Michel Bistro
| Address: | 3343 Lakeshore Ave, Oakland, CA 94610, USA |
| Phone: | +1 510-836-8737 |
| Site: | michelbistro.com |
| Rating: | 4.6 |
| Working: | 5:30–9PM 5:30–9:30PM 5:30–9:30PM 5:30–9:30PM 5:30–9:30PM 5:30–9:30PM 10:30AM–2:30PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 5
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P. I.
Moi: A previously french-food resistant foodie, now converted! Consider an american kids first encounter with french food, at a small cafe in SF, where a well meaning if somewhat misguided aunt ordered me some Escargot, and french onion soup That was it! I was done with french restaurants. Since then, I have only been to a handful of them, none really impressing me that much, until tonights visit to Michel Bistro. Theres something about a restaurant with a heartbeat, nothing moving fast, but everything is getting to the tables exactly on time, and the wait staff came off more like a family than employees. (Thank you, Lucy!) A longtime friend had sworn by this place, and had cajoled me into coming, viola, here I was. Strange, because french and french-themed restaurants are not usually my thing. The high brick wall on one side, and the 70s french movie silently playing on it, were not a distraction but rather made for interesting lighting. The smells coming from the kitchen made me swoon, as I perused the menu, which was authentic in its rustic simplicity. With four or five basic entrees to pick from, me and my gang ordered the works, and proceeded to share one an incredible meal. I am known for being a fanatic of well prepared bone marrow, and our first course did not disappoint. Served with an equally delicious Levant bread from Le Petit Pan in SF, (I think), the bone marrow was nearly drug-like in its flavor, texture and fatty goodness, Finely chopped lemon, celery root chicken skin, and the natural savory sweetness of roast garlic, both spreading like butter on the bread, and simply eating it by fork, (Please serve this with spoons too so we can get every bit!) was an explosion of buttery, pure fat that moves on the palate with a life of its own. Nothing like it. I have eaten bone marrow at a number of restaurants (mostly on the east coast) and never had it like this, and the portions were quite generous as well. Moving on to our second opener, the avocado salad, I was moved by a deep hint of curry flavor without the noticeable presence of any curry, and had the ingredients explained, and understood where the sweet, smokey flavor came from, (Turmeric) and it came in balance with the avocado, which it never overwhelmed. They nutty taste and texture of chicory, dates and long pepper among others, woke up a huge appetite in me, just in time for my main course. Main Course: An Amaranth-Crusted Swordfish served in a bed of carrot, the tiniest int of espelette pepper, yogurt, and barberry, had tender deep flavor, a rich aroma, and the herbs and barely detectable hint of citrus, all playing off the initial crunch of a perfectly prepared piece of swordfish. The flavors in this meal were lighter, more subtle, and with fresh herbs, and citrus, and a little deeper than what I considered french cuisine to be. What was I thinking? By the time I thanked Anthony, our young chef, our desserts were being brought. (Made by one of the servers, Amber, a CIA grad I think) Between the brownie bowl, crumbly with a browned or toasted meringue, hazelnuts and pralines, and some kind of pepper I couldnt place, the deconstructed cheesecake, with creme fraiche foam from another planet, with strawberries, (Dont quote me on that, just trying to remember), and the astonishing Crème Brûlée, with Tahitian vanilla, (State of the art sugar technology) which was so light it almost seemed animated, I was by this time, to say the least head over heels with this restaurant and its food and staff. If youve seen my other reviews, they usually involve more exotic foods, and blazing peppers, but happily, here at Michel Bistro, after all this time, I learned to love french food and appreciate its subtitle value. Sorry I didnt photograph everything like I usually do, but I was WAY too busy eating. Michel Bistro has an heart at its center, and the food tells it story. So, Win for Michel Bistro!
MO
Monica Mui
Our server was the worst. The hostess sat us and was very nice, she brought water and asked us is she could get us anything to drink. Then we waited + waited + waited which was fine we looked at the menu + decided what we wanted. The server finally came + just said "oh okay you got your water Im going to come back". So we waited some more. Then he came back + said "what do you want". He never said hi or asked how we were found, or even apologized for the hectic-ness nothing. So I asked him if the were any specials. He just said no. I asked what the soup was, celery apple. We ordered. He left. We didnt see him again. The folks who stopped our appetizers + entrees were super kind, helpful and overall wonderful. We finished our entrees+when the waiter came by our table I asked for a box. Someone else came by + picked up our plates + the waiter dropped the to go boxes + said do you want the check. What happened to dessert menus?!?! Its not cheap the entrees range from $25-35 + no appetizer is under $15. I expected a better experience. I wont be back.
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Becky Chen
I brought my friend here for her birthday dinner and it was a wonderful dinner. We ordered the bone marrow, escargot, mussels and fries, and rib eye steak. She loved the recommended wine, though neither of us knew what it was. Everything was cooked to perfection, the waiter was very nice, the ambiance was great and it wasnt a noisy restaurant. The parking is a bit difficult in this area due to all the restaurants and shops on the street, so definitely give yourself some extra time if coming here for a meal. I made reservations, so luckily we didnt have to wait upon arrival. The complimentary bread was also delicious with the butter. I wasnt really into the olive spread they had. Everything was just cooked so well and not overly salty like some French restaurants Ive been to. I felt the lemon zest overpowered the bone marrow flavor a bit, but it was still yum, especially with the whole roasted garlic that came along with the order. Id definitely visit again.
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Shohei U
I dont understand the 4, 5 star reviews. My wife and I got the charcuterie plate, bone marrow, bison tartar, and the pasta dish. Both the bone marrow and pasta dish were just doused in lemon and tasted like greasy, sour lemon. It killed any natural flavor both dishes probably had before they were doused in lemon. So disappointing. The charcuterie plate was ok. Bison tartar was ok. The horseradish didnt have any kick at all. Its like French food without the flavor, or French food with greasy lemon flavor. Take your pick. The best part of the meal was the free bread and the garlic olive spread that came with it. Service was somewhat adequate for a bistro, but not fancy restaurant quality. Total was 99 bucks for greasy lemony food with adequate service. We came away from this befuddled because none of the food here tasted like anything we had in France.
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Mike Wilson
Another great addition to the area. Heavily french focused menu / drink list. Warm and inviting interior with a bistro table setup. Once greeted and seated the staff was friendly and informative without being overbearing. The oysters were very fresh and had a great flavor to them. The breakfast was very carefully prepared and tasted fantastic. The home fries are also really great. We are excited to have an amazing bistro like Michels.
