Grove Square Bistro

Last week, I met up with a couple friends to try the much talked about Grove Square Bistro. I’d been watching this place be built out for months and was genuinely curious and excited to see what it would turn into. Even when I started seeing some mixed reactions online, I held out hope that the Bistro would be a wonderful addition to the neighborhood. The first week it was open, it seemed packed even with the limited menu and what I’m sure was slightly disorganized service as the restaurant got its bearings. I'd hoped by waiting a bit until the opening kinks were worked out and the full menu was being served, I’d have a better chance of getting a feel for the place.

My friends arrived before me and when I joined them, I ended up waiting at least 10 minutes before someone came by to take my drink order which is a pretty long time considering the restaurant was fairly empty. I know it’s still early days and I understand it can take a while for a staff to find its rhythm so while it wasn’t that big a deal, I was also frustrated by the fact that the glass of water the server told me he’d bring without me even asking didn’t show up until the end of our meal. Other than the timing being off, the server we had was very nice, checked in with us a few times, and did seem anxious to make sure we had everything we needed.

Drinks wise, we all had something different off their cocktails menu. There was red sangria, a margarita, and I chose a mojito. None of these were terribly successful although the red sangria was decent. I wouldn’t go out of my way for it but nor would I turn it down. My mojito tasted like…well, like nothing. I got a bit of sugar and occasional taste of mint…but that was it. The margarita was weird.  All of us agreed that was the best description as we weren't able to put our finger on exactly what was off, just that something was. I will say it didn’t taste like it was made from a mix, so that’s a plus. I couldn’t discern much alcohol in either one which is a disappointment at $8-$10 a cocktail.

We were served complimentary bruschetta which was a thoughtful but hurried gesture.  The bread itself was not typical Italian bread but tasted more like pizza dough or breadsticks. Very dense, very heavy with some Italian seasoning (although not much) already baked in. The bruschetta topping was decent enough although could have used a bit more basil and the parmesan was overwhelming in such large chunks although it looked nice. The bread was really just the negative factor here – too heavy for an appetizer but overall it was an okay way to start.

The menu is made up of fairly standard, slightly upscale-sounding fare – sandwiches, a couple pizzas, salads.  It’s heavy on the seafood with few options for vegetarians, none for vegans and is clearly aiming for a “healthier” feel. I applaud them for this but wish the execution was better. I had the herb-grilled chicken sandwich, and my friends ordered the blackened fish (tilapia) sandwich and salmon burger.  None of us were thrilled.

One of my friends said the best part of her sandwich was the lettuce which is, needless to say, not high praise.  The problem was the same for all of us: no flavor. My herb-grilled chicken had no discernible herb taste and nothing I could see when looking at it.

We were all supposed to have a lemon aioli – there was nothing lemony about it. In fact, I was not able to find any flavor in the sauce at all. I couldn’t even tell what it was. The constant refrain of the night was “It’s not bad….it’s just not good”.
 A woman next to me ordered the rainbow trout and the piece of fish that landed before her was HUGE which is not a compliment. For a piece that big, the outside must have been extremely dry and overcooked. More than that, there’s no way one person could eat all that and I’m sure it overwhelmed everything else on the plate. Another couple two tables over both got the Tuna Caesar Salad and the grayness of the tuna was incredibly unappealing. The concepts behind the food aren’t bad although they aren’t exciting…but the execution, ingredients, and overall taste are really disappointing.

All in All:

Not worth it.  That’s really all I have to say. The atmosphere of the restaurant was fine although it not particularly welcoming.  The white tiles made for an acoustically unfriendly environment and I had a hard time hearing my dining companions. I could see it being nice to sit outside during a warm evening….but with drinks like I had, I can’t imagine bothering.  I’m still slightly curious about the pizza and the wine bar yet to come but at this point, the idea of going back is totally unappealing.  The overall experience was not one I care to repeat and many of the problems weren’t opening jitters – they were just problems.