ruddy brown broth (this is not a criticism - prepared right, this is a frankly unattractive soup) well stocked with bits of fish and potently flavored with their extracted goodness. We pined, however, for the traditional accompaniment of croutons smeared with rouille and floated on the surface of the soup. Mrs. F tried her best to duplicate it with the nicely crusty bread that was brought to the table, but it wasn't quite the same. It seemed incongruous for such fine bread to be served with little single-serve pats of butter in plastic casings like you'd find in a Denny's.
The rillettes were also a fine rendition, the slowly cooked pork tender and rich, served simply with some Dijon mustard and cornichons. The only drawback was that the rillettes were served so cold that they lost out on some of their potential for unctuous goodness - no doubt closer to room temperature these would be even more lovely. But this is still a hearty, satisfying appetizer which despite the dainty ramekin it's served in could easily be split among two people, and a good deal at about $6.
Unfortunately I was somewhat less enamored with the rest of our meal. The tuna tartare Mrs. F followed her soup with was fine but unexciting in any way; the wakame salad which crowned it, redolent with sesame oil, was the overwhelmingly dominant flavor note. It also really could have used some sort of crackers or chips for scooping. I had the lamb chops as an entrée. They had been given a nice herbal marinade, but had been sliced so thin - before cooking - that getting them to only the requested medium rare was all but an impossibility. Rather than slicing these into 1/2" thick "chops" before cooking, they would have been much better served if the rack were left intact to avoid overcooking and then, if at all, carved before serving. I don't need a ton of food to be happy, but these four skinny chops seemed a slightly meager serving, though at a price of about $15 this is not a complaint about value. The mashed potatoes and ratatouille that came with the lamb chops were fine but would not inspire any homeward-bound correspondence.
In an unusual twist, the by-the-glass prices on the wines generally seem a little more reasonable than the prices by the bottle, though the Julienas we had for $40 was a good value and a good wine, and there are a decent number of choices mostly in the $35-50 range.
Despite being underwhelmed by some of the things we had, I can clearly see Buena Vista Bistro's appeal. I like its relaxed, laid-back atmosphere, and it's always nice to be able to find a meal cooked with care for a reasonable price.
Buena Vista Bistro
4582 NE 2nd Avenue
Miami, FL 33137
305.456.5909
Blogging 'round the clock... Likewise, after hearing many many things about BVB, finally made my way over for brunch this weekend. It was good, with very good value (my eggs benny were $6 or 7). Pancakes were tasty but too dense. Service was meh. Tried to order the crabcakes off the specials board but was rebuffed. It just didn't wow me, however it was definitely solid as well as a good value play.
ReplyDeleteI would go again.
Frodnesor, once again your review is spot on. I too came late to the BVB party. But my curiosity was peaked with the #4 power ranking on a neighboring miami website.
ReplyDeleteMy experience:
Starter dish – Escargot Provencal, was not done with the typical preparation. Never had diced tomatoes with escargot, i thought it gave off a acidic taste to the palate on what is otherwise a great well known french entree. Maybe it was the fact that I was unfamiliar with “provencal” style. Either way, I think escargot should be served piping hot with EVO, garlic and chopped parsley and sans tomatoes. Prime 112 escargot dish comes to mind, at least on this side of the pond.
Main dish – Scallops very good, possibly excellent. Only flaw was quantity. Three scallops do not cut it for the main dish, and I’m not a big guy. To top it of, it was a $19 dish for three regular sized scallops. For a place that is not overtly pricy, that dish was.
Desert was good, I just don’t recall what it was. Probably chocolate. Side note about the french bread – excellent. However the one I took home from the BVD was not nearly as good.
Biggest letdown – a French born owner offering up a run of the mill wine selection which has crept up price-wise. For example, instead of offering a mediocre !00% Cabernet Franc wine, which typically is a grape used for blending, incorporate some of the better varietals from the various regions of France. Well that my take.
Overall, good place, nothing exceptional commanding one to opine it as the fourth best restaurant in town. When I go back, I may try the tuna tartare