Steak at the New Albany Bistro

The other night a large group of church people went out as a group to eat at the New Albany Bistro. The church is only a block away from the Bistro so it's an easy place to go. We ate in the courtyard.

First, the courtyard is a lovely venue. You are outdoors but the walls really make this nicely secluded. Thankfully Friday night was fairly pleasant so we didn't roast.

I ordered the Bistro Ribeye steak and it was one of the absolute best pieces of steak I've even eaten.

I enjoy steak and frankly it's difficult to find really good steak. It is often not cooked the way I like it, it's often tough, and so many places over season the meat. I know at this sounds uncool, but the best steak I had ever eaten before was a ribeye at Morton's in Nashville. To my delight the Bistro may have matched this experience...and if they didn't they came close.

The steak was tender, perfectly cooked (rare) and not overly seasoned. It was presented nicely on garlic mashed potatoes (which were good) and grilled vegetables. It was certainly one of the finest steaks I've ever eaten. And I am picky.

My only little negative (and it is little) is that I've love it if they were provide a small dinner side salad with the meal. That small addition would have made this a perfect experience.

The other night a large group of church people went out as a group to eat at the New Albany Bistro. The church is only a block away from the Bistro so it's an easy place to go. We ate in the courtyard.

First, the courtyard is a lovely venue. You are outdoors but the walls really make this nicely secluded. Thankfully Friday night was fairly pleasant so we didn't roast.

I ordered the Bistro Ribeye steak and it was one of the absolute best pieces of steak I've even eaten.

I enjoy steak and frankly it's difficult to find really good steak. It is often not cooked the way I like it, it's often tough, and so many places over season the meat. I know at this sounds uncool, but the best steak I had ever eaten before was a ribeye at Morton's in Nashville. To my delight the Bistro may have matched this experience...and if they didn't they came close.

The steak was tender, perfectly cooked (rare) and not overly seasoned. It was presented nicely on garlic mashed potatoes (which were good) and grilled vegetables. It was certainly one of the finest steaks I've ever eaten. And I am picky.

My only little negative (and it is little) is that I've love it if they were provide a small dinner side salad with the meal. That small addition would have made this a perfect experience.

Damn John..Thanks! So you know, I opened Morton's Downtown and am somewhat privey to the "Prime" meat that they use. I would put Creekstone Angus up against any of the Morton's purveyors (I.E. Stockyards, Allen Brothers, Bruss et al.) Anyway, glad you had a groovy steak and next time your in say hello!- (next time your in, the steak, (and a house salad), is on me!!)-Dave

John, I saw you and the group; I'm not sure you saw me. Diana and I were having a light dinner of chef's salads and the yummy Elector-fried shrimp.

This may be a premature notice, but I believe that Chef Clancy and I have agreed on a second annual Bastille Day French-themed beer dinner for Sunday, July 15. I'm assembling a killer list of Northern French ales, to be paired with Dave's cuisine.

We'll provide more details as we bluff them.

Me and my friend were going to go to Cincy on Friday, but due to car issues, we decided to stay in town, and we went to Bistro New Albany.

(Warning: I am brutally honest, but I will attempt to also be constructive)

The outdoor seating was all taken, but that was ok, and we ate inside. The dining area was very comfortable and nicely appointed. And the wait staff was friendly and very attentive. The only slight issue was a couple gnats bugging me as I ate; I realize it's hard to keep them out, and it didn't bother me *that* much. We were seated not far from the entrance, so that must've played into it.

We ordered Fried Green Tomatoes for the appetizer. Excellent! Best I've had in my memory.

We ordered a small salad to go with our dinners. Like the previous poster, it would have been nice if these were included with the entrees, but it wasn't a big deal. Excellent combination of greens and veggies, and the balsamic dressing was very delicious. It was all fresh and delightful.

I ordered the Bistro Ribeye, due to previous raves about it here. First of all, the plate was very well-presented, and very appetizing to the eyes. I generally loved the choice of vegetables to go along with the steak and potatoes. The potatoes were very tasty, and lumpy (which is a Good Thing).

Now, the steak. It was an amazing cut of meat. I couldn't remember having a steak of that quality before. Perhaps a little bit more fat on it than I would prefer, but on the other hand, that lends to its natural flavor. It was *perfectly* cooked to my satisfaction -- medium well. The only downside, I suppose, is that being a spice fiend, I was expecting a jazzier marinade flavor. But I could easily taste that the steak with its natural flavors was great, and it was very satisfying.

My dining partner had a buffalo burger, as this is something he has ordered before in various other restaurants, so this is something he normally likes a lot. Sorry to report, however, that the burger was cooked beyond his request of medium well and was a little burnt. (Note: He's not one to return things in restaurants or ask for re-dos.) He definitely enjoyed the fried green tomatoes and salad, so all was not lost.

