Bistro Les Gras

Bistro Les Gras has a soothing, comfortable look inside. Small, but not crowded, the feeling is intimate and gracious. The menu describes “hot” and “cold” starters, main plates and a few side dishes or “garnitures.”
The day we visited, we began with a hot starter, a pumpkin velouté soup with brown sugar croutons and sage oil. It was absolutely delicious and the essence of autumn in New England. Eyes closed, it wasn’t immediately identifiable as pumpkin as much as a mix of autumn root vegetables in a creamy, smooth, full-flavored experience. We were able to identify the pumpkin taste, along with carrot, and leek, and what we thought was a chicken base, and we relished every single spoonful. The Flan de Patate Douce - aka a savory sweet potato custard with a maple glazed ham crisp - was a cold starter. The flan tasted like a smoothly blended sweet potato but was a bit disappointing when it came to flavor punch. The ham crisp was delicious, and there was a tiny mix of baby greens in a wonderfully flavored citrus vinaigrette - but once the toppings were gone, the flan itself was too bland to really enjoy. On the other hand, next trip I will absolutely try one of their salads, because that fleeting taste of lemony dressing was something special.
Our third starter was sautéed mushrooms on toast with a poached egg. The toast was delightfully crisp and buttery, and the mushrooms were succulent and had a zing of sherry that added the perfect touch to the dish. The poached egg was cooked perfectly and when broken open, flowed in a golden river over the mushrooms and toast, adding a velvety texture and combining well with the other elements of the dish. Unfortunately, the poached egg was cold, which took away slightly from the overall experience. Given the surprising speed with which our three starters were delivered, I have to imagine that the eggs were pre-poached and standing by. I have no problem with that, especially when they are so well cooked – but warming is essential since the cool temperature jarred with the warm mushrooms and toasty brioche. Still, I’d recommend the dish and order it again with pleasure.
For dinner we chose the braised pork belly over flageolet beans with an apple relish, and a roasted half chicken over pommes purée with sauce chasseur. The pork belly dish was comfort food at its most extreme. In other words, it was not a light dish! The pork was meltingly tender, accompanied by savory beans, and the tart bit of apple added a refreshing zing to each bite. The only complaint we had was the look of the dish. Pork belly is unapologetically full of fat. But even when braised, it needs to look appealing to the eye, and instead of a browned or crispy top, it was presented with a grayish white layer of fat on top. Now mind you, we polished off every bite, but it wasn’t the most visually appealing dish. Particularly since the beans were also a grayish white and the apple relish almost invisible.
Our second entrée was the half chicken over mashed potato…excuse me “pommes purée,” with sauce chasseur - a sauté of tomatoes, onions and mushrooms. The half chicken was the tiniest half chicken I’ve ever seen – more like a game hen thigh and leg with a tiny piece of white meat attached. I don’t need a half chicken for an entrée, and the portion size was fine for a multi-course meal, but the description was misleading to say the least. It was served on a very large portion of potato, which was too loose and kind of blended with the enormous portion of sauce that filled the plate like a huge bowl of soup. The sauce was delicious but too much and too greasy, the potatoes were too much and too loose, and the chicken was unfortunately quite tough. Would I order it again? No. And I’d be leery of any chicken dish after the experience.
Now you’re wondering how two of us managed to polish off such a heavy meal, right? And I haven’t yet mentioned the side dish we couldn’t resist. Their pommes frites seem to be a consistent dish in an ever changing menu, and the wait person agreed that it was worth trying! So we did - and absolutely didn’t regret it. They were simply the best fries we’ve had in many, many years. Thin, with a tender center and crispy outside, and completely addictive, they were accompanied by a delicious house-made aioli.
And yes, of course we ordered dessert. After all, I felt we had a duty to report to you about the full Bistro Les Gras experience, so we took a deep breath and chose the sweet pumpkin mousse served with a sage tuile, and their daily selection of assorted confections and cookies. As I write this, I am transported back to the heady experience that was their mousse. Each silky smooth, sweet, pumpkin flavored spoonful was like manna from heaven. Better. Like what manna aspires to be. The only thing even more remarkable than the mousse was the ridiculously delicious sage cookie that accompanied it. Subtle, buttery, slightly chewy but still melt-in-your-mouth soft, the flavor was indescribable, unique and one of the best cookies I’ve ever eaten.
But the confection and cookie platter held a few more surprises for us. The homemade tiny éclairs were ethereal but satisfying, full of delicious vanilla custard and draped in deep, dark chocolate. The plate contained three other types of cookies - two of which were fine, but unremarkable. However, there were three itsy bitsy Madeline’s which once again, nearly defy description. Each tiny pillow popped in our mouths literally exploded with a bright, lemon flavor that was so unexpected and so delightful, it made us giggle. After we each ate one, I eyed my wife and wondered just how much she loved me. She nodded with a smile, and I popped the final one in my mouth, moaning with contentment and feeling loved inside and out.
So how to sum up the experience? We’ll definitely go back. The dishes were clearly uneven, but there were several which were so delicious, so flavorful, so unexpected, that we are eagerly anticipating our next trip. One of the exciting aspects of this new restaurant is that they change their entire menu every single month. That says a great deal about the passion and commitment of the owners and chefs and makes every visit a new adventure…a foodie’s dream. I’d love to hear what any of you thought. And if this review makes you consider the trip, take my advice - whatever else you order, don’t skip the pommes frites…and don’t miss dessert!