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Mistral is a southern French bistro with a warm, unpretentious atmosphere.
A very nice cozy homey feel as soon as you enter this little bistro. Service is attentive, but lagging later in the meal, when it got busy and packed around 8pm. It did take some time for them to bring us the bill and even ring it out. Other than that tiny glitch I'll have to give them a thumbs up for the food and ambiance. I really loved the quaint romantic feel of this place and hope next time I'll be able to enjoy some yummy french wine here. The food was quite yummy, with the exception of my FIL's lambshank which he thought was a tad bit too salty. Our other dishes included the Duck Confit, Sablefish, Cassoulet, and the Pork Cheeks. The duck confit was cooked perfectly & pretty good according to my MIL, my SIL also really enjoyed her sablefish and my hubby liked his cassoulet. My Pork Cheeks that was in a red wine stew, braised daikon radish, olives, root vegetables, and green beans with fried chick peas cake was quite filling and delicious. It's too bad we were too full from the meal - didn't get a chance to try their desserts. Oh well, next time. =)
While I normally abhor prix fixe dining, offering mediocre menu items at flagship prices, Mistral seemed to fit the bill for a dinner date with the gf.
The decor speaks of an understated elgance yet casual enough that walk-ins in jeans and sneakers would not offend. Tables are a bit cramped together but the ambient noise drowns out any chance of overhearing conversations.
The simple 3 course menu at $55 provided good value. My gf started with the wild mushroom soup with truffle oil and garlic confit foam. It was a rich starter but perfect on a cold evening. My duck plate consisted of a medallion of foie gras terrine, a rillette and a caillette complimented with a poached pear to offset the unctuous duck innards. Going with the steak frites was any easy choice. Though the ribeye cut was no more than 1cm thick, it was cooked a perfect medium rare while the french fries came hot off the oil, crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. The desserts were your basic fruit salad with sorbet and biscuit and a chocolate mousse and cake over vanilla ice cream.
While the maitre d' had an air of aristocrat about her, the wait staff balanced between casual and formal making for a comfortable experience. If you're expecting snooty and uptight, we didn't see it here.
I do declare that subsequent visits are in order.
We had dinner there on Saturday 06/18/11.
Appetizers were good although portions were too big. Warm Goat Cheese with Pear was splendid.
Main courses were disastarous. I ordered Osso Bucco. The veal was cooked well but it was served on a soup bowl full of Spaghetti covered in a sauce that resembled reduced onion soup. My wife's Morrocan Style Lamb Stew was the same story, well cooked lamb but the 'Horror Sauce' was all over the cous cous.
Desserts were very boring with no presentation.
Service was very attentive at first and then became non-existent.
For us a very poor dining experience and not a restaurant we will be returning to.
We made reservations for DOV here one night, as we entered we were greeted right away, although our table was not ready yet, we patiently waited shortly and was seated. We were offered water and bread to start, the bread was really good. We ordered off the DOV menu and got the wine pairing as well. To start we tried one of each of the appetizer offered, the organic green pea soup and marinated seared salmon with beat salad was heavenly. The salmon was slightly seared and it tasted really delicate. The green pea soup was creamy and the fresh mint foam accent the soup very nicely and it was really nice mixed with the soup. For entree we ordered the Coq Au Vin, red wine Chicken stew with fresh Fettuccini pasta it was so tasty it just made me keep eating it. The Coq Au Vin was really delicious! The other entree was the grilled AAA Alberta New York steak with creamy green peppercorn sauce, and house fries. The New York steak was grilled to perfection as requested and the peppercorn sauce was very delicious as well. The house fries was the best french fries I've ever had in a restaurant, very crispy and hot, it just hit the spot! For dessert we ordered the Mistral Mousse au Chocolatthe and warm Belgian Waffle with vanilla ice cream, dark chocolate sauce, the mousse was so airy and not too sweet it was the perfect way to end the night! The waffle still hot and crispy, it contrast nicely with the ice cream, fabulous desserts! The server was extremely experienced, pleasant and attentive. The wine pairing was divine. Great DOV experiece, best I've had in years!