The chocolate dessert we took with us was very good. And the glasses of wine we ordered with our meals were very tasty.

Now, the dinner bread. It was, well, average -- it was kind of hard to chew and it wasn't warm... but we've had much worse. It would be a good idea to concentrate on the fresh baked feel of the bread that is delivered to tables. The bread seemed to be of high quality, but its presentation is important as well.

So, overall, I can report my meal was very good, while my partner's wasn't so much due to his dissatisfaction with the cooking of his entree, but again, he very much liked the salad and appetizer.

Roger, sorry, I didn't see you! I can probably handle an event like that in July!

Me and my friend were going to go to Cincy on Friday, but due to car issues, we decided to stay in town, and we went to Bistro New Albany.

(Warning: I am brutally honest, but I will attempt to also be constructive)

The outdoor seating was all taken, but that was ok, and we ate inside. The dining area was very comfortable and nicely appointed. And the wait staff was friendly and very attentive. The only slight issue was a couple gnats bugging me as I ate; I realize it's hard to keep them out, and it didn't bother me *that* much. We were seated not far from the entrance, so that must've played into it.

We ordered Fried Green Tomatoes for the appetizer. Excellent! Best I've had in my memory.

We ordered a small salad to go with our dinners. Like the previous poster, it would have been nice if these were included with the entrees, but it wasn't a big deal. Excellent combination of greens and veggies, and the balsamic dressing was very delicious. It was all fresh and delightful.

I ordered the Bistro Ribeye, due to previous raves about it here. First of all, the plate was very well-presented, and very appetizing to the eyes. I generally loved the choice of vegetables to go along with the steak and potatoes. The potatoes were very tasty, and lumpy (which is a Good Thing).

Now, the steak. It was an amazing cut of meat. I couldn't remember having a steak of that quality before. Perhaps a little bit more fat on it than I would prefer, but on the other hand, that lends to its natural flavor. It was *perfectly* cooked to my satisfaction -- medium well. The only downside, I suppose, is that being a spice fiend, I was expecting a jazzier marinade flavor. But I could easily taste that the steak with its natural flavors was great, and it was very satisfying.

My dining partner had a buffalo burger, as this is something he has ordered before in various other restaurants, so this is something he normally likes a lot. Sorry to report, however, that the burger was cooked beyond his request of medium well and was a little burnt. (Note: He's not one to return things in restaurants or ask for re-dos.) He definitely enjoyed the fried green tomatoes and salad, so all was not lost.

The chocolate dessert we took with us was very good. And the glasses of wine we ordered with our meals were very tasty.

Now, the dinner bread. It was, well, average -- it was kind of hard to chew and it wasn't warm... but we've had much worse. It would be a good idea to concentrate on the fresh baked feel of the bread that is delivered to tables. The bread seemed to be of high quality, but its presentation is important as well.

So, overall, I can report my meal was very good, while my partner's wasn't so much due to his dissatisfaction with the cooking of his entree, but again, he very much liked the salad and appetizer.

Thanks Steve!! The best thing a guest can do is tell me what we are doing wrong as well as right (that way we can address the issues). Too often guests will leave and say nothing, only to tell others about a bad meal and that is the worst thing for me as I try to build a loyal clientele. We were (and still are) baking our own Foccacia but only use that for sandwiches at this point as we cannot make enough for table service anymore. The bread is from breadworks and is pretty good and your right, it is better warm (we are working on that). As for the Bison Burger, I have no answer or excuse for that except that we were probably getting clobbered at that point and it likely got lost on the grill too long (but as I said, no excuse) Anyway, thanks for the great report and next time say hi when you come in!-Dave

Thanks Steve!! The best thing a guest can do is tell me what we are doing wrong as well as right (that way we can address the issues). Too often guests will leave and say nothing, only to tell others about a bad meal and that is the worst thing for me as I try to build a loyal clientele. We were (and still are) baking our own Foccacia but only use that for sandwiches at this point as we cannot make enough for table service anymore. The bread is from breadworks and is pretty good and your right, it is better warm (we are working on that). As for the Bison Burger, I have no answer or excuse for that except that we were probably getting clobbered at that point and it likely got lost on the grill too long (but as I said, no excuse) Anyway, thanks for the great report and next time say hi when you come in!-Dave

My pleasure. The bottom line is that your restaurant does a lot of things right, and I give it high marks overall. Just a couple tweaks, with the bread and the cooking time on burgers, and our meal would have been just about perfect. By the way, foccacia is getting pretty popular as a dinner bread (as far as I can tell), and if there was any way it can be produced for the tables again, that would be a big plus.