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Barbie's Bistro
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
2 reviews for Barbie's Bistro
2 reviews in English
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Review from Elizabeth W.
Dayton, OH
8/14/2009
Barbie's is a homey little joint, a nice change in environment from the cookie cutter chains that are prevalent in Kettering. We found ourselves there for the first time tonight after we had said 'meh...' to about a dozen other options. Overall, we're glad we chose to check it out.
There is a general shortage of patio dining in Dayton, and it was a rare treat to have dinner outside on BB's wooden deck a beautiful night. The plastic Ohio State card tables desperately need to be covered, but whatever...not a dealbreaker. Jeff, our server and co-owner with his mom Barbie who was running the kitchen, were the only two employees tonight (and most nights, we learned) and this inevitably caused the food to come out slowly. But, that could be a could thing if you'd like to relax and linger over your meal. Jeff was extremely nice and service great...he was really working hard (there were 5 tables),
We split the 'Foodbank' meal special, where Barbie's donates $1 from the $20 meal to the organization-a nice touch. We chose chicken cordon bleu bites for our appetizer. They were good but it was strange to see three small fried balls huddling together on a big white plate with no garnish or sauce. Our side salad was a heap of shredded iceberg lettuce. Ick. I'd like to see them change this.
We split a large piece of house-made lasagna which, we found out, had been made by Jeff himself. It was excellent...very meaty perfectly spiced sauce and a thick crust of browned mozzarella. French bread with butter and herbs was fresh toasted from the oven. Very nice.
We enjoyed our meal and the general ambiance. My husband remarked that it felt like we were eating at someone's home. The owners are kind, hard-working people who make good food and we will be back. -
Review from Shelly V.
Bellbrook, OH
1/23/2009
I have been to this restaurant twice now, and both times it has been exceptional. The restaurant is small and probably seats about 25 inside. There is a nice patio weather permitting. The place is very clean and homey. Part of it's appeal is that it is run by a mother/son duo. She apparently had been a bartender at the Barnsider for 20 years, and according to her son, it had alway been her dream to own her own place.
I purchased some gift certificates off of http://restaurant.com, and decided to use them for a friend's daughter's birthday. There were five in our party. They ordered an appetizer which never would have been my first choice; a fried platter of several different things. It was cooked well, and everything was hot. They were frozen items from GFS or Sysco, and were good for what they were...fried things. Our salads were very good on cold plates. I had the Garlic Ranch, which was house made. It was incredible. The only change I would make, is to incorporate other lettuces besides iceberg, but that is simply a personal preference. It was a very generous salad, and I could eat the dressing with a spoon.
For entrees, our party ordered two Seafood Samplers, two Steak Samplers, and a New York Strip. The scallops on the Sampler were perfectly cooked, and I have talked about them ever since. The cocktail sauce that came with the Shrimp Cocktail (also on the Sampler) was a nose clearer, and very tasty. The beef on the Steak Sampler was cook to perfection and seasoned well. The steak tips were probably made from tenderloin trimmings, and were also good. I wasn't overly fond of the rice they were served over though, as it tasted like a mix. Nearly everything else has been made in house, and the rice would be much better for it.
We also had dessert, namely cheesecake, that had been made by the son. They were incredible! We had White Chocolate Raspberry and Brownie Cheesecake. The Brownie cheesecake was served warm which was an interesting twist. On our second visit, we took Andes mint cheesecake home with us, and it got rave reviews as well. Good job guys!
Also, the second time we visited, we initially stopped in for cocktails. They have 2.75 drinks specials nightly, and Satuday's are Hurricanes. The drinks were well made, and at auch a reasonable price, we had three each. Yummmmm!
On both occasions, the service, taken care of by the son, was impeccable. They are friendly people, and I hope this place succeeds. We need more non-corporate places like this. It's definitely in my top ten.