My school friend and I usually go to Mistral twice a year at least on our birthdays. Yesterday we returned again
( my birthday) to find the prix fixe menu had been changed. I was very disappointed to find the steak and chicken taken off the menu and in its place a pasta and a veal stew. There were four choices but not the ones that I was accustomed too. They were a shellfish curry (too much curry sauce and I am allergic to shellfish), a veal stew, a pesto pasta, a duck dish. As I say I am allergic to shellfish. I don't like duck and I can make a stew at home, so I chose the pasta which was very greasy and I had to leave well over 2/3. While the appetizer salad was good served with tiny chevres on croutons and shaved ham, I missed the tiny poached quail egg that made it so special and would have preferred the ham to be crispy. The desserts were very unexciting. None of the love and attention to the dressing of the plates which we had looked forward to.
If price was the issue, I would gladly take half the size of the steak or chicken breast I had become used to, (at my age I do not eat large portions) and still have the lovely sauces that accompanied these dishes.
When I asked the waiter about these changes and told him how we had been coming for most of the years that they had been in operation and had been disappointed, he was very dismissive to the point of rudeness "saying that no-one would like a poached quail egg on a salad - it didn't really go!" We felt he took my remarks negatively. We have been coming to Mistral a long time (my husband and I go in between birthdays during the year). Next year we will probably go to Seasons in the Park or The Fish House in Stanley Park or the new restaurant at Van Deusen.
Went there for lunch/brunch today. They had a list of specials ranging from duck salad to pork chop to venison and so many more. The first thing I noticed was the amount of variety on the menu and also a prix fixe menu. I opted for the Menu Provence and it was amazing! Started with the ratatouille omelet, followed by the braised pork cheek and finished with the chocolat mousse. It was all good. The servings were substantial and well priced. The service was attentive and our water glass was always filled. The owner came to check on us a few times and we like the attention. I think I have found my favourite neighbourhood restaurant and cannot wait to return again! The ambiance was pleasant and we also really enjoyed our window seat.
We went here for the first time tonight. It has almost everything I look for in a restaurant: nice setting/location, large portions, reasonable prices. The only thing I found missing was the food quality. While nothing was terrible, I feel like every dish was a little "off" -- the warm goat cheese salad had cold goat cheese so it wasn't melty and delicious like it should have been, the pea soup had a frozen/overcooked pea undertaste, the pasta was overcooked, etc. This is a good place for people who don't eat out much and want a large portion for the price, but it's not a good place for people who want high-quality food. For my money, places like Provence serve much higher-quality food for similar prices (but with smaller portions), so I won't be back to Mistral.
I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner at Mistral. The food was delicious, and prices were reasonable. The wine, too, was great. If forced to choose, Lumiere Tasting Bar nearby may be a slight notch better, but only slightly. The food at Mistral is more casual in style, while Lumiere Tasting Bar is more "upscale" in presentation, but at both places, you will find immense satisfaction.
I usually come here for lunch on the weekends when I am on the westside of town. This time a friend booked for dineout and the quality and service was consistent with my lunch encounters.
dine out menu:
seared salmon on top of golden beets - 5*
new york steak with fries - 4*
Belgian waffle with ice cream - 5*
other choices made by friends:
Goat cheese salad, good size with seared goat cheese, she loved it 5*
Halibut with thinly sliced potatoes = 4*
Strawberries in syrup 4*
Prices on wine/ cocktails was very reasonable.
Still definitely a good french restaurant even with the business of dineout promotion.
We have dined at Mistral a couple of times now for lunch and have found each ocassion to be a good experience.
Food: The food is consistently good bistrot fare. On this particular visit, the four of us selected from the prix fixe menus. For the price of $20-$24 they are a very good value for the money. One can choose from 4 menus. I had the Marseille menu. The warm escargot crouton with greens and poscuitto was very good and not too salty or garlicky as some escargot dishes can tend to be. The Saffron Bourride was tasty with ample seafood. Creme caramel was very smooth. My dining partners chose the Riviera and Traditional menus and were equally impressed.
Service: The server was attentive and our water and wine glasses were always kept full. She also was familiar with the long list of daily specials and appeared knowledgeable of all the dishes. It's always a pleasure not to have the server stumble through all the specials or not to know what really is in the ingredient list. Also after we got out the door, the server caught up with us to thank us for coming. A warm touch.
