I went to Bistrot La Minette last night.
To put it simply, I wasn't expecting much (Oh... A-NOTHER French restaurant in my neighborhood), BUT I ended up being very pleasantly surprised and highly pleased with my experience.
I greatly enjoyed the ambiance, the warmth, the open kitchen, the wait staff and their classic French uniform, the maître d' who graciously took our coats upon arrival, and the size, feel, and depth of the menu.
In addition the food was delicious, endearingly authentic, and was eloquently served by a well trained staff.
AND, they did something that many other restaraunts do but far too many more do not. They plated the dishes we were sharing on two plates. This is such a simple but thoughtful thing that restaurants can do for a customer. Obviously you can't do that for every dish - our puff pastry for example would have been a hot mess -
... but our endive and Roquefort salad with walnut dressing just seemed so much better eaten out of my own personal bowl.Also, they offer a white and a red French house wine out of a clay pitcher - Pichets de Vin (750 ml bottle) - for $18 freaking dollars. I mean, it isn't any kind of mind blowing wine but it is perfectly acceptable quality, the pitcher is appealingly rustic, and you can't beat $18 with a stick.
Good times, good times.
I was wondering what the name is all about. I mean there are quite a few definitions of the world Minette and I wondered which definition they intended... a woman's name? a small portrait photograph? a endearing term for kitten? a syenitic lamprophyre composed chiefly of orthoclase and biotite?
All seemed so equally fitting... (Ok, so all but the last one seem equally fitting). But alas, I perused their website and ... drum roll please...
La Minette [là mi-nè-t'], French, 1. a pussycat; 2. often referring to the youngest girl in a French family
Good choice my friends. Good. Choice.
Bistrot La Minette - 623 S. 6th Street Philadelphia, PA 19176
215.925.8000
www.bistrotlaminette.com
2 comments:
Restaurants splitting shared dishes is a great hospitality litmus test.
What no one has mentioned is price. Bistrot La Minette is very expensive. We had dinner there this past weekend. With a drink each before dinner and a single drink for one of us after dinner, desserts for everyone, the bill came to $80 apiece before tip.
Yes, the food was really good, as was the ambience and service. But folks should know what they're in for price-wise before they walk in.
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