Bistro 27 We Came For The Food

On Friday my husband and I ate at Bistro 27 before dodging rain drops during First Fridays. We had dined here over a year ago with mixed feelings. This time we could rave a bit more. Although there were a couple of flubs. I still have no idea if this place is non-smoking or not, but for the couple of hours when we were there, no one lit up. I continue to admire the two story ceilings and the huge windows.

We ordered wine - a 2005 Pont de Crillon Cotes du Rhone from the $27 and under wine list. Unfortunately, a 2006 arrived. After some discussion, we decided to stick with it (is it too hard to print out a new list?). We liked the wine, but the 2006 traded in the heartiness of the 2005 for more of a spiciness. My other gripe was that the $27 and under wine menu did not reveal any prices. Were there any below $27? How much below? The menu featured one of my favorite Argentinian Malbecs, but if it was $27 a bottle, that would be almost three times retail.

But we didn't come just for the wine. We came for the food, too. And the food turned out to be the highlight.

For starters:

Rillettes of Duck - $10 Pulled pork and duck slowly roasted served with toasted bread, cornichons, and mustard This could have been a meal. I had a generous amount of succulent pork and duck (mostly pork). Spinach in a light vinaigrette accompanied the plate.

Classic Caesar Salad - $6 Sounded simple enough, but my hubby raved about it. He thought it was the best Caesar he had ever consumed. He really liked the generous portion of shaved Parmesan that topped the greens.

Entrees:

Ravioli di Manzo e Fontina - $14 Homemade ravioli of beef, fontina cheese, and herbs in a tomato cream sauce The beef was so tender and the ravioli so light. A deceptively rich and very delicious dish. "Mmmm" and "Oh my God" regularly entered my vocabulary.

Misto Fritti - $21 Fried prawn, flounder, scallops, and calamari served with parsley aioli and fried zucchini Generous portions in a light batter. My husband enjoyed the scallops the most. The shrimp were large and sweet (yes I begged for a taste).

We were too stuffed for dessert.

We would definitely return for the food.

After dinner we strolled Broad Street to enjoy the art festivities.