Earlier this past summer, I was in Bismarck calling on a couple of dealers. I went to lunch with one of the dealers and he took me to a place called Bistro where I had a great reuben sandwich and he had a Caesar's salad with blackened salmon. I checked out the menu for dinner and I was pretty intrigued. A few weeks ago I had to go back to Bismarck to do some work for another dealer in town and I took some of the guys out to dinner at Bistro. None of them had ever been there before, so they were looking forward to giving it a try.
Bistro is housed in what was an old carriage house that was built over 100 years ago next to the main railroad tracks that go through Bismarck. In 1996, Dona Rockstad - whose husband Terry was the CEO of Dan's Super Markets with locations in Central and Western North Dakota - opened Bistro 1100 offering eclectic and upscale food offerings. Bistro's chef Gerard "Mo" Schmidt fashioned a menu that featured locally ethnic foods along with traditional steaks and seafood grilled over red oak wood, Italian pasta and meat dishes, along with wood-fired pizzas. A couple of years ago, Schmidt bought Bistro from Dona Rockstad, slightly changed the name to Bistro - An American Cafe, and continued to run the kitchen along with the business.
Bistro is located on E. Front St. between S. 11th and S. 12th streets near downtown Bismarck. (see map) There is a huge parking lot to the east of the restaurant and on my first visit earlier this summer the parking lot was completely full for the lunch rush. On this visit, we got to the restaurant after 8:30 and there was no problem in finding a place to park.
Coming into Bistro, you find yourself in the stylish bar area that had a lot of earth-tones and sort of an old world feel. This was where I had lunch on my first visit to the place last summer. Bistro is certainly a popular place for lunch and we had to sit in the bar area - which was fine. There's also outdoor seating during the summer months just off the bar area.
We were met at the hostess stand by Jacque (Jackie) who turned out to also be our server that evening. She led us into the dining room that was well-lit, but not overpowering. There were five of and we were seated at a six-seater with a good look back toward the kitchen area. The first thing I did after Jacque gave us our menus was to order the locally-brewed Laughing Sun IPA that they had on tap.
For some reason, I wasn't that hungry and I didn't really want to eat a lot that evening. I looked at the pasta - the spicy chicken tortellini and the lobster ravioli looked appealing. The grilled mahi mahi with a sweet chili glaze sounded good, but I wasn't certain I wanted seafood that evening. They had a number of wood-fired pizzas on the menu, but I didn't feel like having a pizza. Hmmm... I was in a bit of a quandary as to what I really wanted to get.
Three of the guys were ready to order when Jacque came back to check on us. I let the guys go first and I finally decided upon the New York strip topped with a whiskey peppercorn sauce. The peppercorn sauce got me. Actually, the other guy who didn't know what he wanted ended up getting my second choice - the beef burgundy with sautéed mushrooms and grilled onions in a burgundy cream sauce.
One of the guys had ordered a cup of the lobster bisque. I thought about getting a wedge salad, but I thought that might be too much. The lobster bisque turned out to be a great choice - it was rich, but not overly filling. The bisque was topped with chopped avocado and leeks, and featured small chunks of lobster meat. The creamy lobster bisque was a great start to the meal.
The peppercorn strip steak was at least 16 ounces, thick and juicy. I ordered it medium-rare and it may have been more toward the medium side of medium-rare. Not a deal-breaker by any means, but a tad overcooked for my steak-snob tastes. Still, the whisky peppercorn sauce was creamy and helped the overall taste of the steak. I liked the fact that the chef covered just about half of the steak with the sauce so I could enjoy the taste of the meat. Sometimes if it's not a good cut of meat, the restaurant will try to hide it under a sauce. This was a good cut of meat and the steak - without the sauce - was very good.
Along with the steak I got a side of sautéed vegetables and some garlic mashed potatoes. I didn't have any of the veggies - they looked a little limp - but the garlic mashed potatoes featured large chunks of garlic in them. The were really strong and pungent, yet tasty.
One of the guys got the parmesan encrusted chicken - a chicken breast covered in fresh parmesan cheese, cut into strips and served with garlic mashed potatoes and covered with a garlic cream sauce, chopped red peppers and mushrooms. Now, THAT looked great. I normally don't get much chicken when I'm on the road, but I think I would have really enjoyed it. My guest certainly did.
But the most interesting thing on the menu at Bistro was the seared kangaroo. Yep, it was truly kangaroo meat. I've tasted kangaroo once at a restaurant outside of Montreal. It was interesting - sort of the texture of beef, but it sort of reminded me of elk meat. The guy who ordered it was intrigued enough to try it and he was definitely happy he got it. "I've never eaten here," he said. "But I'll always remember this meal as the first time I had kangaroo." He said the meal alone would be worth telling the story a few times over beers with buddies.
The last guy - who was directly across the table from me - got the Bourbon Street penne pasta. It featured grilled shrimp, sliced andouille sausage, chopped chicken breast along with fresh red bell pepper slices and sliced onions. It was all tossed together in a spicy garlic broth. When I asked him how it was, he was effusive with his praise. "This is outstanding," he gushed. "Everything is just so fresh."
I couldn't finish all of my steak, but I made a serious dent in it. I did enjoy what I had and I was very happy with the garlic mashed potatoes. When Jacque asked me if I wanted a box for the leftovers, I declined since I was traveling. I did seriously think for a moment that having steak in the morning in my hotel room might have been a good thing.
All of my guests were in agreement - Bistro served up some very good meals for us. First of all, Jacque was spot-on with her service. She was in good spirits and a good sport waiting on five guys up to - and past - the dining room's closing time. I was happy with my steak and the garlic-mashed potatoes were some of the better ones I've run across. The other meals - including the seared kangaroo - were all to the liking of my dining guests. I've had lunch there and now dinner - both times I came away with a very favorable impression of Bistro. It's another great place to eat that I've found in my travels to Bismarck.
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