Bistro LQ - a few questions?
Have seen the menu at Bistro LQ and it looks quite interesting. I do have a few questions for those of you who have dined there:
1) Is the restaurant relatively quiet and thus conducive to quiet civilized conversation without shouting?
2) One of my guests is a vegetarian, who cannot eat mushrooms. This is sometimes a challenge, but most good chefs who are willing can and will take the time to produce an excellent entree which will "fill the bill". Is this likely to be a problem here?
3) Is their wine list fairly priced and have good wines for less than $40? What is their corkage policy?
4) Do they have a full bar and serve cocktails.
By josephnl
on Sep 19, 2009 01:54 PM
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Not been there yet, but do know they only have a beer & wine license, and theefore no cocktails. As to the noise issue, Mimosa, its predecessor, was never quiet, so cannot imagine they have done anything major to improve on that situation, which seems to be a part of every qualitative restaurant experience in LA these days.
Can't answer the other questions, although Laurent is more creative than most chefs, so I would imagine he could do good things vegetarian, yet don't hold me to that.
www.bistroLq.com
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I haven't eaten at Bistro LQ yet (but will next weekend) but I know that they have a 6-course vegetarian tasting menu. Based on this I doubt that your vegetarian guest will have problems to find something good to eat at Bistro LQ.
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My wife and I had dinner there one night this summer and we were quite disappointed overall. The good dishes were the Lobster Oatmeal, the Foie Gras 3 Ways and the Eel. I don't remember all the other dishes we had but they were all bad to mediocre. Dessert was also bad.
Having said that, the restaurant has a really nice ambience and a good staff.
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Re: corkage
It's $10/bottle and the wines should be posted online. IIRC, it's a reasonably priced, esoteric list.
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"esoteric" ?
Well, yeah, I guess you can call it that way: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/638319
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Let me be more clear; I'm not referring to the themed wine categories which were drummed up by LQ.
The actual wines represent an electric, esoteric mix which is what one would expect from Gregg.
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It is not particularly quiet, but I also wouldn't consider it a loud place and I'm pretty sensitive to noise. I really enjoyed my meal there, including the dessert, but I know that others haven't been as pleased. I thought it was a pretty incredible value for such inventive food, although some of the dishes were less successful than others.
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Anyone been lately, meaning in the past week or so? Going tonight.
Wine list looks interesting, but the food is typically Laurent - something for everyone, yet done to his own style and timetable.
Need recs.
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I went about 10 days ago and had an outstanding 9-course tasting menu (which had some additonal courses so that it was more a 12-13 course tasting menu). If you have time (service was slower than in other restauratnts on a Saturday but we always like it that way but some other American customers complained about it) and want to sample a lot of his dishes I highly recommend the tasting menu.
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Well, LQ hardly looks anything like its predecessor, Mimosa, and that is a good thing. All white walls, contemporary art, nice white linens and decent stems.
As to the wine list, Gregg Greenbaum did a sensational job here. We ordered by the glass all night, which included a very good Cahors (malbec grape), Demoiselles Ventoux Rose, Gruner Veltliner, Saxon Brown Zin and two Chasseurs.
Appetizers - started out with three, the venison tartare with celery root, the mussels and the haddock. All three were small portions, all very tasty as to what they were trying to be, and able to be shared, yielding 2, maybe 3 bites each, all in the $7-8 range.
Then on to the john dory and cod entree items which were ordered in the smaller of two portions, yet still split-worthy. Probably the most subtle flavorings of the evening, yet I enjoyed probably more so than did my companion.($12-15)
Then the best dish of the evening - the Wild Boar Sopes, which tastes not unlike what I would imagine Wild Boar short ribs should taste like, with a full portion ($28) which was quite generous, and could have been shared with by at least 3 persons. Sensational.
Dessert baba au rhum was at this point too much food, yet the plate disappeared in record speed. Highly recommended. $9
Two complimentary items thrown our way, in the beginning bbq'd frogs legs, meant to be eaten with tweezers, and a dessert array that included chocolate which my friend said was quite good, yet not up to the previous rhum standard.
LQ cooks in French technique, yet uses many locally available produce and products, many with a south of the border flavor spark that neither of us were expecting, yet relished. Truly amped up some dishes in a superb way.
Highly recommend LQ, and the service was perfect. If someone tells you they had slow service, they must have been either on a Saturday night when all places suffer potentially similar fates, or just arrived after a large party when the kitchen might get bogged down. Neither was the case last night. $200 or so for two, yet we could have gotten out for considerably less as we tried nearly everything we wanted to.
But if anyone asked me to return next week, my response would be "which night?"
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Hi carter,
Thanks for the great review. I've been meaning to try this for a while now. I'm glad to hear their Wild Boar was delicious; can't wait. :)
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We had a wonderful dinner last night at LQ...and for considerably less money than you spent. Our total tab with a >20% tip was $154 for two! Our food and service were both wonderful. I had the sampling of smaller portions including smoked salmon with crab and pistachio panna cotta, a cod and mushroom dish, and the hanger steak. My companion had the mixed greens (don't knock it...it was an amazing composed salad) and the john dory. He had an amazing blueberry dessert, and I wanted a bit of cheese...not a full cheese plate, and some bread! Not a problem...they served me exactly what I wanted and for a minimal charge (I think $5). Everything (yes, everything) we had was delicious, beautifully presented, and our service was exceptionally professional and warm. Also, the wine list has some terrific choices and is very fairly priced with several selections in the $30-40 range. The maitre d' suggested a Cote de Ventoux rose which was $30/bottle, and was terrific.
