First look: Bistro on Lincoln Park

Regardless of the circumstance, people generally don’t like to see an independent restaurant close its doors. Even worse is when a closed restaurant sits vacant—for almost two years. Luckily, chef Pete Joyce, former executive chef at Salmon Dave’s Pacific Grille, Pier W and most recently Blue Point Grille, and his wife Megan, decided to purchase the former Sage space in Tremont and open their own restaurant.

Enter Bistro on Lincoln Park, a Mediterranean restaurant with strong French, Spanish and Italian influences. Joyce is looking forward to being part of the Tremont dining scene and believes his food, ambiance, service and value will keep people coming back from more.

Food: At Bistro, everything on the menu is homemade—from the bread and desserts right down to the mustard and ketchup. Joyce says he takes pride in knowing nothing comes through the back door in a can and that whenever possible, local ingredients are used. The chef’s philosophy is simple: by starting with great ingredients, you will end with a great product.

Joyce and his sous chef Cory Hess use classical cooking techniques mixed with modern technology. The kitchen is equipped with a cryovac machine, which is basically a giant food saver that allows the chefs to utilize sous-vide cooking (sous vide is French for under vacuum and is nothing more than a hot water bath with an exact temperature control that allows for precise cooking and to maintain the integrity of ingredients). The chefs will then take foods that have been cryovaced and cook them in the immersion circulator. 

The mix of classic and modern cooking techniques works. On a recent visit, we started with a bowl of the onion soup gratinee with venison broth and raclette cheese and the verts aux lardons salad with baby greens, house cured bacon, lavender-honey Dijon dressing, croutons and a poached egg nestled in the center. For dinner, we opted for the steak and frites and ratatouille ravioli with oven-dried tomato and caper butter.

The starters were each fantastic, including the risotto ball amuse bouche with gruyere and truffle oil. The soup had a rich and luxurious taste while the small salad featured generous amounts of the thick-sliced bacon and hearty croutons. The only slight disappointment was the dressing—it wasn’t as flavorful as expected, but the poached egg made up for it.

As for the entrées, the tender steak boasted good flavor but was almost overshadowed by the incredibly addicting fries. The fries, while not necessarily as good as the highly coveted and widely popular fries at Lola and Lolita, were definitely in the same league. As for the ravioli, the simple and aromatic dish was happily cooked slightly al dente and overall, incredibly fresh and flavorful, especially the chunks of tomatoes.

Other popular menu items include the grilled pork loin with Roquefort-celery emulsion, seared tuna with sweetbreads and golden raisin vinaigrette, chorizo blini, Spanish black bean cake and chocolate chip cookies with milk for dessert.

The menu, which features nothing over $23, will change seasonally.

Libations: As it stands now, the drink menu features six reds and eight whites by the glass, plus a somewhat lengthy bottle selection featuring wines from Italy, Spain, France, California, Oregon and Piedmont. There are two beers on tap and an assortment of domestic and imported beers by the bottle. Eleven signature martinis, like the Gingersnap, Bananas Foster and Silent Partner, are available as well as traditional cocktails, dessert wines and coffee drinks.

Look for a wine list featuring 20 wines under $20 coming soon.

Décor: The space itself is minimalistic and clean with blonde wood floors, white tablecloths and large paintings that don the celery-colored walls. The restaurant is separated by two areas; the bar area, with plenty of seating for dinner and cocktails, along with another dining room with 10 tables, plus a small nook ideal for a private dinner for up to 12 guests.

Service: Friendly and efficient.

Crowd: Expect to fine the usual mix of suburbanites heading to the city for a show or game, foodies and random foot traffic stopping in for a drink and bite to check out the area’s newest spot.

Insider Tip: After the holidays, there will be a special bar and happy hour menu. In addition, the chef is planning to launch special wine, beer and cheese dinners.

Bottom Line: While many still miss Sage, Bistro on Lincoln Park will no doubt win people over and prove to be a good addition to an already impressive assembly of Tremont restaurants.