Bistro brings the flavor bomb to the lunch party

318 Forum’s always-hungry reporter often has lunch at a local restaurant and tells you about the experience.

The restaurant at the center of this review was not my first choice. The day was Cinco de Mayo. Now, as a Mexican food lover, I don’t need a reason to eat chips and salsa, tacos, enchiladas, etc. But on this day of significance in the Mexican culture, it wouldn’t have felt right not to eat at one of the many Mexican food restaurants in our area. So, a friend and I headed to a place where I had not been.

“Closed till 4 p.m.” Seriously? However, there was a restaurant in the same shopping center as our original choice. So, we walked across the parking lot, bummed but hungry.

Biscotti’s at Lewis Gifts (5807 Youree Drive #4218) has been around for a long time, but on this day, I would be a first-time visitor. As its name implies, the eatery is inside — and is an extension of — Lewis Gifts.

We walked into Biscotti’s at 12:30 and found a restaurant full of guests. In fact, of the several tables and booths, only one was available. As the sign by the door reads, the protocol is to seat yourself. So, that’s what we did.

Biscotti’s is fancy without being fancy.

The dining area resembles what I imagine a French bistro looks like. Quaint and sophisticated, yet casual and comfortable.

It took a while for our server to greet us and take our drink order. During the time we waited, I noticed that there were only two servers, and at least one of them— ours was also serving as a cashier. I will tell you upfront that our service wasn’t the best. However, I don’t put all the blame on our server.

The roast beef and cheese melt, The Cuban and fried avocado wedges were all a delight.

I was pleasantly surprised by Biscotti’s menu. It was divided into Appetizers, Soups, Salads, Deli Sandwiches, Design Your Own Sandwiches or Wrap, Panini Sandwiches, and Burgers & More.” Quite the variety for a restaurant that only serves lunch (11 a.m.-3 p.m.).

In addition, according to the menu, there were specials and soups on the chalkboard. However, that chalkboard was too far away to read what it said. I might suggest Biscotti’s come up with another way to let customers know about those specials and soups.

My friend and I love avocados, so choosing from the four appetizers was easy. We agreed on having fried avocado wedges ($9). Since the restaurant was so busy, we placed our order for the appetizer and our meal simultaneously. I chose the Cuban ($15), while my friend opted for the roast beef and cheese melt ($14).

Our appetizer arrived with our sandwiches. Oh, well. The presentation of the appetizer made up for the fact that we would be eating everything together. We received a plate with four hot, perfectly fried green avocado wedges, each divided by small servings of lettuce. The avocados were outstanding, but just as good was the basil and lemon mayo dipping sauce. If you’re an old timer, you remember the green goddess salad dressing at Murrell’s. It was so good, you could drink it — the same for Biscotti’s basil and lemon mayo. Next time, I may ask for a cup full of it.

The presentation of the Cuban was just as impressive as the fried avocado wedges. My plate was filled with two huge diagonal sandwich slices (which came with a very small dill pickle) and Sun Chips (For $2, I could have substituted french fries). The panini bread was cooked to perfection — not too hard and not too soft. It was filled — and I mean filled — with ham, pulled pork, Muenster cheese, pickles and Cuban spread. The sandwich was love at first bite, as it was hot (thank goodness) and delicious! There wasn’t one overwhelming taste. The meat and condiments blended well to make for a smooth-tasting sandwich.

My friend’s roast beef and cheese melt wasn’t as big as my panini, but it wasn’t small, either. The sandwich had roast beef with horseradish mayo, caramelized onions, and provolone cheese, grilled between two slices of sourdough bread. My friend said it was warm and had a lot of beef. She said her sandwich had good flavor, and the bread tasted fresh.

Biscotti’s menu encouraged us to ask our server about dessert. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time for sweets.

The cost of our meal before tax and tip was $38. That was a reasonable price for the quality and quantity of our food. You may note that the suggested tip on the receipt was based on the after-tax amount and not the pre-tax amount.

I don’t hesitate to give Biscotti’s at Lewis Gifts Three Forks. Everything, except the service (again, not entirely the fault of our server), was excellent. Most of our experience was so good that by the time we left, I had forgotten it was Cinco de Mayo.