Le Bistro VA — Restaurant in Vienna

So disappointed in their food. My mom had dinned here when they first opened and she loved it. So we she wanted to take us here to share in the excellent food. But she was shocked at the decline in food quality and flavor and we were certainly not impressed with our first visit and last. I'm not one to ever write a review but my hope is that the chef and owner of Le Bistro will see this review and truly take it seriously and fix their food before they end up having to close their doors. My complaint with the dishes we ordered begin with the quality of the ingredients. The mussels were, without a doubt, past their shelf life. Mussels have a certain smell to them but they shouldn't smell of wet dog, especially after being cooked in curry broth. And the texture of mussels should be firm and plump. These were almost falling apart because they were past their shelf life. The second dish that we ordered that was a disgrace was the Steak Frites. I'm not sure why the server asked us what temperature we wanted our steaks cooked when each steak was one centimeter in thickness. Not only was the steak so think but I'm almost certain it had been tenderized with a mallet. You didn't need a steak knife to cut it. The texture was that of ground beef that had been formed into a steak shape. Again, let me be clear, I am not writing this review to be dramatic. The food was disappointingly bad and others will start to notice and that will be the end of this place unless the Chef and Owner start to care more. Moving on....the other two dishes at our table were the lamb dish and the cod dish. Both were just blah. They lacked salt and seasoning and just didn't have a clear direction as to what the dish was about. Lastly, we ordered the Apple Tart and the Creme Brûlée. The Apple Tart was served lukewarm, not even hot. And it was not evenly lukewarm; one side was still cold. It was most likely heated up in the microwave which made the dough of the tart hard and chewy, almost impossible to cut through the edge of the tart with a knife. The flavor was boring. Truly boring. And the creme brûlée? The custard was gritty in texture, not how a creme brûlée should be at all. The only good part was the brûléed sugar on top. If I wanted to make a scene I would have sent food back. But honestly, I want to see restaurants succeed. So, if you are the owner and chef reading this, I know you must know you guys failed last night. So order a real steak from your vendor tonight. Throw out the spoiled mussels and maybe make an apple tart from scratch instead of buying it ready made from your Cisco or something like that. You're cutting corners, and it shows. Alright, that's all. Genuinely, I wish you the...

Astonishingly mediocre food, given the reviews here and the high quality of other fare at similar prices nearby; though the service was great and the atmosphere fine. Each in our party of six ordered a different appetizer, entree and desert (15 items in total), plus cocktails and wine, of which the lamb and spinach side were highlights. The limited menu was by-the-book American “French”, which is to say nothing like one finds at any bistro in Paris, where well-executed riffs on traditional fare is normal. With such a simple menu, one would expect the snails to be plump, the boef bourguignon to be flavorful and steak frites to be special. One member of our party characterized the fare as a step below what one might expect on a cruise. Another wondered if the chef trained in another cuisine and was challenged to make minimally tolerable generic French cuisine as imagined by Americans. Alas, this was how everything but two items on the menu tasted… not bad enough to return to the kitchen but not good. The cotes de Rhône recommended by our wonderful...

Disappointing 30th Anniversary Dinner. I had high hopes for our 30th anniversary dinner, especially after notifying them of the occasion in advance. Unfortunately, the entire experience was a letdown.

The meal was subpar, and the service left much to be desired. Not once were we congratulated on our anniversary, despite including it in our booking and informing the staff upon arrival. When I mentioned this to the waiter as we were leaving, he offered us a glass of champagne. By then, it was too late, and we declined and walked out.

To make matters worse, I've spent the last two hours in the bathroom with severe stomach issues. I can't fathom why this place is reviewed so highly. Our special evening was completely ruined, and we won't be returning and suggest you pass on Le Bistro as well. It's a shame considering we always had a great experience several times we've been to "Robertos", their ...