Address:
Phone: 210-408-2670
Food Type: French
Neighborhood: North Central
Website: VISIT SITE

It's a good thing that restaurant owner Jean Francois Poujol didn't proceed with his original plans to create an Asian-fusion menu at his new Tost BistroBar. Instead, he and chef Cherith Kavanagh created a sublime New American menu that she executes with confidence and aplomb.

One of the best examples of her talent comes in an appetizer of a poached egg on top of perfectly cooked truffled asparagus and a pan-crisped piece of brioche. This dish of few ingredients left little room for error, but Kavanagh navigated it well. The bread maintained its crispness with the asparagus on top of it. Cutting into the egg and watching the creamy yolk flow over the vegetables and brioche and mix with the drizzle of béarnaise that surrounded the bread delivered a flavor and textural sensation that remains in the memory. The usually humble chicken breast also received luxurious treatment. Here, it was poached and then sautéed for succulent and flavorful flesh with a counterpoint of crisp skin. That, on top of mashed potatoes enlivened with crème fraiche, brought new life to what is often a very tired restaurant dish. That same sense of freshness also came through in a pan-roasted pork chop that brought undertones of rosemary on top of the parsnip puree and sautéed carrot wedges, peas and roasted finger potatoes. The treatment of pan-seared scallops also showed considerable skill. The lightly seared bivalves sat on top of several small cubes of crisped potatoes, surrounded by a buttermilk and chive sauce with a few slivers of bacon. The inclusion of the bacon teetered on the verge of overwhelming the delicate seafood, but an admirable restraint kept it in check. But for bacon lovers, a pork belly appetizer provided the crisp goodness of the skin, a little unctuousness from the fat and substance from the meat. A pair of specials continued the display of skill. A fillet of sea bass on top of shaved fennel and a beet puree disappeared quickly despite our best efforts to savor it slowly, as did their take on the classic surf and turf. In this case, the special was a beautifully pan-seared petit fillet on top of mashed potatoes that paired with a crab cake on a sweet corn succotash. Our server said that the crab cakes were likely to go on the permanent menu, and these definitely call out for a return visit. It would be easy to continue raving about the chef's way with the chicken, pork chop, seafood and expertly pan-seared steak, but her execution of vegetables and sauces may be even better. Under the pork belly sat a puree of parsnips with a touch of cauliflower and cream that not only paired with the meat but also would have made an outstanding item by itself, as would have a beet puree under the sea bass. Indeed, if Kavanagh and Poujol were to create a vegetable tasting menu, it would be worth a visit. The closest nit to pick came during a dessert, when the crust of a chocolate tart needed a little more time to bake. We'll have to make several more visits to investigate more thoroughly.     

Scene: Drink, Dance, Mingle
Smoking: Yes
Alcohol: Yes
Happy Hour: Happy Hour 3- 7pm
Valet: No
Price: Reasonable