Tuesday, 9/22/10 - Bistro Vatel

Date: 9/22/10
Restaurant: Bistro Vatel
Location: 218 E Olmos Drive, on the same roundabout as Ciao Lavanderia and Shiraz
Executive Chef: Damien Watel, who owns this, Ciao Lavanderia next door, and the Bistro Bakery

Well, we're cruising through the French eateries! This might be the last one on the list. Fortunately for us, it was solidly good eats from start to finish...well done, Chef Watel!


Meander through the roundabout, try to find parking in the atrociously small lot (we didn't have to worry since we were there just as it opened for dinner at 5pm), and voila!


This was very comfortable and cozy, exactly what I'd think of with a "bistro." Well, maybe not...I still harbor fond hopes of being squeezed into a tiny table outside, sipping ridiculously rich chocolate, with snooty mustachioed waiters ignoring my every request but who really cares because it's FRANCE, baby, FRANCE! So this wasn't really like that. But still nice.

Also nice was the menu, providing many staples of excellent French cuisine. For me, that meant the odd bits and pieces of meat that most other restaurants turn their noses up at. I love the French approach to food: the funkier, the better.

(Sidenote: I have a theory that there is a direct connection between the combined stereotypes of "French people are stinky" and "French people have the best food in the world." It's all a huge sensory experience, from the dubious to the divine. That works just fine for me.)

(Sidenote #2: I have never actually found any French person to be stinky. Nor was anyone's hygiene in question at this establishment. Please don't flame me.)


Exhibit A on the divinely stinky: escargot. If all you've had are little rubbery afterthoughts, this is worth a try. Buried in layers of luscious herbage and garlic were the most tender morsels I'd ever tried. Deelish. My puppies agreed with my evaluation after smooches later that evening.


Tavis really enjoyed the soup du jour, a crawfish bisque. It was rich and creamy, nicely balanced between acidity and sweetness. I would have eaten much more of it had he not started gripping the spoon in a rather threatening way.


Exhibit two of "Megan puts the fun in funky:" sweetbreads. I really love sweetbreads, which for the record are the pancreas and thymus of animals, usually veal. These were sauteed and plated with a mustard bearnaise sauce that was really savory, a great complement. Accompanying are some truffled mashed potatoes, truffled frites, and sauteed veggies that I actually enjoyed.


Tavis went for the veal tenderloin in truffle cream sauce. We were temporarily thrown by the identical sides on our plate, which I guess we just aren't used to, and I think I liked them better than Tavis who isn't a big fan of mashed potato texture. The veal certainly made up for any ambivalence on the side dishes; it was astoundingly tender and succulent, and the sauce was liquid gold.


Ho boy, you should save room for dessert here! This is their truffled tart, and in this case the truffle is chocolate not overpriced fungi. It was one of the better chocolate desserts I have had, truly.


Tavis and his ice cream. This was peach and it was just peachy. Yeah I didn't really work very hard on that description, but really, Tavis? Ice cream? Really?

Oh well.

Returnability: I definitely would love to come back here. There are several appealing items on all levels of the menu. The service was incredibly gracious and welcoming, and the level of culinary execution was top-notch. Not that anyone thinks of coming to San Antonio to find lovely French food (especially since Le Reve closed), but this is definitely an eatery worth a stop. Even without snooty mustachioed waiters.

Tuesday, 5/18/10 - Shiraz

Date: 5/18/10
Restaurant: Shiraz
Location: 4230 McCullough Ave, on the same Roundabout as Ciao Lavanderia and Bistro Vatel
Executive Chef: Unknown

Well, what an adventure. The closest I've ever come to Persian/Iranian cuisine was when my International Class created a sort of catch-all Middle Eastern meal one day. The closest Tavis has ever come was hearing about when his wife created a Middle Eastern meal in her class. Needless to say, this was a very new experience for us, with lots of unfamiliar flavor combinations to play with. How fun!


The outside of Shiraz, as nondescript as it comes. Looking at this building, you would never guess the depth of rich and exotic flavors to be had inside! Dinner starts at 5pm; we arrived at 6pm and were one of three couples that decided to stop by at the same time. The food took a very reasonable time to come out considering we all ordered within minutes of each other and there was only one waitress and presumably a short-staffed kitchen as well.


A glance around the more luxuriously-decorated interior.


We were offered a wine list but after last Friday's New World Wine & Food Festival, we passed on the alcohol. Still, it's there if you want it!

The menu has familiar enough proteins (beef, lamb, duck, chicken and one or two vegetarian entrees) served in unfamiliar (to us) sauces. Lots of fruits and spices and yogurt.


As we waited for our appetizer, we were brought this plate of feta and herbs (basil, mint and parsley) with pocketless pita to warm up our palate. It could've been pulled right out of the garden my mom planted and I promptly killed. This dish is also apparently good for "prosperity and reminder against greed." I wonder if it's hard to resist being greedy when one is prosperous.


