Students are taught the craft and trade of restaurant managment by professional chefs at Kris Bistro. This plate of spaghetti and jumbo shrimp was made with locally-grown produce. | Courtesy of Romana Fatima/The Daily Cougar
Food lovers in town should know about a new French restaurant that offers exceptional food at a reasonable price.
Kris Bistro is an effort by the Culinary Institute LeNotre to provide world-class dishes with locally-grown ingredients.
The restaurant sits inside the cooking school while executive chefs Kris Jakob and Mathew Lynn train students and help them practice their culinary skills.
LeNotre is a famous name in the culinary world — the institute hails from the family of the late Gaston LeNotre, known as one of the finest pastry chefs in the world.
Good restaurants present complimentary food and drinks to be in tune with restaurant service etiquette.
I was offered a complimentary shot of fresh grapefruit-raspberry juice and was informed it was prepared with locally-grown organic produce from Utility Research Garden. This was followed by complimentary artisan bread with butter.
Being a fish lover, I thoroughly enjoyed my salmon winter provencale, which was pan-roasted with a delicious sauce made from tomatoes, olive oil and garlic. The dish was then decorated with a layer of squash to top it off.
Surprisingly the cost was only $15.
I also ordered garlic spaghetti in a pine nut pesto sauce, which was served with Gulf shrimp with the heads still on for $10.
I wasn’t enamored by just the low prices, but the quality as well. The students developed brilliant French culinary skills and were serving us food at a low price with remarkable service.
Since the restaurant had an open-glass view of the students inside preparing our food, the kitchen looked alive. It was a neat concept that went well with the dim and quiet restaurant ambiance.
The place was decorated with artwork, but like any good foodie, I was more interested in dessert.
I ordered a LeNotre Classics, which is a $10-tribute dish to the institute’s family history. The dessert was large enough for two.
The trio of crème brulee was also an extraordinary dessert at $6.
The amazing dessert presentation contributed to the lasting impression left by this restaurant.
The classic French dining met my standards, and was a great experience that is definitely worth a visit.
Kris Bistro is on Interstate 45 and Crosstimbers and is open for dinner from Tuesday through Saturday.
