Gatsbys Bistro — Restaurant in Las Cruces

I went to Gatsby's on a Wednesday evening at 630pm on a date with my partner. When A Bite of Belgium previously had their dinner menu from a few years ago, we were regular patrons, enjoyed our meals, followed the pairing advice on the menu, and often encouraged friends and coworkers to try our favorite entrees.

Our Wednesday night experience at Gatsby's began optimistically. Our server was hospitable and attentive, to both our table and the other two guests in the restaurant. For an appetizer, we shared the scallops, which ended up coming with a third scallop instead of two as described on the menu. We were happy to receive the bonus scallop!

Unfortunately, the scallops were rubbery and in some areas tough with no flavor. The bacon jam had more of a charred flavor, as if the bacon was burned and the balsamic in which the scallops were tossed seemed to have fallen off the scallops entirely. We had to use a knife the cut into the scallops, which may not seem like an issue, except that scallops are often quite tender and other restaurants offering scallops are able to deliver on this.

Next we had our entrees. Mine was my favorite from when we previously had dinners are A Bite of Belgium, the Chicken Scaloppini. I enjoyed this dish so much then that I learned several recipes and have made it for myself, friends, and my partner on many occasions. In this case, the presentation wasn't what I was expected, but that's fine, as I enjoy seeing a restaurant's take on a dish. The chicken was extremely tough, and the cook on the very thin layer of meat on the inside was inconsistent. I wanted to enjoy it despite these details, but at the point where I had to aggressively saw into a particularly tough area of the chicken, I accepted that the dish was poorly prepared. The sauce was good. It looked quite delicious and the flavor was fine.

My partner ordered the Confit Duck Quarters and seemed to enjoy the duck well enough. It looked like a large leg over some purple cabbage in a cherry sauce. She shared a bite with me and I thought it was quite tender and juicy, although the sauce was too thin to stay on the meat. There wasn't much flavor on the meat itself, but the cabbage had some cherry sweetness due to it resting in the sauce.

Each entree came with two sides. The menu said one side comes with the entree, at the time of this review, but we were given two instead. Again, we welcomed the bonus items!

I had the orzo (2 servings due to the additional side), and my partner has the orzo and the fries. The fries were just fine; crinkle cut fries and similar to those you might find at a chain burger place. The orzo was cold and a bit slimy from the mushrooms, but I am unsure how it is intended to be served.

Maybe Wednesday nights just aren't the right time to go and maybe we ordered all the wrong items, but the experience was disappointing, specifically because of how much we enjoyed the dinners at A Bite of Belgium years before. Something needs to be done about the atmosphere too. It's inconsistent and needs just a few more details to convince the customer that they should actually be choosing Gastby's Bistro over another option.

Give the breakfast a shot though, it's...

Coming in late to Las Cruces On a massive cross-country trip, We were looking for a place to get a steak... Arrived at 7:30 and there was only one other table with customers. Deanna, who serves as both hostess and waitress took good care of us.... It seems that this place is better known for its breakfast and brunches and has just started serving dinner.... The quality of the food is solid, service is good And I got a glimpse of the kitchen which was immaculately clean.... We ordered the 20 oz ribeye and split it. The meat was perfectly cooked and tasty, although I would say the quality of the meat was not "prime"/steakhouse level.

We also had a wedge salad which was really nicely done. Housemade blue cheese dressing was outstanding!

Wine list could use a little bit of work. I wanted a glass of Zinfandel but could only buy Zin by the bottle.... And the choices are sort of mid-tier grocery store / Costco selections.... But definitely serviceable.

And the price was right. All together a nice dinner for two.

Suggestion for the owners: Tablecloths on the tables and some candles or a little lights would definitely make it a little more dinner crowd friendly... And play some nice jazz, instead of an early '80s soft rock playlist....Still looks very much like a brunch/breakfast place after 5:00...( Also I would get rid of any sort of plastic containers such as the Little cups with butter served with the dinner rolls and the ketchup with the fries.)

The rest of the dinner menu looked very tempting though!

If we are ever in Las Cruces again, we will stop by for...

it was my first time at the bistro as i usually only come for breakfast, and honestly was a huge disappointment. it was awkward when i could see and hear employees just talking with one another while we waited to be seated, and although no more than a few minutes we were standing it’s still a bit strange to not acknowledge customers in front of you. service was kind but was hardly checked on along with lack of menu knowledge. the food is what i was most disappointed by, the orzo was completely bland, the sauce that was on top of the chicken was flavorless as well, and the chicken i don’t believe was the greatest quality. it’s disappointing to have such a wonderful breakfast menu with really great quality work and ingredients, but then in the evenings it is like a completely different restaurant. definitely not worth the price with the quality received, hopefully the bistro only grows...