Petit Robert Bistro

Before watching Chicago, Sarah and I headed over to Petit Robert Bistro for dinner. About a block down from more upscale places like Great Bay and Eastern Standard, Petit Robert Bistro is a small, intimate restaurant tucked away in the basement of a Kenmore Square brownstone.

Unlike many restaurants today that inaccurately refer to themselves as bistros, Petit Robert is a French bistro in its true sense. The ambiance, food, and prices are consistent with what a bistro in France really is – home-style, comfort food is served at modest prices in a rather unpretentious setting.

Figuring that dinner would take at least an hour and a half, we made reservations at the restaurant for 6, so we could make it to the 8 o’clock showing of the play. When we arrived at the restaurant, we were greeted warmly by the hostess. I happened to glance at the computer screen with all of the reservation listings. I found it somewhat amusing that they had put me down as “Tenny” instead of “Kenny.” They must have misheard me over the phone, but have you really ever met anyone named Tenny?

We were promptly seated in the dining room on the lower level and then greeted by our waitress. Some freshly-baked baguettes rolled up to the table a little while afterward. The bread was phenomenal – crispy crust with a warm, soft interior.

Trio of Homemade Patés with Condiments

We started off the meal with this trio of pates. I didn’t ask the waitress for specifics on each, but I believe there was one made from pork and one from chicken-liver. I’m not too sure about the third, but I read somewhere that it is pate de campagne. The first thing I noticed about the chicken-liver pate was its exceptional creaminess, which melted in your mouth. The pork rillette was also smooth and enjoyable, but in terms of flavor, the pate de campagne was my favorite. We ended up pairing the pate with the baguette, which worked quite well in the end, but I was expecting there to be some bread or crackers offered with the dish as well.

Roast Leg of Rabbit Moutarde and Ginger Sausage

I had never eaten rabbit before, so I wanted to try it. A pile of mashed potatoes and a mushroom mustard-cream sauce accompanied the rabbit leg, which had a thin breadcrumb topping. The rabbit reminded me a little of chicken but was a little bit meatier and chewier, though definitely tender, juicy, and savory. The sausage supposedly had a ginger flavor, but it was extremely subtle.

Grilled Salmon Filet with a Lemony Butternut Squash and Parsnips Nage

Sarah is more into seafood than meat, so we ordered this salmon dish. I only tried a small bit of it, but it seemed nicely cooked with a rather simple preparation. I can’t comment much about it, but it seemed a bit soupy, which could or could not have been a good thing. The liquid was probably whatever was left over from poaching.

Crepe Armandes , Frangipane Meringue & Amaretto

For dessert, I had heard good things about Petit Robert’s soufflés, but unfortunately, they had run out or were unavailable for the night. We decided to settle for the crepes, which themselves were quite good. They had a caramelized-sugar topping and had a hint of almond flavor. However, I was not overly impressed with the filling, which was somewhat liquidy. It had the consistency of melted butter, which just ended up spilling all over the plate.

I enjoyed dinner at Petit Robert and would definitely go back. Service was attentive and professional from beginning to end. With appetizers between $5 and 9 and entrees between $13 and 19, you cannot go wrong in terms of value. Overall, it was a very positive dining experience, and of course, great company doesn’t hurt!