Beauty and the Bistro LQ

********THIS RESTAURANT IS NOW CLOSED.********

Looking for gorgeous innovative French cuisine? Get thee to Bistro LQ.


The place is simply decorated -- all the better for you to admire your beautiful food. On this night, Amber and insomniac helped me enjoy several masterpieces. Lovely company for a lovely dinner!

Amuse bouche -- octopus and pico de gallo.

What an exquisite first bite! Fresh! Happy!

Lobster salad, duck prosciutto, mango tartar, melon gum, vanilla oil ($15).

So much going on, and yet it worked wonderfully. Salty, tangy, sweet, yum.

Artichokes, goat cheese curd, tomatoes confit ($13).

I don't even like artichokes that much, and this hit the spot. What can I say? The goat cheese curd won me over.

Sepia lightly fried, Spanish chorizo dressing, salted cod, crème fraîche potatoes, poached egg ($25).

Wow. Superb. The textures. The flavors. Everything. Damn good fried cuttlefish.

Duck 2 Ways -- duck breast and confit leg, shishito pepper, Bergamot miso jus, yuzu glaze, miso lemon curd ($29).

Monkey want a quacker! My gracious cohorts indulged my need for duck. Best I've ever had? No. Glad we ordered it? Yes, oh, yes. Gnawed on that leg like a spoiled dog.

Rabbit tart, confit leg, sauteed filet, fig compote with vanilla, summer greens ($26).


Another dish with a lot of components. Again, a possible recipe for disaster. But no! Success! Loved loved loved the tart. A small pile of savory goodness on top of a perfectly flaky pastry disk. Magnifique!

French-pressed coffee and pre-dessert.

Amber got a little pick-me-up beverage for her long drive home, as we all noshed on our individual pre-desserts. Yes, we each got this cute array of goodies!

Lychee mousse tart, black sesame mochi ice cream ($8).

We had different opinions about this dessert. Well, Amber and insomniac agreed, and I was the odd man out. We all liked the lychee items, but only I liked the black sesame items. Actually, "like" isn't strong enough for how I feel. I adore black sesame! Amber and insomniac do not. Actually, "do not" isn't strong enough for how they feel. More for me!

Pistachio mousse, spice cake, strawberry and rhubarb sorbet ($8).

We all enjoyed this. It's pistachio! Instant win! The strawberry and rhubarb sorbet, however, was the real pucker-producing stand-out. It's not often that sorbet steals the show!

Mignardise.

Hello, cutie patooties. Welcome to my tummy, especially you there in the green and you in the black. Pistachio and black sesame macarons, you're on my VIP list.

My sole complaint about Bistro LQ is that the lighting is dreadful, but I suppose most people don't mind dining in the dark. It's only bloggers who seek good lighting.

Here are our before and after receipts -- behold our tasty deal!

Thank you for the 30% off our entire bill, Blackboard Eats! Quite the satisfying meal for $45 per person!