| Address | 4021 S. 28th St., Arlington, VA 22206 |
|---|---|
| Hours | Mon-Sat 11:30am-10:30pm; Sun 10am-10pm |
| Phone | (703) 379-0300 |
Absolutely terrible service. They are rude to make up for how clueless they are. Food is better at mcdonalds. surrounded by other great restaurants (carlyle, guapo, hell even johnny rockets), this place should be closed down.
Bistro Bistro used to be the star of Shirlington. Unfortunately, it has slipped over the last several years. For example, what once was excellent calamari has degraded along with the sauces. The interior is aging and twenty years of tar from tobacco smoking of various types has saturated the air. The Sunday brunch is still a good bargain, but not exceptional.
BB used to have entertainment (compatible with dining) several nights a week; that has disappeared. Time for an overhaul. There are many competitors on the block, some of whom have been in the neighborhood an equally long time and have changed with the times.
For an impressive-looking Sunday brunch with reasonable--although not exceptional--food, Bistro Bistro is one possibility. We have been several times for brunch so we took an out-of-town guest. The buffet is pretty typical: various salads, a couple of steam-table-friendly hot entrees (beef stew and chicken in a creamy sauce), soggy eggs benedict, omelets and waffles made to order, and a dessert table that looks much better than it tastes. The flavors were all good, but there was nothing on the buffet that grabbed the taste buds: no spicy chicken dish, no subtle herb or citrus taste in the pasta salad, nothing to excite (and therefore nothing to offend). The pastry chef does pretty pieces, but the chocolate cake tasted more brown than chocolate-y. Soft-ish bagels and non-flaky croissants. Bread pudding whose predominant flavor was sweet. Would I go again? Oh probably. The location is convenient, the ambience relaxed, the appearance impressive. But would I go out of my way to go there? No, I don't think so.
Celebrated my birthday there. I wasn't looking for anything special and got just that. Appetizer we had calamari which I liked a lot. The French Onion soup was too salty, which seems par for the course with most places anyways. The tomato and fresh motzerella dish was good. I loved the side of pesto sauce that came with it, but then again, pesto is a vice of mine. For my entre I had the Fillet aupoivre...fillet mignon in some kind of peppery sauce. I didn't care for the sauce. On the waiters recommendation, I got that instead of the two way lamb, now I wish I went against his better judgement. Another dish at the table was the short rib which was pretty good. Two people at the table got the crispy halibut on top of pesto risotto. Neither were that happy with it, I didn't care for it when I tasted it. We had a guest arrive 45 minutes late and the waiter got her meal out pretty quickly after she arrived, so there was no awkard situation with her eating and the rest of the group not.
For dessert, we shared three items. Mango sorbet, which was too sweet and didn't taste like real mango, a chocolate mouse cake which was dry, and I got the Tiramsu. I may not know how to spell it, but it is usually my favorite dessert. This one was most disappointing, dry and flavorless.
Our waiter was very good however.
This is one of the best brunches in Northern Virginia. The buffet is loaded with lots of classic breakfast fare (sausage, omelettes, hash browns) along with some contemporary dishes (baked tilapia, blackened catfish, roast beef au jus) . The food mix is exactly right. The mini creme brulee and opera cake are very popular, so make sure that you grab one each time you go up to fill your plate. The only downside is that this particular Sunday was Easter, and the restaurant was overbooked. The staff seemed unprepared, and at points, they bordered on rude and inattentive. However, the taste of the food quickly made all of us forget the ordeal of actually getting a table.
The brunch was very good!! If you sit at the bar, the price is 18.95 as compared to 23.95. There is an additonal of $5 to add all-you-can-drink mimosas to your bill. The brunch was full of fruit, salads, grilled veggies, fish dishes, chicken dishes, breakfast items and made to order omlettes and waffles. There was also a huge variety of delicious desserts!!
