What a wonderful surprise it was to eat at Grace Bistro!
The restaurant is in a little strip mall beside a gas station, but don’t let that fool you! The minute you walk in, you forget where you are. The decor is simple, with clean lines and no clutter. The space is well organized and welcoming. We were greeted warmly and given a knowledgeable tour of the menu and specials. We started with the house cocktail. I’ll say it was OK, but nothing special. However, the food we were treated to was truly outstanding. The chef pays much attention to detail and infuses the food he prepares with touches from his Portuguese roots. And thus the fish... It was perfectly grilled and served with a caponata and roasted vegetables. Everything screamed fresh and tasty. I expected an over cooked heavy caponata in which the fish swam: Not so! There was just enough to add some tang without taking over. But let me start with the appetizers. The fresh oysters were plump and served with a mignonette that was a perfect complement to their brinyness. They were also accompanied by your standard cocktail sauce. Not a fan, in fact I would remove that option. I feel that it detracts from the freshness of the oysters. If you like oysters shucked oysters, stick to the mignonette and lemon. We also chose the shrimp which were beautifully served with a decomposed salad including bites of feta and olives. The choices for mains are all attractive, but not very vegetarian friendly. The pasta is freshly made on site and perfectly cooked. One of us had butternut ravioli, the vegetarian option that night. Again, fresh and tasty! The servings are generous and the presentations well orchestrated. Elevated comfort food could be a good description, but no... the flavours are too delicate and well thought. And then there’s dessert. We had the banana cheesecake. Also made by the chef who is truly full of surprises! It is inspired by “Banana Foster” and has all the appropriate highlights: the taste of fresh banana, salted caramel and pecans. Simply delicious. Too bad we were so full and shared a piece. It was so good, we should have each had our own. We are definitely going back!!