Soft guitar music trickled out from the doorway to the Gallery Bistro.
Purple light spilled onto the sidewalk of International Plaza.
The restaurant gave off an inviting aura.I stepped in and waited to be seated, as the sign said I should.
A minute or so passed, however, and no one appeared.
A large party was occupying the circular bar that was the main presence in the lobby area, and I believe the staff were all engrossed in aiding the people from the get-together.
So I hesitantly moved toward the dining room.
Observing my goal, a bartender stepped out from behind the counter, menus in hand, and offered me a seat.
I was given a booth along a circular wall stemming from the area with the bar.
It was a room covered in booths along the entire stretch of the circle, with a half-wall enclosing a large round table that could have easily seated ten bodies.
The entire room was lit with a purple glow coming from round light fixtures on the ceiling and reflecting off the violet shades of the walls.
The purple napkins emphasized the bright palette.
My waitress arrived shortly.
I already knew I wanted an order of the bistro chips.
During the day, they offer samples to passing mall patrons, and after trying the chips during one shopping excursion, I was hooked.
“A half-order or a full one?” she inquired.
Almost every item on the Bistro’s menu has petite or full portions; a huge plus for the less ravenous.
I ordered the half and anxiously perused the entrées in the menu.
They offer a wide variety of dishes in French, American and Asian styles.
For the strict herbivore, they even have an entirely separate menu, simply for vegetarian items.
The bistro chips arrived shortly.
I thoroughly enjoyed the sweet and tangy balsamic syrup combined with the bold, pungent flavor of crumbled gorgonzola cheese, on top of the crunchy home-made potato chips.
I decided to try the full order of the filet mignon tips, served with mashed potatoes and green beans.
The server informed me that the half portion was only about four or five ounces of meat, so I decided to go for the larger dinner.
I ordered the tips cooked to medium.
They arrived well after I had finished the appetizer.
The tips were covered in a balsamic demi-glace, which I had noted from the menu, as well as bleu cheese, which I had not.
As it turned out, the sauce and the cheese made the beef taste similar to the bistro chips.
Unfortunately, they were also quite well done and not very tender.
This, coupled with the large amount of fat throughout the tips, rendered them fairly chewy.
The mashed potatoes I had been looking forward to were also overdone, dry and crumbly.
The green beans were the star item on the dish—grilled and crunchy, much to my liking.
But vegetables alone do not save a dish.
Overall, I was disappointed.
I decided to give the Bistro another try with dessert.
I ordered the bananas foster, served à la mode.
My waitress brought out a dish brimming with rum sauce keeping afloat the bananas and ice cream.
It was quite tasty, but when the ice cream melted, which it did quite quickly, it was a tad soupy and would have been better served with something of substance to counterbalance the texture.
The service had been bubbly and efficient, and the setting was modern and beautiful.
However, the Gallery Bistro left something to be desired.
Moriah Parrish can be reached at mparrish@spartans.ut.edu.