Tartine Bistro — Restaurant in Rocky River

A lot of hype, and potential, but Tartine Bistro is a swing and a miss for me!

Let’s start by highlighting the things this restaurant is doing well. I love the location in Rocky River! The venue is also done up fashionably with a cute interior, lovely front patio for dining al fresco, and a beautiful private dining area in the back for events. I also greatly appreciate the thoughtfulness to include a menu featuring a mix of upscale options like steak and risotto as well as more approachable options like pizza and tartines. (However, pizza is clearly not a French inspired item which breaks the theme of the menu for me).

Now let’s address what went wrong with this experience…

Upon entry it took the staff an abnormally long time to greet us and seat us at a table, despite there being many open tables available. Subsequently, it took even longer for the server to swing by and ask about a drink order. When asked about anything on the menu, the server seemed confused and also incredibly disinterested. When asked if he could recommend anything he said he doesn’t eat the food and will never. This doesn’t instill confidence. If a restaurant doesn’t make the staff try the food then how can they help guests with orders? Sort of brazen of the restaurant for letting servers go rogue.

The menu was exciting in many ways because it’s really rare to find French food made vegan. I ordered the steak au poivre, a French classic. Sometimes a French bistro should nail, right? No! The steak ate more like the texture of a pot roast. The sauce which is supposed to be the star of this dish was bland and reminiscent of a subpar store bought gravy. The broccolini was overcooked and the veg hash was lukewarm at best. Worst of all, the broccolini had a hair in it. 🤢

The other guests in my party enjoyed their pizza and salad, but I was told the chicken on the salad was bland and the pizza crust was overcooked.

Overall, based on the experience I had, I cannot recommend this restaurant to diners. The service and food experience were disappointing and subpar...

My partner and I made reservations tonight for our 6 year anniversary. It was our first time at Tartine and will most certainly be our last. We were seated at the table by the door, which was cold (there was another table available further back). The seats are wooden and very uncomfortable. Our server seemed friendly and knowledgeable, however, after taking our app/entree orders we didn't see her again for about a half hour. Never asked if we needed another drink or to ask how the app was. She stopped by to say our entrees would be right out, so I asked for a box for the app, which she boxed for us. But then 20 mins went by before we received the entrees. I ordered my pork med well but it was med rare. She legitimately never returned after dropping the food. The pan sauce that came with it was underwhelming, moreso like a light gravy that lacked flavor. My partner said his duck was just fine but also lacked flavor. At that point we were ready to go. 35 minutes passed and our server was nowhere to be found. I had my plate pushed forward and was looking around to see if I could wave her over, but never saw her. We snagged boxes from the host stand and boxed our food, then I had to ask the bartender to bring our check. She took our drinks off the bill, probably because she knew we were unhappy, but she never did get our server. So we paid and left- still hungry. I thought this was an upscale restaurant, so I expected basic steps of service to be carried out i.e. 2 bite/2 min check back, up selling another round of drinks, offering dessert, etc. as well as better quality food. Med rare pork? It was inedible....

It was my first time at Tartine on a Friday evening. We had a 5:45 reservation and there was hardly anyone in the small, intimate place, but quickly filled up as we sat there!

Our waitress was incredibly welcoming and made us feel so comfortable. I appreciate how she explained things to us, instead of just assuming we should know everything like some snobby places might. She was excellent!

The aesthetic was so romantic and cozy. The patio looks like it is so cute when it's summertime! I want to come back to sit out there!!

They have an entire vegan menu on the back of the regular one. It's not an afterthought; it's intentional.

We got the fingerling potatoes as an app. They were fine, nothing special.

I got the vegan French dip tartine with real cheese (I'm vegetarian, not vegan). The salad it same with was excellent!!! The tartine itself (open face sandwich) was lacking in flavor.

My husband got the Mediterranean couscous with scallops, which was in special. And he said it was excellent!

For dessert, we got the crème brûlée and tiramisu. Both were very yummy! Crème Brûlée was typical. The tiramisu was different because it was hazelnut, which I love!

This was a very pricy place, so not for a casual dinner. But for a fancy date (which is what we were on) it...