Evolved many years ago from the Rotisserie For Beef and Bird, Bistro Le Cep is a Houston institution, serving straightforward and deeply flavored French and Bavarian/Austrian cooking, w generous servings. The décor is warm, rustic, and cozy and brings back memories for anyone who has traveled and dined ‘countryside’ in Europe. It is on my personal list of favorites, and has been for twenty years plus. Hors d’oeuvres * Fresh mussels in wine & garlic broth * Smoked salmon, watercress, vinaigrette, & Calvados-marinated apples * Duck pate * Ripe avocado stuffed w crabmeat & shrimp * Burgundy snails in homemade seven herb garlic butter au gratin * Pan seared sea scallop over tossed baby spinach Seasonal salads & sandwiches * Sliced vine ripe tomatoes, sweet onion & blue cheese, house dressing * Reuben sandwich, rye bread, pastrami, Gruyere cheese, sauerkraut & 1000 Island dressing, baked & served w creamy Cole slaw & homemade French fries * Breast of chicken w spiced Barlett pear on field greens & peanut dressing * Fresh shrimp, crabmeat, crab claws, smoked salmon, tuna, and mussels on crisp greens * Quiche Florentine, ham, cheese, onions, cream & eggs baked in crusty pie shell, served w tomatoes & greens * Assorted five European cheeses w fresh fruit & crusty bread Daily Soups * Soup of the day * Traditional French onion soup w Gruyere * Vichyssoise, chilled potato & leek soup Specialties of the House Pan roasted calf’s liver w apples, crisp bacon, and homemade fries * Grilled black Angus entrecote, green peppercorn sauce, fries * Tender filet steak wrapped w bacon, pinot noir reduction, creamed potatoes, vegetables * Pan roasted wild boar, plum sauce, wild rice, toasted pistachios, vegetables Specialties of the Day * Milk fed veal sautéed in olive oil w mushroom sauce, carrots, fresh green beans, spatzle * Grilled pork chop, charcutiere sauce, creamed potatoes, red cabbage * Pot roasted rabbit, light mustard sauce, fresh green beans, buttered spatzle Poultry * Traditional coq au vin, carrots, mushrooms, onions * Canard a l’orange, half roasted duck in bigarde sauce, lentils, red cabbage * Supreme de volaille aux champignons du bois, sautéed chicken breast topped w goat cheese, tomato concasse, spatzle, fresh green beans Seafood * Crab cakes, light pimento sauce, angel hair pasta, veggies * Bouillabaisse a la Marseillaise, fresh fish & shellfish simmered w onions, tomatoes, fennel, leeks, garlic, olive oil, and fresh herbs * Sauteed shrimp w roasted garlic, grilled beefsteak tomato, white beans, fried onions * Roasted catch of the day in lemon butter sauce w capers, fresh grilled vegetables…and, if you still have room, you will have a delightful list ofdesserts to chose from, including Tarte tatin, Poire belle Helene, Gateau au fromage blanc, Cerises au kirsch, Fruits a la Romanov, Gateau au chocolat, & Fromages assortis de la ferme. If your French is rusty, you server will translate w pleasure!
