Mistral French Bistro ~ Vancouver

My mother and I were very excited about this year's 2011 Dine Out Vancouver event. We've been looking forward to trying some new restaurants in our area and Dine Out Vancouver is the perfect way to do it. All throughout Vancouver, restaurants offer three course tasting menus for $18, $28, and $38 dollars, and give you the chance to sample their choice dishes. Tonight, my mother and I had a wonderful dinner at the French Bistro Mistral, on West Broadway. I apologize in advance for the sketchy photos. I blame the romantic lighting. ;)


Walking into Bistro Mistral we were enveloped by the wonderful smell of pure, unadulterated deliciousness. The open kitchen may have had something to do with it, but the smell of savory foods cooking...I get hungry thinking about it now. The interior was dimly lit, very romantic, and incorporates a simple Tuscan theme throughout the entire restaurant. Expectations set high, I was eager to taste their food. Everything from the attitudes of the waiters to the decor was so warm and cozy! As for the meal...

Upon entering the restaurant we were greeted with friendly A+ service, the maître d’ was kind and seated us at our table even though we were half an hour early. Throughout the night we were met with the same quality standard: I never, well rarely, had an empty glass of water, our coats were taken politely, and the waiters and waitresses were always bright and chipper. 

Dat Free Bread Tho

My mother and I both opted for the Dine Out meal: I had the butternut squash soup, Grilled Alberta AAA Ribeye steak, and the warm chocolate cake for dessert. My mother chose the same main course and dessert, but with the Dungeness Crab appetizer instead. 

Butternut Squash Soup, cardamom foam, mushroom Duxelle

The butternut squash soup was divine. It was thick, creamy, and delicious. Topped with said cardamom foam, diced, sauteed mushrooms and black pepper the soup was seasoned just right. I was afraid that the soup might be overly sweet, but the chefs at Mistral were skilled and the soup was just the right amount of savory that I needed. My mother had a spoonful and also throughly enjoyed it. ;) 

Fresh Dungeness Crab in layers with avocado and cocktail sauce, Smoked Sockeye Salmon 

The Dungeness crab cake was absolutely delicious. It was fresh, didn't taste fishy at all, and had the right balance of creaminess and citrus that people like in seafood appetizers. There was squirt of lemon on top, a delicious mayonnaise-y dungeness crab middle layer, and a base of creamy avocado. It was pretty evenly balanced~at first bite you really want to eat everything, but by the end you were sated and ready to move onto the next dish.

Grilled AAA Alberta Rib Eye steak, creamy green peppercorn sauce, house fries

To be honest, I was a little disappointed with the steak. Although my mother and I ordered the steak medium rare, most of the steak was cooked to a medium well consistency. The sauce wasn't necessarily a sauce, but more like a clear gloop. Although said to be creamy, it tasted more something like...a corn starchy glaze of some sort. 

The fries had a mixed review from my mother and I. I loved them and she hated them. However, one thing was true the fries were an equal amount of soggy and crispy. Some fries were incredibly crispy and others were just lightly fried on the outside with wet interiors. I ate most of mine. =) 

Chocolate cake topped with Mistral Dark Chocolate Mousse, whipped cream and chocolate sauce

I was pretty full at this point so I couldn't form a strong opinion about the dessert. What I noted was that the cake was pretty dry. You had to eat it with the whipped cream and chocolate mousse, or else it tasted like chocolate bread. 

All in all I enjoyed the meal, and I think I'll be going back. At least for the Butternut Squash soup. 

Thanks for Coming! 

Kid Friendly: Possible, but most of the patrons were adults

Price: $$$ out of $$$$$

Repeatability: Yes 

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