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Bistro des Amis

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  • AlainHarvey

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2347 University Blvd. Houston, TX 77005

713-349-8441 

Website 

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  • French
    Tue-Sat 11am-2pm, Tue-Sat 5pm-9pm
    $$
    All Major Credit Cards
  • Casual
    Patio/Sidewalk Dining, Takeout
    Dinner, Lunch
    Live Entertainment
  • BYOB
    Accepted, Recommended
    Street, Valet
Description

Bistro des Amis looks like the sort of small town French cafe where you stop to get a coffee and a pastry or an ice cream while shopping in the village. The gleaming dark wood and glass pastry case is always well-stocked. Lunch and dinner specials are very reasonable and the soups, stews and pastries are housemade. Try the escargot in puff pastry or the pate with cornichons.







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  • On a Budget at Bistro des Amis

    On a Budget at Bistro des Amis

    | Thu, January 15, 2009

    The $10.95 lunch special at Bistro des Amis, a tiny French cafe in Rice Village, started with a soul-warming vegetable potage. Dunking buttered baguette slices in the hot and creamy carrot, broccoli and mushroom soup while we waited for it to cool... More »

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    Bistro des Amis

    | Thu, November 13, 2008

    Odile de Maindreville and her brother, Bernard Cuillier, are from Biarritz, in the southwestern edge of France, on the border with Spain's Basque region. They have just opened Bistro des Amis (2347 University, 713-349-8441) in Rice village, a real... More »

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  • AlainHarvey
       (0)    (0)

    AlainHarvey | Houston, TX | 10 Reviews

    | Thu, May 28, 2009

    My fiancée and I are regulars of this terrific small French café. Similar to cafés born in Paris, Bistro des Amis, located in Houston’s Rice Village/West U area, exemplifies the standards that have pleased diners in France for years. Following in this tradition, Bistro des Amis offers a relaxed and unassuming environment attracting diners who might wish to linger over a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, or to enjoy a hearty meal. As in Paris, Bistro des Amis has become a social meeting place for locals and visitors alike. Bistro des Amis offers a pleasant dining experience any time of day. ' They’re open for lunch as well as a prepared prix-fixe three-course dinner that guests may complement with a fine bottle of wine from a great wine list. Offering favorite French dishes, Bistro des Amis recaptures the ambience and character of the traditional café culture. The bistro decor of earthy tones, dark wood, a gleaming pastry case, along with mementos and paintings from Chef Cullier’s hometown of Biarritz. Biarritz is located in the traditional province of Labourd (Aquitaine region) of the French Basque Country, the only part of France where chile peppers are traditional. The bistro is casual yet elegant. And the sunny patio is a perfect setting to enjoy food and drinks. Bistro des Amis is available for those simply wanting an excellent cup of coffee, or drop in for a generous salad at lunch or sit down to a relaxing three-course dinner. Bistro des Ami’s goal appears to be to create a memorable experience and bon appetit! The Bistro is also a great destination for a weekend brunch when the sunny garden patio is particularly popular, where one can relax with a café crème and a homemade French pastry. French Chef-Owner, Bernard Cullier, takes pride in the art of recreating and innovating traditional French recipes as he once did while cooking on cruise ships for most of his career. Bernard bakes all the pastries, which includes apple tarts in the shape of apples, and an outstanding gâteau Basque. Fresh seasonal ingredients are prepared with special imported French food products to create both classic and contemporary dishes reflecting his Gallic roots. The broad menu includes standouts like succulent escargot in garlic butter sauce served in a crock covered with puff pastry and a mesclun salad with Roquefort cheese, apples, grapes, croutons and tiny cherry tomatoes with the skins removed. On Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, there's an amazingly cheap $20 dinner special that includes an appetizer, soup, entrée, two vegetables and dessert. A filet mignon in wine sauce was one of the best entrées I sampled. A seafood casserole with shrimp and scallops in mango cream sauce was a wonderfully delicate change of pace. An excellent duck in grapefruit reduction sauce is served with grapefruit sections tucked in between the slices of duck breast. And then there are the fresh shellfish platters, reminiscent of those served in the French brasseries. The savory crêpes at Bistro des Amis are stacked with a delicious béchamel filling in the middle. Personally, I enjoy the crepe stuffed with French ham and brie. I also enjoy the salmon Carpaccio sandwich, a mayonnaise-spread baguette filled with cooked salmon, lettuce, tomato and cucumber. Another favorite is the tapenade Niçoise, a tuna salad sandwich with olives and capers on a baguette with basil. Bienvenue et Bon Appétit! Alain G. Harvey

