Sunday, June 25, 2006

Petit Robert Bistro - Paris in Boston

The outside

Pacman and I finally made it to Petite Robert Bistro in Kenmore Square last Friday. Our attempts to eat there have always been foiled. Several times the Sox were playing and it was impossible to find parking. Another time the wait was more than an hour.

Surprisingly, the place was pretty quiet when we got there. Perhaps because it's summer now and all the college kids are gone. We started off with the steak tartar classic with croutons. The flavor of the beef actually reminded me of spicey tuna for some strange reason. It was nicely salted and garnished with a cherry tomato. The croutons turned out to be the toasted baguette.

Steak Tartar Classic with Croutons

For the main course, I got Scallops in their Own Shells “Parisiènne”. And no the scallops did not have shells. Pacman got the Duck Confit and Grilled Duck Magret with Braised Cabbage. He's more of the carnivore while I snack off his plate. Both came with a side of buttery sauteed vegetables (cabbage and carrots). I enjoyed the scallops (also cooked in butter), though the butter theme got a little overwhelming during the last couple bites.

The duck dish was way better (it was actually cooked hah)! The skin on the duck was nicely fried and the meat tender. Damn it was good. Not knowing what "Duck Magret" was, I also did a little research on the definition. Turns out that magret is the breast of duck specially raised for foie gras.

The Duck:
Duck Confit and Grilled Duck Magret with Braised Cabbage

Dessert was a must since Petit Robert has its own pastry chef. I spied several desserts going to the other tables and they all looked too delicious. I couldn't decide what to get and let Pacman do the honors. Of course he had to pick the most difficult thing on the menu to pronounce so he could flaunt whatever little French he knew. That show off!

We got the Ile Flottante. Our waitress told him (I don't know if she was humoring him since I can't speak French) that we should get a discount since he was the only person to pronounce it right all day. I bet she wanted a bigger tip! Anyway, needless to say Pacman floated out of the restaurant that night ;)

I found the Ile Flottante a little odd. The meringue wasn't chilled enough neither was the cream, but I'm willing to let that slide given the other yummy desserts I saw going by.

Ile Flottante

See Petit Robert Bistro and other foodie finds on a map at Chompster.com

Petit Robert Bistro
468 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA02215
617-375-0699

See their menu here

Chomp Meter:
We'll definitely be back. This place is a hit with the French in Boston and the "Most Liked" restaurant in the Boston area on Chompster.com for good reason. Good home style french cooking at reasonable prices! The Gâteau Petit Robert (chocolate cake with a miniature Eiffel Tower) also looks mad delicious. Will have to get that the next time.

PS. I also recommend reservations because they can get really crowded.

1 comment:

mini said...

hopefully the second location will be as good as the first! ...and not be like a pirates of the carribean 2 :P