Biff's Bistro

For summerlicious this year I only made it out to one restaurant, partly due to scheduling and partly due to budgeting (we bought a house! Future dedicated post to come!). Looking through the list of restaurants priced at $28 or $38 for dinner, the one menu that jumped out was Biff’s, which also met the criteria of being located downtown and a new spot for me. I have friends who visit weekly for their $1 after 5pm oyster deal and generally all had positive thoughts about the French Bistro.

I came here for summerlicious with two friends. I had the cod cake, steak and camembert. The appetizer and main were very delicious. The camembert was more of a savory dessert but still good. The waiter was attentive and refilled our waters multiple times. It was quite an enjoyable meal.

After a two-month-long renovation, Biff's Bistro on Front Street finally reopened its doors in April. When the modern French bistro encountered a burst pipe earlier this year, the restaurant took the opportunity to temporarily close up shop to revamp itself. How so? Think new specials, new interior, new website, and even new social media handles (since we're at it, it's @biffbistro on Twitter/Instagram and Biff's Bistro on Facebook).

I realized my first visit ever to Biff's Bistro was a long time ago, an embarrassingly long time ago. After checking my trusty "Dining Out" page, I discovered my Biff's blog post from August 2010 when "Tweetups" were still at thing. That's six years ago, guys. This is precisely why I feel ancient in the food blogging world sometimes. 

Sorry, I digress. I can't say I noticed too much of a difference in decor but then this is solely based on my very vague memory of the room from six years ago. What I do know for sure is that I love the casual French bistro vibe and furnishings at Biff's.

The bar has noticeably changed for sure. It is a lot more open and spacious now compared to before. 

Because of the warmer weather, all I want is rosé nowadays. So, instead of my usual cocktail I ordered myself a glass of sparkling rosé to start. My boyfriend also had a lighter cocktail than usual. I guess we both wanted to start with something light and refreshing :) 

BIFF’S 75 ($14)

Beefeater gin, Crème Yvette, Prosecco

SPARKLING ROSE ($11)

2014 Hinterland 'Borealis' Rose, PEC, ON

Complimentary bread. 

Our server, Al, sold us on getting fresh Malpeques. It wasn't hard 'cause I never say "no" to raw oysters. 

1/2 DOZEN MALPEQUES

Chef Amanda Ray went through the menu and recommended a few dishes for us to try. We also had our eye on a couple of things so we ordered as many plates as we think we could handle, which is many: 

LES HORS D’OEUVRES

STEAK TARTARE ($16)

Truffle porcini mayo, pickled mushrooms, spiced lentils, ketchup chips, egg yolk, gaufrettes

When I see steak tartare on the menu I have to order it, this is because I'm constantly searching for a traditional tartare with a rough chopped texture, a bit of chew, and with meat that's tender yet not mushy. This tartare delivers on all those fronts. It also has a delicate flavour profile with a good balance of acidic, sweet-sour, and spicy garnishes. The dollops of creamy truffle porcini mayo was a really nice complement.

ESCARGOTS & ‘NDUJA ($15) 
Basil Parisienne gnocchi, pork broth, blistered tomato, escarole, Bayonne chip

It is super refreshing to see escargots *not* served drenched in garlic and butter. I mean, those are good too but it gets tiring. These escargots are accompanied by a light broth, sweet blistered tomatoes, and a few escaroles leaves. This was so refreshing to eat because the whole plate wasn't overpowered by any one ingredient. Having said that, I do wish there was a little bit more 'nduja.

POUR LA TABLE

GINGER-PICKLED SHRIMP COCKTAIL ($13)

Celery & carrot slaw, Anaheim peppers, lime & ginger cocktail sauce

This was probably my least favourite app. Nothing was wrong with it but it just didn't stand out like the others. I don't know, maybe I was also secretly hoping that the shrimps would be served in a shrimp cocktail glass on a bed of ice or something haha :p

FROGS’ LEGS ($13)

Peanuts, tamarind, ginger

Beautiful dish. Look at those vibrant colours. Taste wise, I fell in love with the Vietnamese flavours after the first bite. The frogs' legs were sweet with a bit of tart, absolutely appetizing, and the crunch from the peanuts was a fantastic touch (FYI - Yes, I do think frogs' legs taste like chicken, just a bit more lean with less meat).

