Mistral in Princeton

Posted byXsivjoshPosted inUncategorized

We went to Mistral a couple nights ago with our friends, Sue and Zola. We had high expectations for this meal because it has been touted heavily by the press, other restauranteurs, and several friends. One local friend doesn’t “get it“ and I respect his opinion. So we had to check it out for ourselves.

First, Mistral has a full bar with several of their own ”special house cocktails.” Zola and I both had Angel’s Envy Manhattans. Nicely made and served in a retro style glass (the new vogue). Sue had a spicy Margarita which pleased her and Barb had a flute of Prosecco.
We started the meal with three small dishes to share and then we each had an entree.

Our Hamachi Ceviche was attractive and very tasty. This one pictured was brought to us at the end of the evening because we attacked ours before I took the photo. The ingredients were good, but ours was a little lacking in Hamachi.
The Roasted Pork Belly was absolutely delicious and perfectly done.
The octopus was beautifully presented, served over some delicious hash browns. Our serving came with three small pieces of octopus over four pieces of potatoes. I felt that for $19 they could have put on a fourth tidbit of Octopus.

Barb’s Scallop entree was very tasty and fresh. Presented beautifully. The four scallops were not especially large, but not too small. She enjoyed this $30 dish.
Zola’s Bavette Steak was prepared perfectly, medium rare. I had a taste and found it absolutely delicious.
Sue and I both ordered Ricotta Gnocchi which came with wild mushrooms. The gnocchi were perfect: light and tasty and perfectly complimented by a generous mushroom sauce.

Our server, Andre, was an absolute pleasure. He knew a great deal about all of the dishes as well as the wine offerings. He steered us through the menu very nicely.

All in all, this was a pleasant meal experience. Several dishes were outstanding, but a few were a little disappointing. The wines by the glass were reasonably priced, the Manhattans ($19) were a bit pricey. I know that $150 per couple is not crazy for Princeton, but for that price I should have found no faults with the meal. I’m certain that the cost would have been less had we known we could bring our own wine and paid a $25 corkage.
Please note that the restaurant was very loud, making conversation a little difficult. It’s a good thing that we know our friends well enough that we can often read each other’s mind and finish their sentences.

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