Aroma Bistro — Restaurant in Smithville

The soup had a beautiful color and fantastic flavor.

So, I had to be out in about this morning to return some cable TV equipment, when I realized I was very hungry. Now there's been a place up by Smithville that opened up about 6 weeks ago that I've been hearing quite a bit about. And the other thing is when I checked their menu, I see they have a Cuban sandwich! I have a weakness for Cuban sandwiches!

So, I head the horseless carriage North, to a place called Aroma Bistro. This Bistro is in the old Soirée place about 4 miles South of 92 highway on 169 Hiway. When you walk into it you're greeted by a warm, inviting, open space that just makes you feel welcome. So, i found a seat sat down was brought a menu and I asked them “what is your soup of the day?” “Curry chicken rice” was the response. So, I place my order for a cup of Curry chicken rice and a Cuban sandwich sub onion rings for the fries.

In a few short moments they set this beautifully colored bowl of soup in front of me. And with just one taste I Knew the whole meal would be fantastic. With a ton of chicken and rice, and seasoned perfectly with a good amount of Curry flavor to it, I dug in. Spoonful after spoonful of flavorful delicious soup went into my mouth until the bowl was empty.

So, they came for the empty bowl and in a few moments, they brought me a sandwich that would feed easily two people. They toasted a nice piece of bread and then the bottom half they sat down some lettuce and tomato and then a couple slices of ham and then piled on a thick layer of pork carnitas and then topped that with more ham, cheese, mustard aioli and the other piece of bread capping the whole works.

Munching on a small onion ring I take a look at this monster trying to decide the best way to dive in. In the end I rolled up my sleeves and dove in headfirst mouth wide open! There were lots of good flavors and textures in this sandwich. There was the crunch of the bread, the crispiness of the lettuce, along with the juicy sweetness of the tomatoes, the saltiness of the ham, the rich deliciousness of the carnitas, the ooey gooey cheese, and that bite of mustard aioli made for a perfect lunch! The onion rings were fresh and had a very nice light batter around them, good flavor all the way around. You won't leave hungry!

Well Done Aroma Bistro!

Well...

We have family who live in Smithville that have been raving about this place for a while now. For our recent wedding anniversary I wanted to take my wife someplace new. We stick to our can't-fail joints usually, but it's fun to try new places. Sometimes you discover a new can't-fail food gettin' place, and sometimes you visit places that you won't be back to.... The location is a spot that if you didn't know it was there, you'd drive right past it. It's on highway 169 on the south side of Smithville. Maybe that's why it's a well kept secret - and maybe that not such a bad thing, Inside is very tastefully decorated - colors are warm and welcoming. It's classy, but comfortable. Homey. We had reservations. I didn't mention the occasion, but they sat us at our table and there was a beautiful bouquet of flowers on it. I looked around and none of the other tables had a bouquet....maybe we were just lucky? We sat down and they brought out a bucket of wine and glasses! Somebody (my step-daughter) had arranged for a surprise (thanks Erin!). Our daughter had brought the flowers and wine in ahead of our visit and asked the owner to play along in the surprise. He did it up right too. Welcomed us, told us about his bistro, made us feel at home. The menu is an eclectic mix. You can get a burger...or you can get a steak, risotto....or fries. And with a Latin influence. You can go casual or classy here. We did a mix. I opted for seafood and my wife went for her usual salad and chicken. Everything was delicious. And the presentation! How often do you order food and realize it doesn't look anything like the pictures on the menu? Not here. My plate looked as though it was meant for their menu photo shoot. And tasted just as good. Impeccably plated. Shame it didn't last long. And my wife ate most of my mushroom risotto - can't blame her, but damn. See our pics. We didn't have room for dessert. Next time. Oh, there will be a next time. Food was excellent, service was excellent... and prices were very reasonable. Worth it. Yeah. Another...

The food here is exceptionally good. The atmosphere is just "family dining" and is not remotely pretentious. Everything is very clean.

We visited on a Sunday at 3:00pm, right after they opened. I didn't research their hours, so you might wish to make a reservation, which they do take.

All drinks come in glass goblets, although I would have preferred otherwise given the somewhat large ice cubes.

The vegetables in the salad were very fresh & tender; this was one of the best dinner salads I've had at any restaurant in town.

We had a nacho appetizer which disappeared too quickly with our party of 6. Everyone remarked how tasty it was. The pickled peppers on their nachos were very mild from my perspective, and didn't include any fresh jalapeños.

For folks that don't want hot spicy food, you are pretty safe with their menu, at least for the 5 different item entrees that we tried. Although this is a somewhat Hispanic themed menu, their menu selections are quite diverse.

Unlike so many restaurants that dribble a little sauce on your pasta or rice, these guys were very generous, and my chicken carbonara was delicious. I have no doubt that each plate was individually prepared, and not served from pre-measured packages, as occurs at some of the nicer "chain" restaurants. The entrees even looked kind of pretty on the plates, something I don't pay much attention to.

The staff was very friendly, and the manager visited our table several times while delivering drinks and assisting the waitress. Although the waitress made a few minor mistakes, we didn't think of it as anything more than a lack of experience. Our beverages were attentively kept full, and the food seemed warm and served promptly, although it wasn't terribly fast. There was no pressure by the staff to hurry up and get out, either.

We will...