above: (left) Crispy marinated artichoke with lemon aioli. (right) Izzy Jankovich serving up Steak Au Poivre with house salad and herbed fries
Photography by Venera Alexandrova
As we sat at La Bistro in Cos Cob on a Wednesday night—all tables filled indoors and out on the covered patio—I could hear the couple next to us discussing the menu. “There’s so much here I want to try,” he said.
Our sentiments exactly. In fact, even after two dinners here, we have only scratched the surface of what’s coming out of the kitchen at this new French-American-with-a-twist-of-Asian bistro.
You can have a complete meal that skews French or Japanese, Thai or Italian, or even a hint of Indian. The eclectic, melting pot of a menu, coupled with a comfortable new interior, a lively bar scene and the specialty cakes from the owners’ popular Manhattan bakery have been adding to the buzz about La Bistro. A once-sleepy location next to the Mill Pond has been transformed into an “it” place.
The creators of this something-for-everyone restaurant are Seleste Tan and Mogan Anthony, a husband-and-wife team who founded the award-winning Lady Wong Patisserie in New York and have lived in Greenwich for more than a decade. The couple, who are originally from Malaysia and met at The Four Seasons Singapore, bring two decades of combined experience from top kitchens, including Michelin-starred Jean-Georges, Nobu, Perry Street and WD-50. With La Bistro, they wanted a place to go in their own town, and the result is something that’s great for a date night or ladies’ night, yet also has a solid kid’s menu.
During recent dinners on a Saturday and a weeknight, the bar was busy with people meeting for cocktails (or picking from the thoughtful selection of mocktails) as well as sitting for a full meal. We needed a reservation for a Saturday night table for four, but on Wednesday it was possible for two to walk in at an early hour. The revamped space is more open than its predecessor, Coast, with no partition between the bar and dining room, and the entire backwall featuring a caramel-colored leather banquette. Some tables are close together and it can get a little noisy, so this is a place to go when you want to be around people, rather than a spot for intimate conversation.
For starters, there are bar snacks, soups and appetizers as well as a lineup of plates for sharing that could be entrée substitutes. Destined to be a hit from the name alone, the Tiger Mom dumplings are a must-try. These chicken dumplings would be tasty on their own, but they come drizzled in chili oil and sprinkled with chili crisp, garlic and peppercorns, all paired with a radish slaw to cool down the kick of heat.
The “addictive” crispy sushi bites build on a base of crispy rice with mashed avocado, salmon tartare and tobiko, served four pieces to the plate, sizable and filling. It’s hard to resist foie gras, and this terrine is even more tempting, as it’s paired with slices of grilled soft pretzel and a fruit jam. Crispy marinated artichokes live up to their description (unlike some mushy or overly fried versions), and they’re served with a simple lemony aioli, herbs and pecorino cheese.
For mains, a wide range of selections includes salads with option to add salmon, shrimp, chicken or steak, entrées, bowls, noodles and sandwiches. Among the entrées, a steak au poivre is a solid take on the classic with slices of hanger steak topped with the punchy peppercorn sauce and paired with a salad of romaine with watermelon radishes and shoestring fries.
With several seafood dishes among the entrées, we liked the Mediterranean Bronzino, which has a Greek flair, served with tzatziki and broccoli that’s lightly charred, lemony potatoes and green olives. Even with so many choices, I would order the Crispy Thai Chicken bowl again—the perfect blend of Thai flavors with peanuts and lime, chili sauce, crispy shallots, herbs and Asian slaw.
Desserts are like edible works of art. When you walk in, there’s a glass case filled with colorful cakes and pastries from Lady Wong, which blend Southeast Asian flavors with French pastry techniques. The Mango Sticky Rice Tart is a beautiful treat, with layers of mango cream and gélee on top of coconut sticky rice, all in a tart crust. Violette gets its deep lavender color from ube (in an ube Earl Grey mousse), with blackberry jam and salted caramel, flecked with silver leaf on the outside. Cakes can also be ordered to-go for special occasions. Thankfully, we won’t need a special occasion to get back to La Bistro. There’s still a long list of drinks, dishes and desserts we can’t wait to try.