  • Muriel1016
       (0)    (0)

    Muriel1016 | Houston, TX | 40 Reviews

    | Fri, January 23, 2009

    On Tuesdays and Wednesdays for dinner, you can have an appetizer, a side, main course, and dessert for $19.95! They serve authentic French Basque food. They bring you freshly baked baguette slices with whipped butter while you look through the menu. The escargots are delicious at Bistro Les Amis. The atmosphere is cozy and makes you feel like you're dining at a little European cafe. The service is excellent and personal. The owner, who is from French Basque area, is very friendly and makes her customers feel at home. One thing to note is that Bistro Les Amis does not have a liquor license, so be sure to bring your own wine!

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People Who Like Bistro des Amis

Dinner Menu
Classic French Starters
$6.95
Feuilletee Au Roquefort
with apple, nuts served in puff pastry with a nut white wine creamy sauce
$8.00
Ragout De Champignons
a medley of wild and domestic mushrooms sauteed with shallots, garlic and port wine served in puff pastry
$7.95
Marmite D’escargots
euzkadi snails broiled in a crock with garlic herbs butter, anis, topped with puff pastry, (20mn)
$11.00
Assiette Gourmande
assorted pate, cured ham, garlic sausage, served with condiments, dijon mustard
L $4.00
S $9.00
Assiette De Fromage
$9.50
Braised Chorizo
in red wine and spices
$8.00
Pate De Campagne
and its condiments
Salads
Ham – Brie – Mushrooms – Chicken Tomatoes - Blue Cheese
$9.50
Young Mesclun
greens served with walnut, roquefort or brie cheese or goat cheese, green apple, raisins, chives, tomatoes, croutons & dijon vinaigrette
$6.00
House Mix Greens
with tomato, nuts, cucumber, fresh herbs and tarragon vinaigrette
$8.95
Chicken Salad
with cold chicken breast, tomatoes, celery, walnuts, apples, herbs, mustard honey dressing
$11.00
Smoked Salmon Salad
slices smoked salmon, over croutons with capers and sour cream, topped on a nest of mesclum and tomatoes with a fresh basil vinaigretteac companies by red onions, cucumber
$7.25
Savory Crepes
savory cheese and béchamel sauce served with mixed greens and vinaigrette. add in your choice of additional items below for 0.75 each
Soups
$4.50
Soup Of The Day
$6.50
Onion Soup
Vegetarian
$11.00
Vegetarian Purse
assorted vegetables wrapped in filo dough, baked, served with a pepper tomato coulis
$10.00
Creole Vegetables Tart
mixed of tri color pepper, leeks, bretzel cheese, beans, baked in oven on a thin crust
Main Entrees
$19.95
Rabbit Of The Day
$21.95
Lamb Osso Bucco
cooked at low temperature in a red wine mint sauce
$18.00
Scallop Maritchu
rubbed with 5 spices, grilled, served with a light sea food leek sauce
$15.00
Chicken Basquaise Gratinee
tri color pepper, tomato, spices, cheese, gratinee in cassolette
Blackboard Special Available
$15.50
Beef Bourguignon
marinated in red wine, slow cooking, garnished with mushrooms
$21.00
Grilled Beef Tenderloin Mignonette
with choice of pepper corn or bearnaise sauce
$9.00
Rossini
add a foie gras for
$17.50
Veal Steak Normandy
with apples, calvados, cream
$18.00
Duck Breast
with pepper sauce or grape fruit
$14.00
Chicken Espelette
julienne of chicken breast, sauteed, simmered in a basquaise coulis, sweet espelette pepper, white wine
$16.50
Grilled Salmon Filet
served with a beurre blanc
$6.00
Louis
add asparagus, crab meat, topped with a bearnaise sauce
$18.95
Seafood Skewer
shrimps, scallops, fish topped with a nicoise coulis
$15.00
Grilled Mahi Mahi Grenobloise
pan fried, served with a lemon capers butter sauce
Desserts
$5.50
Chocolate Mousse
$6.25
Creme Brulee
$4.95
Gateau Basque
$6.50
Profiterolles
$4.95
Fruit Tartlet
$5.25
With Ice Cream $1.90
Apple Tart
$6.75
Cake
$4.95
Flan Caramel
$3.75
Add Ice Cream $1.90
Orange Grand Marnier $2.00
Sweet Crepes
sweet crepes with whipped cream. add in your choice of additional items below for 0.75 each.*strawberry jam * nutella *honey *chocolate *walnuts *banana
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