Frenchy's Bistro

Since my flu forced D. and I to skip our Valentine's Day dinner, this post is about the one we had last year at Frenchy's Bistro. Situated on a busy commercial street, the restaurant's nondescript exterior is easy enough to miss if you're not looking for it. Totally different from the small yet charming interior.



From the seasonal menu, D. chose Frenchy's salad, greens with hearts of palm, asparagus and fresh mozarella cheese in a creamy dijonnaise dressing. It was as delicious as it was gorgeous. I chose the goat cheese and tomato tart with frisee and white wine vinaigrette. The tart was a little hard, but it was otherwise a flavorful first course.



For the main course, D. chose the roasted wild king salmon with fresh crab meat sitting in a pool of lobster sauce reduction. It was my favorite dish of the evening: the sauce was so intense that every bite was like inhaling a whole lobster. It was the perfect foil for the salmon. I thought at first that a milder fish would've been better, but in restrospect it may have been drowned out by the rich sauce.

My filet mignon and braised beef rib with wine sauce was a hearty dish, but didn't make me sit up and take notice like the salmon did. The meat was tender but the sauce was a bit too salty. Also, the "crown" of potato strings had lost its crunch, either because it was prepared in advance or because it had been sitting on the counter too long before being served.



For dessert, D. had what looked and tasted like a really good banana muffin (I can't remember what it's called on the menu) while I had the pine nut tart with honey lavender ice cream. Both were rich but not cloyingly sweet. Actually, the tart was almost bland, perhaps on purpose so it won't compete with the ice cream's unique flavor.

Except for the minor glitches, it wasn't a bad meal overall. Certainly a place we're willing to visit again.

Frenchy's Bistro
4137 E. Anaheim St.,
Long Beach, Ca
Tel. #(562)494-8787

Tags: bistro, california, food, french food, frenchy's bistro, long beach, meal, photos, restaurant

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