St. Cosme at new Vancouver Bistro

[bills]

This is sort of a combination of wine notes and restaurant review as we had dinner last night at a pre-opening event at Mistral French Bistro, which opens for business September 8th at 2585 W. Broadway in Vancouver (right at the northwest corner). It is run by Jean-Yves and Minna Benoit.

I got there early to take a look around – they have completely redecorated the interior to reflect a sort of Provencal Bistro style, with bare wood tables, nice artwork and bright young wait staff willing to please. I spoke with Rob Feenie when I was walking to the restaurant (I’m attending a Lafite vertical at Lumiere in a couple of weeks) and he sent someone down with a gift of some chocolate goodies made in-house, a nice gesture.

We started out with a local wine (the wine list is compact but well thought out with many small production BC wines included).

2004 La Frenz Viognier – I’ve a half case of this but haven’t got around to pulling any corks yet, so it was interesting to try this again. Papaya and banana hints in the nose, crisp and clean with decent length.

with:

Trio of Duck – Rillettes, Paté in crepine and Smoked duck breast garnished with cornichons and onion confit. The coarse paté was very country French, the smooth rillettes very tasty and two slices of rich red duck breast were redolent of smoke.

SWMBO had:

Warm Roblechon cheese on crouton with proscuitto, mesclun salad and fresh pears, which she declared to be quite good.

Next up, to match the main course:

1997 Ch. de St. Cosme Gigondas Cuvee Classique – dark wine with a knock-out bouquet of sweet plums, leather, pepper and mushrooms. It just sort of leaps out of the glass at you. When I finally stopped just sniffing this and tasted it, I found that the tannins were abundant but softened, the wine quite full in the mouth and with really excellent length, slowly tapering off with little hints of spice an anise. Almost dislocated arm trying to pat own back at foresight in having tossed a couple of cases of this into the cellar. If you have it, it drinks well now and should continue to do so for the next half dozen years or so.

With:

Duo of Beef - Pan seared beef tenderloin with creamy green peppercorn sauce,

Steak tartar with mesclun salad and Mistral French fries – oh YES!

Meateaters delight! First, it is unusual to order beef and actually get it cooked the way you ask for it. For that reason I usually ask for it to be done ‘bleu’, in the (usually vain) hope that it will show up with at least some pink in the middle. In this case, I got it – bleu! And you could almost cut it with a fork, and it was napped with a creamy and not too assertive peppercorn sauce (easy to overdo that and wind up with you own little pot au feu happening in your mouth.)

Second, to accompany this with a small cylinder of tartare, cut on the slightly coarse side with a piquant mustard incorporated was delightful, and the hand cut frites were of variable size and just as you’d get them in a French Bistro, served on the side.

SWMBO had:

Casserole of lamb shoulder, duck leg confit, lamb sausage and white navy beans – the sausage (not made in house, I think) interesting, the lamb falling apart and the duck perfectly done. Very good.

We finished the Gigondas with a cheese plate (generous portions) and for she-who-must-be-obeyed, a round of fresh apple tart with praline ice cream.

A promising start without many of the usual first night jitters. I intend to return and work my way through the menu, no matter how long it takes me. I have already spoken to Jean-Yves about remedying the lamentable absence of foie gras at present on the menu and he promises it will soon appear as a daily special.