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Dining out review: Bistro at Country Rose turns even a cynical restaurant critic into a romantic
| Monday, Apr 21 2008 12:38 PM
Last Updated: Monday, Apr 21 2008 2:18 PM
I know it’s a sexist thing to say, but a lot of men are real amateurs in the romance department.
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167 H St., 322-5965
Hours: Lunch menu 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday. Dinner “no set time — reservations only” Friday and Saturday.
Prices: Soups and stews $3.95-$5.95, salads $4.95-$7.95, sandwiches $6.95-$9.95. No set prices for dinner menu. No child’s plate.
Payment: MasterCard, VISA, American Express and personal checks accepted. Does not accept Discover or The Californian’s Press Pass.
Dress: Casual
Amenities: Wheelchair accessible; wine served; no vegetarian options.
On the Web: www.countryrosebistro.com
Food: Three stars
Atmosphere: Four stars
Service: 31⁄2stars
Next week: Heidi’s Brooklyn Deli
Photos:
Pesto and pea soup served at the Bistro at Country Rose, which restaurant critic Pete Tittl recommends as a fine (and romantic) dining experience.
The interior of the restaurant reminded Pete and his companion of a quaint French bistro.
A variety of desserts served at the restaurant.
The Napa turkey sandwich, left, and rosemary chicken wrap.
Diners who prefer to eat outdoors have that option at the Bistro at Country Rose. Server Christina Burubeltz is seen in the background.
Bistro At Country Rose server Christina Burubeltz, is hard at work on a recent Friday at lunch.
It’s just not hard-wired into us. Hey, if a live NASCAR event inspires us to look into the eyes of the love of our life and plant a big fat one on her lips, why wouldn’t that work for her?
Not that I’ve ever done that. Really. But a less challenged male buddy who has really, really worked at this over the years insists to me that I’ve been missing out on a great romantic dinner spot, the Bistro at Country Rose on H Street (it used to be called the Country Rose Tea Room but has now gone with a more restaurant-worthy name).
Owner Lee Anne Martin and her family have operated the place for 20 years.
We visited, and it is truly a magical place for a lot of reasons. Number one is that you need to make reservations because the dinners are available only on Friday and Saturday nights if room is available (lunch is available every day).
When we first tried to visit, we called that day and the small restaurant, located in one of those charming old downtown houses, was already booked.
You snooze, you lose. All erstwhile romantic men need to be prepared, need to have a plan of action. So we managed to snag a seat on a Saturday.
If your significant other appreciates interesting décor, natural wood floors and a decorating scheme that is visually interesting in all ways, Bistro At Country Rose will hit a home run.
The tablecloths alone reminded my companion of something she would see in the south of France.
Soft, jazzy music with female vocalists played at an appropriately subdued level in the background.
We were seated in a small room with three other tables for two but no other diners. Perfect. The wine list specialized in Central Coast and Monterey wineries at very reasonable prices ($20-$30 mostly).
There were only two entrée options that night: a beef tenderloin ($21.95) with herb butter or béarnaise sauce and chicken amaretto ($16.95). No printed menu (an employee said one is “in the works”). Who needs to read when romance is in the air, right?
This whole experience was really like going over to a friend’s house who really knows and loves food and will always whip up something great, from the tomato-cannelloni bean soup filled with an assortment of herbs to a spinach salad with feta cheese, sesame-crusted almonds and red pears, sliced artistically thin.
The vinaigrette dressing portion was perfect, so you could still taste the vegetables.
My biggest complaint was that the beef was a bit overdone — gray inside — though still tender.
Is it a natural match with the white béarnaise sauce? No, but I wanted to see if they could pull it off, though I’m still a sucker for the herb butter mix, which was the other option.
The chicken, with a thin yellow coating that suggested saffron to me, was much more successful, especially with the sliced fresh mushrooms.
I must say both entrees included fresh asparagus spears and grilled red potato discs seasoned, again, with an assortment of herbs such as rosemary, which we were convinced were grown in the garden out back. The plates were garnished with flowers. That is a romantic home run, my friend.
Desserts, all made on the premises, sound great, though we could split only one: the chocolate peanut butter pie ($4.75). It’s a very light cream pie, instead of the million dollar cream cheese brownie pie, which is something of a cheesecake with a brownie crust.
The waiter was polite and extremely knowledgeable about food and wine, and had a healthy respect for Trader Joe’s. That won him points in my book.
Bistro at Country Rose can be recommended for a fine dining experience, especially the romantic ones.