Bistro Regent

Bistro Regent


Bordeaux, France

Visited 23-12-2010



After a long day of wine tasting and travelling about from the southern reaches of the city of Bordeaux to cruising around the commune of Margaux one can expend much energy. Add on top of that the consumption, I promise I didn’t spit it all out, of such a great line up of wines by the time Margaux and I got back to our humble little abode we were famished and needing a healthy portion of rations to continue on. The quick pain au chocolat breakfast and Panini sandwiches while asking for directions were definitely not holding us over by this point. Also it was very cold and wet and I think you get the idea. The solution was simple; find some place close with the telltale signs of good food.

And so after we snuck into the Quick Burger around the corner from our place to ‘borrow’ the Wi Fi internet we began to back track and figure out places. I’m not a big fast food guy anymore, yeah I admit I do love an In-in-Out burger every now and again, but damn did the fries start smelling good when we were using the internet. Stage Orange, all systems need food quickly. We happened upon a place that we had actually walked by before on our travels through the street, and as the snow began to fall onto the streets of Bordeaux we decided by committee to stop, we had reached dinner. This place was Bistro Regent.

Upon walking in the signs were flashing positively, French being spoken, a full crowd, and good smells coming out of the kitchen. To be honest I had no idea the food fair when we entered, but I was up for about anything warm and filling. The tables were set with custom paper covers, and these were actually the menus. You had two options, either the beef meal for 2, 42 Euros, or ordering individually from a choice of Beef, Fish (Salmon), or Duck. Each dish came with a side green salad and Pome Frites (French Fries) all for about 20 Euros. By this point Margaux, through her mastery of the beautiful and confusing French language and me from my mastery or looking at other tables food, deciphered this was a sauce house. They were famous for their house sauce and each dish, hence them only having the 3 proteins, was to be a feature for the sauce. Naturally, we both chose the duck.

Serving plates are kept warm by the warming tray on each table. You know, little candles positioned under a stand to apply direct flame from underneath. When the food comes it is simple and straight forward, two pieces of duck breast swimming in the house sauce on one plate and placed upon the stand under the flame. The salad and fries are delivered in metal bowls, everything semi family style. Bistro Regent has a good deal going, no frills or nonsense, just good food and good portions that come out fast and hot. The two pieces of duck were cooked perfectly, and we equated that the sauce was a mustard cream base with a mixture of spices, salt and pepper. I still think there is a little bit of liquor added to spike the flavor, but maybe that’s just me. The salad was simple and enjoyable, and the fries were good, but I usually like them to be more on the crisp side and these were a bit limp. It did help their cause that they were cooked in duck fat…everything tastes better when cooked in duck fat. It’s like Americans love to add bacon to dishes, the French love to cook things in duck fat. Both traditions can continue to live on in my book.

Dessert was debated, and then agreed upon that we would share something. Isn’t it always easier to say yes to dessert when you have a partner in crime? Chocolate was the craving, a cake/pie dish was the answer. The problem is when you have something that is just so good, the best you’ve ever had, nothing else will quite compare. With the chocolate cake from Beaune still fresh on our minds, and palates, any other chocolate dish would surely fall short. We learned our lesson here this night, because although the dish was good, all we could really talk about still was the piece of cake from our lunch at Restaurant Le Conty in Beaune a few days before. We would not dare to order a chocolate dessert dish again in the next few meals we enjoyed before going our separate ways.

You may have noticed by now I haven’t mentioned any wine. Well, we did have some, a half bottle of a 2006 Bordeaux, but much like the lack of a picture I cannot remember the wine’s name or much about it. It was good and did do the job of satisfying our thirsts, but not much else. To be honest after drinking great wines at Chateau La Mission Haut Brion and Chateau Palmer (the next article I will post), would anything really have measured up? As the gentle snow let up from the winter sky and our bellies were filled with rations we were happy to stroll back home and call December 23rd, 2010 a day of great success. Hey, I even got a new umbrella when I discovered that someone had taken mine, the fun game of umbrella musical owners lives on, Salute!