After dessert, with our coffee they served us an amazing assortment of mignardises...a terrific touch!
This is a terrific and fairly priced French restaurant...an excellent addition to the L.A dining scene. To call it a "bistro" is definitely underplaying the sophistication of the food. When I think that I could eat here twice for what it costs to eat at Melisse, I realize what a gem this place is!
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Full review with photos: http://twofoodiesonejourney.blogspot....
Bistro LQ opened less than a year ago but is more and more becoming one of our favorite restaurants in LA. Chef Laurent Quenioux has an interesting and impressive background with a start in France and beginning his apprenticeship with 14 and working in numerous restaurants before he came to LA and was involved in several restaurants/positions (including executive chef of the Dodgers). One of his last restaurants was Bistro K in Pasadena which got very good reviews but we unfortunately never had the chance to visit. So we were very excited when Bistro LQ opened end of July 2009 and have since then visited several times and were never disappointed by the food and creativity of Chef Quenioux.
It is not only the kitchen at Bistro LQ which delivers, but also the team in the front of the house under the guidance of Eric Bouty is doing a similar outstanding job to let every customer feel welcomed. Our last visit was no exception when he greeted us and mentioned that he saw our names and discussed with the chef that we could get a completely new 9-course tasting menu since we had the last one just a few weeks before. This was of course an offer we couldn’t reject.
Amuse-Bouche: Mussel with red beet and salmon caviar.
Very tender mussel and a nice contrast by the earthy red beet
1st Course: Dungeness crab with fennel apple slaw
Good balance between the sweetness of the crab and the slight sourness of the apple and fennel
2nd Course: Foie Gras (Torchon style) with black truffles, oxtail pastry and frisee.
The foie gras worked nicely with the braised oxtail and flaky pastry.
3rd Course: Miso Soup with scallop, Foie Gras and shrimp
One of the highlights of the evening – the Foie Gras gave the miso soup a great depth and richness.
4th Course: Sea urchin tapioca pudding with yuzu and oyster in yuzu martini gelee
)This was the only course we had in a previous tasting menu but we weren’t disappointed to have it again. The tapioca pudding with the uni gave a very smooth taste of the sea which is amplified by the oyster/gelee. (And as chemists we also like the presentation in small beakers…
5th Course: Smoked haddock with blini pancake, ricotta lemon mousse and Sevruga caviar
Another strong seafood course with a nice variation to the standard smoked salmon with blini.
6th Course: Skate with cippolini, fava beans and raspberry sauce
The skate and cippolini were both very tender but the fruity sauce brought the whole dish together by providing an interesting sweet contrast.
Intermezzo: Lychee Sorbet
Very refreshing sorbet as a palate cleanser before the meat courses
7th Course: Squab with pistachio flan and blueberry sauce
Meat was very tender with crispy skin and had a nice gamey flavor. And again it was a great dish were many different flavors worked well together.
8th Course: “Mixed Grill Plate” – hanger steak, heart, kidney, sweetbreads and sunchoke puree
Not your standard mixed grill plate but great presentation of different meat flavors and textures
9th Course: Cheeses
The cheese cart at Bistro LQ is well known for its large variety and we always let Eric arrange a selection with only the Epoisses as our favorite constant. The condiments are always very impressive and range from truffle honey to red paprika mustard to sweet onion jam to cranberries.
10. Course: Several fruit based sweets – unfortunately forgot the details…
Good contrast to the next dessert course but most of these were quite sour and could have been a little bit more balanced
11. Course: Chocolate cake with crème anglaise and whipped cream
Good finish of the tasting menu with a light chocolate cake.
Mignardises
So far we haven’t had any disappointments at Bistro LQ and this visit was no exception. Together with the excellent wine pairing which always supports each dish without overwhelming it this restaurant also presents a real bargain with the 9-course tasting menu and wine pairing for $125/person.
The name Bistro LQ doesn’t really cover the food at this restaurant since Chef Quenioux cooks food which goes far beyond “conventional” bistro food. The techniques and the “heart” of the restaurant might be French, but the ideas one finds in the dishes combine influences from all over the world and won’t disappoint anybody interested in creative and innovative food.
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I had asked friends for restaurant suggestions to celebrate our 20th anniversary. Campanille, Lucques, Melisse, Chateau Marmont, Grace, Sona, Piccolo, etc.... the usual suspects were mentioned. And I drooled over all the menus I downloaded, thanks to excellent inputs. But I was distracted. Chowhound had offered rather more than a few glowing comments about new little Bistro LQ on Beverly Blvd. Bottom line, we became intrigued enough to want to check it out -- and it was sublime. Exquisite bistro fare from charming and gracious experimental French chef, Laurent Quenioux. NO pretense, just heavenly cuisine — we brazenly chose the 9-course degustation menu (my husband’s paired with wine tastings) and left glassy eyed. Sacre bleu, les fromages!!! But not before dear, little anniversary cake plates arrived to finish. Lovely ambiance and near-psychic service. A perfect evening. Try it.
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Interesting. As you can see from my posting above, we had a wonderful experience at LQ on our first visit in November. Unfortunately on a recent return visit we were not equally impressed. The food was still very good, but we were met but rather cool, indeed overly pretentious, and extremely uncaring service. My guest cannot eat shellfish, and the kitchen was very unapologetic in its unwillingness to accommodate this requirement in any fish preparation. Indeed, they were totally inflexible (and not very nice) in trying to accommodate a customer who has certain dietary requirements. We were definitely not trying to rewrite the menu, but requested simple omissions that seemed easy to accommodate. Not only were they unwilling to do so, they offered no explanation, and were just "not nice". We will not return.
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