This small, cozy
restaurant offers a menu with its heart in France, along with occasional
Italian touches that appear in the form of risotto or house-made tagliatelle
pasta. The bar focuses on wine, and daily specials are listed on chalkboards. Burgundy linen tablecloths are topped with butcher paper,
and it’s not unusual to see customers dining alone.
Engel formerly
worked as executive chef at the popular Hotel Metro. His new endeavor is also
popular; if anything, it might be too popular. Even Monday dinners at Pastiche
Bistro are fully booked. There is another option, however, as the bistro is
open for lunch. Though the menu is smaller, the entrees are cheaper. Also,
diners will find items such as crepes and quiche that are absent from the
dinner menu.
The lunch specials
typically include a soup of the day, a quiche, a crepe and perhaps a salad or
entrée. The daily soup specials tend to be thoughtful preparations. A cream of
mushroom soup ($3.95) came with chicken and asparagus. The intense mushroom
flavor dominated the chicken, but the asparagus provided welcome bursts of
flavor. The regular menu also offers quiche Lorraine ($9.95), which arrives as
a thick slice and is served with a side salad, and a classic onion soup topped
with a crouton, Gruyere cheese and chopped parsley. The onion soup’s broth is
light on salt and the onions are sweet. Perhaps more importantly, Gruyere is
simply superior in flavor to Swiss cheese.
In summertime,
salads can often serve as an entire lunch. The salad Nicoise ($10.50) is a
classic preparation with potato, tomato, hard-boiled egg, capers, small black
Nicoise olives and plenty of green beans. The tuna comes in small pieces, the
vinaigrette is made with red wine, and choice white anchovy filets crown the
salad. The green beans, or haricots verts, also form a salad of their own
($5.95), made with an assortment of salad greens, some tomatoes and a profusion
of toasted hazelnuts, topped with a sturdy crouton spread with creamy chevre.
The dressing is of crme fraiche with red wine vinaigrette. The vinegar is in
such scant supply that it is unnoticeable, and the salad overall lacks spark.
Things improve with
the entrees. Lamb navarin ($8.95) consists of boneless pieces of meat braised
into tenderness. There also are haricots verts, potatoes, carrots, onions and
fresh peas. The flavor of wine is everywhere. At dinner this same item is
$15.95. An entree not found on the dinner menu is tagliatelle with duckling
ragu ($10.95). This is homemade pasta with duck meat that is cooked until it is
literally falling apart. It’s a delicious dish, though some may view it as
better fare for a wintry day. For something a bit lighter, try the crepes. A special
of chicken salad crepes ($8.50) came as a pair, the thin crepes speckled with
ground black pepper and the chicken salad made with onion, celery and
mayonnaise. Salad is included on the plate in this decent summery dish.
Lunch prices are
generally friendly, with one notable exception: potato batonettes with garlic
mayonnaise ($6.50). This is potato frites served in a pint beer glass lined
with paper. While the frites are properly prepared and the mayonnaise is
addictive, the price seems excessive for such a small serving.
The wine list is not
large (20-plus choices), but it is a thoughtful list again aimed toward France. The
most expensive bottle is just under $50.
The kitchen has
things timed perfectly. Even when the bistro is full, everything arrives at the
proper intervals. A lunch in less than an hour is entirely possible. Be sure to
make a dinner visit as well. This is when you’ll find escargot, tagliatelle
made with shrimp and scallops, and classic steak frites. The Pastiche Bistro is
a very welcome addition to Milwaukee
dining.
Pastiche Bistro
3001 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.
(414) 482-1446
$$-$$$
Credit Cards: MC, VS
Handicap Accessible
pastichebistro.com
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