Ohhh our beautiful appetizer, some sort of kofta. Think insanely juicy burger kebabs with a tangy sauce and greens. My only complaint was that there wasn't more of it; it was the only thing I might consider overpriced on the menu, at $8 for the two little skewers plus garnishes. Still, as savory and gobble-able as it was, I'm sure it'll remain a favorite in trips to come.


My entree, fesenjan, which while it looks suspiciously like carne guisada is in fact chicken in a walnut and pomegranate sauce. Alongside is incredibly fragrant rice that sopped up the amazingly sweet, complex, rich sauce. This could almost satisfy one's dessert craving. Maybe not my mom's dessert craving. But someone else's. It was hearty enough that I enjoyed excellent leftovers today.


Tavis's entree, tachin, or an Iranian chicken and rice casserole. Saffron is hard to describe if you aren't familiar with the flavor profile; all I know is I'm just wild about saffron. This was a really lovely, savory, fragrant meal.


Tavis enjoyed it quite a bit. I'm always a bit nervous when we try something that is so completely out of our norm--I mean, Tavis is cultured, but moderately so. Not cultured like a gay bacteria. So for him to say "I want to come back here and eat my way through this menu," I was most impressed and pleased.

We asked our excellent waitress Julie's recommendation for a dessert, as we'd heard very good things about them. She recommended faloodeh, so I took her advice. Plus it just sounds like fun times!


This is faloodeh. Think one part frozen lime slushy from Sonic, and one part rice noodles. Also rose water. It was very aromatic and exotic, would probably be refreshing sitting under a blazing sun along the ocean, but would never be something I'd crave.


Tavis ordered their cheesecake, which was rich and slightly floral, scented with cardamom and saffron. Quite enjoyable.


Tavis's glass of potent Turkish coffee.

Returnability: I think so! With all the intense flavors bellydancing in my mouth and a menu that seems to have quite a bit of versatility, all at a reasonable price and with excellent service, Shiraz is an excellent stepping-stone into Iranian cuisine. It was a lovely adventure and I'm very much enjoying my leftovers today.

Tuesday, 3/16/10 - Ciao Lavanderia

Date: 3/16/10
Restaurant: Ciao Lavanderia
Location: 226 E Olmos Dr, bordering Alamo Heights again. When McCullough does the crazy circle thing, go about 3/4 through and turn right into a very busy cluster of restaurants with very insufficient parking.
Executive Chef: Chef Damien Watel, who we will also see in Bistro Vatel and possibly the Bistro Bakery. Hey, I've never been one to turn down desserts!

The second half of my two-fer Tuesday was another round of Italian food. I had been invited out by a buddy so promised Tavis a doggy bag and struck out solo. For shame, I neglected a shot of the outside! I blame it on the agitation of trying to find my way into a parking spot that wouldn't get my car towed.


The interior, in which you can sort of see in the distance the open kitchen. I always like seeing chefs at work; any connection between front-of-house and back-of-house only makes for a more cohesive, satisfactory dining experience in my opinion. Hi chefs!

The menu was sort of small and had lots of terms that you'd probably want to understand Italian food to visualize. After listening to our nice and friendly--but occasionally absent--waitress's recommendations, we both made our selections.


Caesar salad, and yes indeed those are anchovies. I really enjoy anchovies. No shame in my game! *ahem* Also marinated artichoke hearts. This salad was salty and full of delicious flavor.


Caprese salad, which was actually a salad with some elements of the tomato, basil (in pesto form) and mozzarella. If you're looking for a classic caprese setup (i.e. slices of tomato, cheese and basil) then you may be disappointed. However, this was a solid chunk of eats on its own and I heard no complaints about the variation.


I was still pretty stuffed from lunch so I opted for a simple dish of penne, pancetta and peas in alfredo sauce. This was so comforting and delicious. My one complaint would be that the pancetta was too limp; if it had been crisper, the contrast between chewy and crunchy would have been more enjoyable. But the flavors were all that I would want.


Trout al pesto over angelhair pasta with more alfredo. The trout was lacking zing. A squeeze of citrus would probably have elevated it to delicious; I had a bite and was as unthrilled as my buddy. Also, he found about 6 bones in it which is rarely a good sign.


Was it a good day for dessert or what? I got the house panna cotta with raspberry and orange grappa reduction. Grappa is the "wine" that is made from the skins, seeds and stems of grapes left over after winepressing. At some point they added orange in there too. The resulting sauce was deliciously tangy and tart, perfectly contrasting the silken panna cotta. My sweet tooth was temporarily assuaged again.


If tres leches were made with coffee, it would probably result in this tiramisu. Absolutely tender, moist and flavorful. (Granted, that flavor was "coffee" which meant that I didn't care for it, but I appreciated the texture and my buddy went nuts over it.)

Returnability: somewhat. The menu didn't really seem to have a lot of stand-out appeal. If I were closer, I could see it becoming more of a fall-back Italian eatery since the prices were fair and the salads and desserts were very well done. But if I'm comparing Italian to Italian, lunch to dinner, I think this round goes to Tre Trattoria. We'll see how Ciao lines up against its big brother Bistro Vatel in a later review.

Good Tuesday, good eats, good night!