Bistro Elan: What a Neighborhood Restaurant Should Be

As the grateful recipients of a one-night pass courtesy of my visiting mother, my husband and I decided to go out for a nice dinner.  While at age four our daughter is quite a discriminating diner and well-behaved in restaurants, there are some experiences that are better without her. After a lengthy volley of potential choices--San Francisco, Marin, something new, we settled on an old favorite, Bistro Elan.  We had been to the restaurant only once since Giselle's birth, when she was about 11 months old.  She enjoyed it, but it's really not a place set up to welcome kids.  So, it was with great anticipation that we set out on the Tuesday before Christmas for an adult meal.

Bistro Elan is on California Avenue, the sometimes overlooked other main street Palo Alto. Truth be told, California Ave. has its own charms that compete with University Avenue including a much better (year-round) farmers market, a great women's boutique (Leaf and Petal) and Izzy's New York Bagels (for a salt bagel with whitefish salad and tomato).  Bistro Elan looks warm and inviting from the street with its low lighting, small bar and bustling, tiny, open kitchen. Since our last visit, the owners have divided the space with heavy, chocolate-colored velvet drapes, offering needed privacy between some of the tables and making it even cozier. We were seated in the front of the restaurant with aforementioned drape on one side an a two-top on the other.  We had a pleasant view of the holiday lights on California.

Within moments, we were greeted by our server and placed our order for a half-bottle of Billecart Salmon Rose, our favorite champagne.  It was the holidays after all and worth a splurge.  Shortly after our drinks arrived, we received an amuse bouche, a few bites of delicious salami and olives that was perfect with the yeasty bubbles of the champagne.

So, as you can see, it's all going pretty smashingly to this point.  I think what a neighborhood restaurant offers vs. big venues is a level of service and attention to detail that is often lacking at their larger cousins.  Everything we had that evening was a delight.  Georges started with smoked salmon on a potato waffle.  This dish is an update of a Bistro Elan favorite, the smoked salmon napoleon, that graced the menu for years.  While skeptical, we both agreed that the waffle's airy texture was a wonderful complement to the silky salmon.  I had oysters on the half shell which can be a bit of Russian Roulette these days, but I love them.  These did not disappoint.  They were fresh, well-chilled and briny, everything you want.  The straightforward mignonette was the right accompaniment.  

After this intro, we had high expectations for our main courses.  I was torn between day-boat scallops, which the chef does very well, and petrale sole.  I opted for the sole and boy was I glad. There were two big pieces, simply breaded and pan-fried in a traditional lemon-caper sauce. The fish rested on a bed of roasted broccolini and melted in your mouth.  I could not eat the entire portion, although I gave it my all.  So, I shared a few bites with Georges, who agreed that the fish was perfectly cooked.  For him, the choice was easy: a flat-iron steak with BE's addictive pommes frite, served in a wooden bowl.

Though I couldn't finish my entree, I could not resist the temptations of the pastry chef.  We briefly thought of sharing, but generally we go different directions on a dessert tray.  And thus, Georges ended up with a seven-layer vanilla and white chocolate sponge cake while I turned my attention to the lemon tart.  The cake was good.  Very light and airy, but the tart presentation was fabulous.  The tart was served with pistachio crusted lemon semifreddo that was the height of yumminess.

We both talked all the way home about how much we enjoyed the meal.  The restaurant fires on all cylinders delivering great food, warm atmosphere and attentive service.  Bistro Elan is definitely back in our dining rotation.