Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Bistro Lemonde

ABOUT AND BEYOND
Bistro Lemonde
3199 Dowlen Road
Beaumont TX
409-860-5805
www.bistrolemonde.com
Monday - Saturday 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM $3 to $17
Sunday 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Although several years old now, it was new construction built just for this establishment. Vinyl leather chairs surround mahogany colored wooden tables on a stained concrete floor. Curved concrete walls with plaster colored in varied pastel colors reach up twenty feet to an industrial ceiling. The feeling is ultra modern. When you sit down they bring a combo basket of Tortilla Chips and small Rolls with Salsa. Both times I was there it seemed to me as if it had been sitting around for awhile. Both chips and bread were stale. The salsa however proved excellent. It possessed roasted peppers in a pureed tomato base with just the right amount of spice
Our enthusiastic friend got an order of Vidalia Fried Onions for the table. They were in a seasoned tempura batter with a chipotle dipping sauce. The sweet and the smoky went well together. A side salad that came with my meal contained green leaf lettuces, tomatoes and croutons. I opted for Ginger dressing which had a nice clean ginger flavor and quite zippy. My sister's Baked Potato Soup was very smooth and creamy with a pronounced potato flavor but not too rich. My Shrimp Gumbo while tasty had a tomato based broth. I prefer mine sans tomato.
Our enthusiastic friend ordered a Bistro Burger. Grilled ground sirloin patty and Wisconsin Cheddar cheese with raw onion rings, tomato slice and lettuce on a whole-wheat bun. I would have thought it would be dry but my taste proved otherwise although the cheese tasted more like American. She enjoyed it. My sister opted for the lunch portion of Grace’s Power Plate Bistro Veggies. That overflowing plate contained fresh spinach, artichoke hearts, broccoli, zucchini, yellow squash, red and green bell peppers. Some items were steamed and others grilled. All had a light seasoning that made the most of the vegetables. My entree was Creole Grilled Tilapia. Nicely grilled with a moist interior and spicy laden exterior. I went with sweet potato fries (excellent) and grilled squash. It also had a garlic herb drawn butter for dipping that proved too salty. We all shared a Vahlrona Chocolate Pie for dessert. The Vahlrona chocolate had been transformed into a dense filling with a fudge brownie consistency, nice.
My next visit was solo. I went with a Green Chile Chicken Soup topped with multi-colored tortilla chips. It possessed deep chicken flavor with green chile kick and flavor. I then ordered the Baja Fish Tacos Crispy. I received two full-loaded tacos. Crispy fried tilapia, pico de gallo, romaine lettuce and shredded red cabbage drizzled with a creamy chipotle sauce on flour tortillas. This hit the spot. I do not care for grilled fish tacos. To me a crisp element is needed. This came close to my first fish taco. I also ordered a side of Four Cheese Macaroni, which proved velvety smooth and cheesearific. This venue is just down Dowlen from the Super HEB. A nice place to catch a meal after shopping and before getting on the road

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