French Quarter Bistro is a quirky, dive-like restaurant that delivers excellent food, good drinks at reasonable prices and a friendly, accommodating staff.
I was a bit concerned when we entered the restaurant because it's attached to a casino gaming parlor in a corner of Frenchtown that looks a bit seedy. And, the inside of the restaurant is plain and somewhat divvy with a lively corner bar atmosphere. Then, Miles came over to greet us and see which of the available tables would suit us best. From that point on, this became one of our favorite restaurants on St. Thomas.
First, Miles made us feel at home and got us started with cocktails. Well drinks at $4.50 and nice pours to boot.
Our group of four started with the Zucchini fries for the table (courtesy of a hotel coupon) as we decided on our dinners. Then I had the gumbo which was delicious and well crafted. Good flavor, lots of chicken and sausage and a well-prepared roux to bring it all together. My wife had the wedge salad which was a classic rendition with a good blue cheese dressing and lots of bacon crumbles. My sister and brother-in-law shared the French onion soup which they both enjoyed.
For dinner, based on Miles' recommendation, I had the shrimp and crawfish etouffee. Nicely seasoned, proper dark roux and a nice portion of shrimp and crawfish. Certainly met my expectation for a classic etouffee!
My wife had the snapper in a lemon butter, caper sauce. It was a nice piece of fresh snapper cooked properly with a nice, lemon butter sauce. It was served with rice and mach Chou. She loved it.
My sister had the shrimp fettuccini. They make their own pasta which was delicate and silky and just the right thickness. The sauce was a choice of either Alfredo or a creole sauce. But Miles indicated that many customers enjoy a combination of the two so she selected that. It was a great choice. Again, lots of shrimp with a creole-based blush sauce giving it a New Orleans spin with a creamy base. They need to put this option on the menu!
And finally, my brother in law chose the whole, fried snapper special. It was a nice sized snapper marinated in bell peppers and seasonings then deep fried and served with a spoonful of creole sauce over it. It was crispy and golden brown - He loved it!
After dinner Miles convinced us to try the bananas foster bread pudding and the beignets. The beignets were good but the bread pudding was awesome. All desserts are home made and were quite good.
This place is a diamond in the rough. You gotta get past the location and environment (it used to be Betsy's Bar) but when you do it's a winner! Food was excellent, cocktails and wine were good and reasonably priced and the staff was awesome - including the owner who was dining with some friends but was unhappy that our appetizer plate wasn't taken away quickly enough so he came over and cleaned up himself (nice to see him take ownership and help out to make the experience good).
If you're looking for good food with a New Orleans spin and a friendly, helpful staff, French Quarter Bistro is the place! read more