Well what a nice detour it was today when I originally had plans to go to The District in Tustin and head to RA Sushi for the $10 Prix Fixe menu for OC’s Restaurant Week. Delightfully, I ended up at Bistro West and went home with a happy stomach!

A co-worker had recently gone to RA Sushi on Valentine’s Day and she had a horrible experience. I remembered that Bistro West was also located in The District and decided to make a detour. Bistro West was also participating in OC Restaurant Week and they were hosting a $20 Lunch Menu.

When I entered Bistro West, looking quite desheveled after a long walk from the wrong parking lot, I was greeted by the Manager, Julie. I told her it was a table for one and that I wanted a seat that had adequate lighting for I was taking pictures. “Taking pictures…?” she asked, I told her I had a food blog and was writing for the blog today. She brought me over to the back area by the bar and it was nice and bright. She seated me and wished me a great me. I was greeted by Courtney, my server, only moments after being seated. She asked what I wanted to drink and I did my ol’ standby of club soda and lime.

As you see above, Bistro West offered a three course meal. For Salads & Soups I decided to try the Ham and Bean. Courtney, said that it I would enjoy it over their excellent Chicken Noodle Soup. When the soup arrived it was in something I would have called a bowl over what they call a “cup”. The soup is hearty and doesn’t skimp on the beans. Upon further inspection you see shredded pieces of ham in the soup. It seems that the ham has been sitting in the soup to the point of pure tenderness. The soup was well seasoned and needed no help. I thoroughly enjoyed the soup that I could have had that as my meal and that be that.

Along with the soup came some bread. It was warm and had a nice crust on the outside, while soft in the inside. A tear into it left some flour on my fingers. This appears to be made in-house.

Next up is my entrée. Bistro West prides itself on a contemporary spin on the classics. Classics you say? I opted for the Homemade Meatloaf. When it arrived at the table, I was shocked at the size of the portions! The meatloaf itself took up almost half of the plate. Next to it is a portion of mashed potatoes that easily could have been for two and a side of vegetables. I’m not a fan of steamed vegetables at all. Luckily for me, these were pan roasted vegetables of sugar snap peas, carrots, broccoli and squash. Some of the vegetables had some caramelization on it and it was sooo flavorful. The carrots still had some crunch to them and the sugar snap peas were my favorites! The meatloaf was easily an inch thick with a Port Wine reduction sauce with a tomato/bbq sauce blend instead of “gravy”.

My initial visual inspection led me to believe that it was going to be a dense piece of ground beef, but I’m glad my eyes fooled me. This homemade meatloaf is made with Kobe beef. When my fork hit the meatloaf it pushed thru almost like butter. The beef was so tender and soft, but it got even better when it hit my mouth. The texture was not heavy and seasoned well. The port wine reduction sauce was right on point. So much so, that I asked for more! The mashed potatoes were a bit dense and there was so much of it! I didn’t finish it. Coupled with the “bowl” of Ham and Bean soup, I was already full.

I pushed myself to finish the meatloaf and had to take a break before dessert showed up. Since I had créme brulee the day before, I ordered the Flourless Chocolate Cake. The dessert was the only sour point of the meal. Now, in their defense, I’m not a chocolate fan. The “cake” was very dense to the point that it was almost like fudge. The addition of chocolate sauce and powdered sugar almost seem gratuitous. I took about two bites and had to stop. Too rich for me. My gut instinct tells me they don’t make their desserts on property and that they purchase them. Hopefully I’m wrong.

Courtney, my server was on-point every step of the way and visited me when it was necessary and made sure my club soda was refilled when it got to the bottom. She must have been watching for she never visited when she didn’t need to.

I had a great lunch there today and I look forward to having a slow dinner there soon. It was lunch and I was in a hurry to make it back down to South Irvine from Tustin. I’m glad I made the detour and moreso, I thank Shannon for deflecting me from Ra Sushi.

Bistro West has an extensive menu and they offer brunch on the weekends from 10:00am to 1:30pm. They have about six items on their kids menu to keep any child busy. Stop by Bistro West on your next visit to The District, you won’t be disappointed. For those of you living in North San Diego County, you can find their flagship restaurant in Carlsbad.

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I’m giving Bistro West Tustin 3.5 forks which I will round up to a 4 due to the wonderful soup, meatloaf and attentive staff.

Bistro West
The District
2601 Park Avenue
Tustin, CA 92782
714-259-9378