FRENCH FLAIR
“What was I thinking!?” jokes Irene Burns about her decision 14 years ago to open West Plains Bistro.
Burns, born and raised in Burlington, has combined parenting four children with various jobs in the restaurant industry, including iconic places such as Pearl St. Café and Mother’s Pizza.
Widowed at a young age, she took a chance that her catering skills could be parlayed into more.
Over the years, her children have pitched in to help. And her staff has — almost like family — been her crew for many years. If you’re a regular there you must surely feel at home — like Burns’ parents, who were dining here on the evening we visited.
Her chef, Hamiltonian Brandon Ashby, was recently celebrated as the creator of the Field Mushroom Soup that won first place in Soupfest 2019. Ashby credits his own mother for his passion for cooking, which led him to excel at George Brown College’s chef school and through stints working at several restaurants, including the now closed Seven Windows in Hamilton. West Plains Bistro’s menu is described as French inspired with worldly influences, so you’ll see classics such as French onion soup, steak frites, escargot, crêpes and quiche.
We began with their liver pâté which, like everything on the menu, is made in house and from scratch. This was delicious and enjoyed with the accompanying toasted baguette, port jelly, pickled vegetables, grainy mustard and Maldon salt.
Our second appetizer: the “leek and lobster bites.” A lobster and sautéed leek mixture was nicely tucked into a twist of puff pastry and served on brandy cream, dressed with fried leeks. This dish suffered from being only lukewarm and neither the puff pastry nor the fried leeks were crispy. During our followup chat by phone, Ashby (whose day off had coincided with our visit) explained that these are par baked, then baked to completion when ordered. A bit longer in the oven would have yielded better results for a dish that had been so carefully prepped.
One entrée, the beef tips, consisted of tenderloin served in a demi-sauce and mixed with mushroom, red onion, carrot and French beans. It was appetizingly plated around pearl couscous prepared pilaf style and was succulent and tasty.
Another, the charred salmon, was perfectly prepared and attractively plated on a bed of dark beluga lentils. A lemon glaze, pea cream, snap peas dressed it up and the pickled red beet was a pleasing touch adding a nice flavour accent.
Our party was a threesome and one diner chose the “Early Bird Special” — a popular feature that runs daily from 4 to 5:30 p.m. and offers choices for an appetizer, main and dessert for $30.
The special’s parsnip and pear soup was a hit — the bistro does indeed seem to excel at soupmaking. But the schnitzel — dressed with cream sauce and mushrooms on a bed of potatoes, carrots and beans — was a bit disappointing as the meat lacked seasoning. A sprinkling of salt before or after cooking might have done the trick.
Some say crème brûlée is the most popular dessert — among diners and restaurants alike. It can be prepared ahead of time, with the sugar topping quickly caramelized at the last minute on an impressive velvety custard served slightly chilled. Sadly, our custard was warm and lumpy. This may have been a fluke, however, and they do have many other tantalizing dessert options.
West Plains Bistro has built up an extensive clientele, especially from its Aldershot neighbourhood, so reservations are advisable on weekend evenings. The space offers booths and table seating, with a neutral colour palette, wooden accents and beautiful Tiffany style light fixtures. The summer patio, depicting an European courtyard, has likely been admired not just by diners but anyone driving by. Beverages include beer and wine (mostly imported) along with martinis, cocktails and specialty coffees.
They are family friendly and willing to make modifications to accommodate children and diners with food restrictions. Watch for possible themed nights such as Mussel Mondays and Wine Wednesdays. The space can be rented for special events and they also do takeout.