Value: As mentioned above. Very good value as the servings are ample and the food solidly presented. Good bistrot food.
Other : Ambiance is great. We had a pleasant lunch with our friends . There was no blaring music that we had to compete with. We will definitely return .
We've been to Mistral a few times now, and it is always exceptional. Our last visit was absolutely spectacular. It was on a nice quiet week night. Only one other table in the restaurant, which is great, as the owner, I think her name is Mina, but dont quote me on that I suck with names, spent a lot of personal time and attention with us.
We let her choose our wine now, as she clearly knows her wine and what will go best with every dish.
I dont know what other people are complaining about with the lamb. It tastes like lamb, the perfect amount of gaminess. Maybe these are people who dont really like lamb, and they get it anyways. I loved the lamb, and I love lamb all around. Anyone knows a lamb sausage is going to be gamie.
The onion soup is spectacular, it is right on the edge of that delicious burnt onion flavour-a hard trick to pull off. Any more and it would just taste burnt, any less and it would not have the depth.
This is the perfect french restaurant-cozy, intimate, relaxed, comfy. The owner is super friendly and nice, and personable.
An excellent Dine Out experience brought us back for brunch recently. Mistral is located a few doors down from Lumiere and Feeenies. Whether it be for service, ambiance, food quality or value, I would recommend Mistral over Feenies.
The menu is rustic/bistro French. Though I agree with a previous reviewer that their lamb sausage is, ahem, unfortunately lamb-y, I disagree that everything else was disappointing. (We did encounter one server/assistant during our Dine Out dinner who was slightly rude, but perhaps it was a stressful night.)
Their brunch menu is particularly interesting. For about $19-$22, you have a choice or 3 or 4 set menus named after certain regions in France. Each menu is a 3-course meal--delicious and a bargain!
The ambiance is warm and welcoming. The tables are very well spaced as compared with so-called high-end restaurants such as (Feenies), Lumiere or Bishops!
Mistral is worth a try!
Although not a regular stop for poorstudent, this cute restaurant has been impressive on both visits. The staff are very knowledgeable about the wine to accompany the dishes on the menu, and the food itself is incredible. I had the french onion soup, the cassoulet with duck confit, the cream brulee on my first visit. all were absolutely outstanding, I'd never had such a smooth dessert finish to an incredible sensory stimulating dinner.
The second visit was no dissapointment either. the warm goat cheese salad was simple but very delicious. I stuck with the duck and got the Roasted Duck breast and duck leg confit, glazed peaches and mango, honey jus, frisee salad and scallop potatoes, and finished with the chocolate mousse. The mousse was thick and delicious, but definately a bit heavy, so unless you really love rich chocolate, stay away. I cannot imagine going to Mistral next time and not orderring duck, simply because it was so wonderfully done both times I visited.
Mistral presents hearty French cuisine from Chef Benoit's Provence -the creator of the defunct L'Emotion restaurant-. It is a simplier food than in the fine dining Emotion but the touch and focus remains, with great products and a flare of a true professional who knows his art.
The spinach soup, the butternut squach soup are fantastic. The "charcuterie" plate is very French bistro. I enjoy the Duck, the Entrecote and the desserts. A good wine selection, although more French wine would please me, complements this real French bistro experience. The place is busy and the welcoming smile of Minna benoit is a treat.
The service is prompt, personal yet discreet. At a fraction of the cost of its expensive neighbor, Mistral is one of my favorite spots for simple yet subtle, focussed real french receipes.
Even if you've never tried French food before, you won't feel out of place at Mistral. The atmosphere is warm and cozy, the staff are friendly and attentive; together with the wall paintings and great service, gives you the feeling that you are a welcome guest at someone's home.
We decided to try Mistral during the first day of DineOut Vancouver 2010. They have a respectably sized wine list, although I don't know enough to comment on the quality/choice. My date wanted something other than wine and asked for recommendations, and our hostess offered to make her a custom cocktail that suited her tastes as well as her dinner selections.
