New Orleans, LA: Mr. B's Bistro

I sort of dropped the ball when I was choosing a restaurant in New Orleans. Although I was constantly doing food research a month before we went, I kept putting off actually making the reservation. Until the night before. I know! I know! What was I thinking?! I had this huge list of places I wanted to eat at, and I waited until Friday to make a reservation for Saturday! AH!!!!! So, as I went down my list, I finally arrived at Mr. B's Bistro. The first one that had an early reservation available. We'll take it!

So we got dolled up and hit the town, strolling through Mr. B's Bistro doors just on time. The place was practically empty and we were promptly seated. The rest of the evening continued to be prompt. Extremely prompt. Much too prompt. Before we even finished sitting down, our waiter came over and asked us what we would like to drink. I scanned the table without noticing a wine menu, so I requested one. Maybe it's me, but I thought it to be a little odd that here we were, all dressed up, at an upscale restaurant, and no wine was offered. Anyway, let's continue on.

Our waiter recommended the 'Dinner Specials' which gives you the choice of a starter, entree, and dessert for around $43. We all decided to do that, which worked out pretty well. Just after our order was placed, another waiter brought us over Mr. B's bread. I think that was his main job, bread re-filler. It was a good thing too, because we sure kept him busy.
The bread wasn't bad, but I wouldn't brag about it either. Although we all consumed a decent amount, it was most beneficial to Aaron who has an endless pit of a stomach, but for some horrible reason usually winds up with the smallest portion when eating out.

Rachey and I started out with some sort of a gumbo soup. It was pretty tasty.
Except for this. We kept getting these huge pieces of long stringy impossible to chew things (unknown veggie).Aaron received his spinach and strawberry salad. Although smaller than expected (this picture makes it appear larger than it was), it was very tasty and I enjoyed the soft ricotta salata cheese with the balsamic strawberries. Based on the one bit I pried out from under him.
It was sometime during our starters that we asked our waiter something. He volunteered that he was unsure and just "clocks in and clocks out". WHAAAAT!?! Yeah...the three of us gave each other quite a look after that comment. Other than that, he wasn't rude to us, but he definitely didn't want to be there, and he was trying to rush us out as fast as possible. The minute we put the last bite into our mouths, our plates were taken away and the next course brought. The restaurant was very nice inside, however it was hard to enjoy while we were being pressured to shovel down our food. I'm sorry (actually, no, I'm not), but I'm paying $45 plus wine for a meal, I don't want to feel like I'm at a McDonald's drive-thru.

Moving on....for now...next we have Jumbo Lump Crabmeat Ravoili. Not your traditional 'ravoili', crab, onion, asparagus, and crabmeat were layered on top and under of a lasagna noodle. Light and tasty, I enjoyed this, but I think we were all expecting something a little different.
I ordered the Veal Osso Buco. Oh man this was good. I would have to say my favorite dish of the night. The veal fell right off the bone and was delicious with the fresh roasted artichokes.
Next we have the Blackened Tuna with Jasmine rice, veggies, and a fresh basil butter. The tuna was delicious, but Rachael fell in love with the basil butter and Jasmine rice. I really enjoyed the few bites of this I had.
We were able to keep our plates a little longer this time, long enough to pass them around letting each of us scrape up the remaining droplets. Next up, dessert. Of course, we each ordered something different with the intentions to share them all. We all had a bite, but ended up liking our own the best.

I ordered the Profiteroles with Chocolate Sauce. Cream puffs filled with what tasted like homemade vanilla ice cream and delicious chocolate.
Aarons choice of the Hot Buttered Pecan Pie. Topped with ice cream.
Rachael ordered the Praline Cheesecake, which I liked, but between the three of us we weren't that impressed. I can't remember now why, but maybe that's it. It was good. Just not memorable.
We enjoyed our food at Mr. B's Bistro. I wish I could say that we enjoyed our 'experience' as much. Although we were overdressed for what you would normally be required to wear, it was a little strange to see people walking in off the street in cut off jeans, crappy t-shirts, Hawaiian shirts (!?!), and baseball hats carrying their Bourbon Street styrofoam drinks. It may not have been the most expensive restaurant, but it was definitely more upscale than cut off jeans (ahh!!). Asides from that, it would have been really nice to be able to hang out and enjoy our company without feeling like we were being pushed out the door before we finished eating. Maybe we caught the place on an 'off' night. Based on food alone I would definitely try it here, it was very good. However, next time I'm in the city I will be checking out some of the other hundreds of restaurants. I'll just have to make sure to plan ahead.

Mr. B's Bistro - 201 Royal Street, New Orleans, LA 70130

$178

1 - Bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon
2 - Seafood Gumbo's
1 - Strawberry Salad
1 - Jumbo Lump Crabmeat Ravoili
1 - Veal Osso Buco
1 - Blackened Tuna
1 - Profiteroles with Chocolate Sauce
1 - Hot Buttered Pecan Pie
1 - Praline Cheesecake
Unlimited Bread

Food 8
Presentation 8
Atmosphere 6