Bistro Two Eighteen

"I can’t stress enough how utterly mind blowing an experience is at Bistro 218. It’s impossible to ever do it justice with words, but I will attempt. You never know what you’re in for with a lot of restaurants; for one reason or another consistency is hard to find. With bistro, everything about your experience is exactly as amazing, delicious, and special as the time before. From start to finish, you’ll find yourself transported to a different place. The cocktail list is as unique and varied as anywhere, but the wine list is where the drink menu truly shines. CASTLE, their in-house Sommelier, will make at least one appearance at your table- allow him the opportunity to pair your meal perfectly, because he will. It will be perfect. Whether it’s the fried oysters, amazing salads, or perfectly cooked and delicious entrees, you can’t miss on this menu. A varied selection of choices from vegetarian, seafood, and red meat… I actually chose against my usual direction and went chicken. It. Was. AMAZING. I kept thinking to myself “man, this is a chicken dish… but it’s so much more”. My girlfriend did the same- mixed it up and went against her usual and got the beef Wellington. Of course, she was blown away. And the wine pairings? Perfect as always. Also, a pro-tip: when making a reservation (don’t try and walk in by the way, a reservation is necessary unless you’re just interested in a bar section experience), request for the special balcony table. The atmosphere and surroundings at bistro are already top notch, but this just takes it to another level. There’s simply nothing about Bistro 218 that isn’t 5 stars. We can’t wait to be back."

"Really bad food experience this time! The appetizers are, at most, OK. Odd mix of flavors. Some came out kind of cold. My $52 new york strip steak was the worst steak I ever had at an upscale restaurant. The overall flavor was OK, but they turned a medium to medium-rare order into a well-cooked cheap hamburger! My jaw got sore the day after because of how hard that thing was to chew. I could not make a scene during the meeting, so I swallowed it in a one-hour-long process, but in any other situation, I would have talked to the manager. A colleague with whom I shared a few bites of it afterward told me, "That was not a medium-rare". Also, no aging whatsoever; salty seasoning; ...it was an awful thing to eat!! The ambiance is always great. Service is stellar good! Parking wasn't too bad this time. The music, though, was way too loud; we had a hard time talking to each other, and considering we were there for a business dinner, we may have to scratch this restaurant off the list just because of this issue. We'll pass for a while"

"Parking can be challenging so plan ahead. Call the restaurant about the valley parking options. Online reservation method is not very friendly with a $10 charge for cancellations -perhaps it is the website I was using, please check. The food was outstanding, highly recommend the redfish. Presentation, taste, temperature was right on the mark. The bar is well stocked, Don't be shy about asking for what you really want. Prices are competitive, when compared to simmer class restaurants. The kitchen team knows what they are doing, well done. Kudos to the management for running an excellent operation."

"Absolutely loved this place. We were in town for one night and picked this as our spot. And what a great pick it was! The roasted beet salad really set the stage with the deliciously sourced beets, fresh local arugula, and an amazing strawberry mustard vinaigrette. Following that, my wife had the incredible pan seared gulf red grouper with a perfect mignonette, and I went with the shrimp and vegetable risotto. Hands down the best risotto I’ve ever had. And finally, I’d be leaving out an important feature of the evening if I didn’t mention this wine that the Som helped us to choose. This Fixin Clos Marion was a delightful French pinot, and we haven’t stopped talking about how much we loved it - and how well it complemented these menu choices. This wine really put a bow on the whole dining experience."