In no time my boyfriend and I both moved onto more substantial, a.k.a boozy, cocktails:

BARREL-AGED NEGRONI ($15)

Beefeater gin, Campari, sweet vermouth

OLD FASHIONED ($15)

Bulleit bourbon, gomme syrup, Angostura bitters

LES ENTRÉES

BEEF TENDERLOIN ($39)

Duchess potatoes, wild mushrooms, nettle emulsion, foie gras mousse, red wine jus

The component that stole the show for me here was actually the duchess potatoes, which I failed to capture in this photo, unfortunately. The beef tenderloin was fantastic, and so were the wild mushrooms and foie gras mousse, but the golden duchess potatoes, presented in a decorative swirl, was just so pretty, creamy, crispy, and tasty!

CHERMOULA LAMB SIRLOIN ($36)

Chickpea Parisienne gnocchi, sauce verte, lamb jus

Cooked to a nice medium rare, I really enjoyed this lamb sirloin, even more so than the tenderloin. The sauce verte paired very well with the lamb, and the chickpea gnocchi added a nice texture element to the dish. The entire plate was a delight. I hardly eat lamb sirloin too so this was a nice treat (I usually have rack of lamb, lamb shoulder or lamb leg).

L’ACCOMPAGNEMENT

FRITES ($8)

With harissa rouille

These were really well-seasoned fries. The harissa sauce was nice but I didn't even use it much.

SAUTÉED WILD MUSHROOMS ($8)

Again, nicely seasoned mushrooms. Very delicious.

LES DESSERTS

TAYLOR FLADGATE, LATE BOTTLED VINTAGE ($6)

CAPPUCCINO

CHOCOLATE CAKE ($10)

Peanut mousse, toffee crunch, caramel sauce

Chocolate, peanut, toffee, and caramel put together can only be amazing.

BASKET OF À LA MINUTE BAKED MADELEINES ($7)

Average, definitely not great. It's hard for me not to compare these madeleines to the ones from Cafe Boulud because these two restaurants are the only restaurants in the city that serve madeleines for dessert (restaurants I've been to anyway). These ones were noticeably not as soft, fluffy or airy as the ones from Cafe Boulud. The madeleines here were more dense and they didn't have a slightly "crisp" edge. Even though the madeleines were baked "a la minute" they were barely just warm.

Aside from lunch and dinner, guests can also visit Biff's Bistro for "Dirty Bits & Booze" (from 2:30 p.m. on weekdays, 5 p.m. on weekends), with $7 bar bites and drinks specials, and "Fondue Sundays", which serves two for $37.95, pairing Biff’s signature recipe with freshly baked O&B Artisan bread, traditional Swiss and German meats, Honeycrisp apples, and more. Biff's fondue blend features a mixture of grated Gruyère, Emmental and Appenzeller cheeses, topped off with a touch of kirsch, white wine, garlic, nutmeg and thyme.

*This meal was complimentary. The opinions and views expressed on this post are my own*

From start to the finish, I had a really good experience dining here for Winterlicious during dinner time. The restaurant decor is quite nice when you walk in. There is also complimentary coat check which is quite nice. It's $35 for the Winterlicious menu and it's one of the better deals to dine for. For the appetizer, I ordered the Pork & Foie Gras Terrine. It was nice and delicious. For the entree, I ordered the Filet de Boeuf. It was cooked perfectly and very flavorful. Probably the best main dish I had during my Winterlicious journey in 2016. Also loved the fries that accompanied the dish. For dessert, I ordered the Crème Caramel. It was an interesting dessert but I loved it. It tasted good. I also ordered their $1 Oysters as they were having their oyster special on the Tuesday we were at the restaurant. The staff and our server were quite friendly and efficient. They got our drinks and our food out in a timely manner. Overall, great dining experience and great ambient feeling when you dine there. Definitely one of my more memorable Winterlicious dining experience and will highly recommend it to others.

Solid spot for French cuisine in the city. Decent portions and tasty too. The buck a shuck oyster nights are a great time to grab some cocktails and slurp down.

Excellent food and respectful service are mainstays at Biff's. Small but good cocktail selection for happy hour 4-6pm. It's a venerable place of conviviality that's been around for years and have maintained their consistency. The dark woods adds to the old school bistro atmosphere. Had the rib eye and medium rare was perfectly done, anything more is sacrilege.

What an excellent dining experience it was yesterday afternoon. Definitely a gorgeous atmosphere. The staff here catered to all our needs. Our waiter Allen was on the top of his game and made sure that we were so taken care. I myself had the Coq Au Vin and my partner had the Trout Amandine on top we shared the Potted Shrimp. The food here was delicious.

Over all very good experience, the burgers was too salty but the beef quality was good. 5 stars services.