The pea soup and seared salmon appetizers were both superb; the salmon was well-seasoned and perfectly cooked with a melt-in-your-mouth texture. We chose coq au vin and peppercorn steak as our entrees. Both were very hearty portions and richly flavoured, but much saltier than we would have wanted (although it might be fine if paired with wine). The fruit in syrup with lemon sorbet was a refreshing treat and great palette cleanser. The mini Belgian waffle with ice cream was delicious as well. [3.5* for Food]
All in all, we had a wonderful evening and would love to go back again. If fancy/modern French restaurants are not your thing, and a terrible fear of golfball-sized entrees is turning you away from French cuisine, you should definitely give Mistral a try. You won't regret it!
FOOD
Starter: Crab with avocado, grapefruit and smoked salmon. This was an exceptional appetizer. The combination was rich and delicious. 5/5
Main: Duck breast and duck confit. Again, delicious meal. Would have appreciated better veg, but the duck and sauce were very good. 4/5
Dessert: Honey parfait. Subtle and delicious. Other desserts at the table were equally impressive (Pear tart and chocolate mousse). 4.5/5
SERVICE
The restaurant isn't large, so the staff can be highly attentive. The servers were helpful and prompt, the water glasses were never empty and the meals were served quickly. Very good.
VALUE
Wines appeared to be marked up 2-2.5x, which is perfectly acceptable in my book. Appys around 8-12, mains mid 20s and desserts under 10.
OVERALL
Highly recommended. Great little local restaurant with good value, great service and great food.
We have patronized this incredible restaurant four times. It is an incredible restaurant because Chef Benoit's meals are well prepared, Minna's detail to service is always reliable and the value is excellent relative to costs at other Vancouver "bistros".
Our server was very well informed about the regular and daily special menus. We were uncertain about some of the wines available by the glass, and when the selection narrowed down to two wines, the server offered small sips of each to assure we would make a choice to our liking.
The daily specials highlight food in season, and during our visit last week. wild salmon was one of the the features. We shared an appetizer of lightly seared wild salmon that was previously marinated in maple syrup and spices, The flavours were very pleasant and we could have eaten more.
For a main course, my wife again had wild salmon. The salmon was properly cooked (an option of rare or medium cooked salmon was offered) with an accompanying morel sauce. The sauce was on par and reminiscent of sauces we had in better restaurants in France. Choosing from the regular menu, I had a mouth watering rib eye steak with an excellent red wine reduction. We then shared a soft centered chocolate cake, which was a great finish to a wonderful meal. All portions were generous, and we felt "well fed" after the meal.
The restaurant is usually busy, and it certainly deserves to be.
Ate lunch here Jan 30. Extremely good service, very friendly, & kind toward a 3 year old; knowledgeable about wine-food pairings.
Lamb stew was too salty, Cassoulet was good.
I would return. I appreciate feeling welcome. Good vibs from the owner.
We had high expectations, but both my husband and I were wondering why this restaurant has been rated so highly. The service made a sincere attempt to be good, but there were more patrons than the number of staff could handle efficiently. Still, staff were friendly and warm - just not present. The ambience was okay, a trifle noisy and the tables were very close together. The main problem was the food. Squash soup starter was excellent, but crab concoction, although it sounded interesting, was just many things piled on top of each other, rather boring. We were hoping for - this being a French restaurant - delightful sauces, but my seafood dish was drowned in a very heavy cream sauce that I would be embarrassed to serve to my own guests, and although scallops were perfect, prawns were overcooked. My husband's cassoulet was average in a very ordinary sauce.
I was afraid to order dessert.
I cook a lot and know what food should taste like. The Mistral disappoints. I had the onion soup to start which should have been robust and full flavoured. It was watery and barely edible. My partner had the nicoise soup and pronounced it watery also. He then order the chicken breast which was string and came with ( get this ) fries which tasted like McCains. Not that there is anything wrong with them but in a fRench Bistro ?? I had the braised lamb shoulder ....watery again. We asked for the bill and left quickly. The r4estaurant was half full and I presume the patrons were first timers. I predict it will close within 6 months. Le Rigalade which we frequent in West Vancouver is more of what I expect in French Bistro but that is another review.
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