Bistro D’ Asie

Surprised to see that Bistro D’Asie closed down — they had an amazing martini menu and I loved how they were able to make the restaurant feel open and airy as if we were in a café in Buenos Aires. The atmosphere and happy hour here seemed so promising! I liked the small plates, tapas style and the prices were affordable for Palo Alto. Sad to see them go!

Rating 2.5 stars
This place was dead on a Tuesday night. Came here for the happy hour specials. Drinks are good but the food is mediocre. The chicken salad with napa cabbage was alright, ahi tuna spring rolls and the imperial springs rolls were good, but the calamari and the seafood vietnamese crêpe were not good. Calamari batter was a bit much and lacked in flavor. The vietnamese crêpe was made with too much flour and was too chewy.
Plenty of other places to check out in PA. Go elsewhere.

I couldn’t believe Bistro D’Asie was one of the only places open at 10 PM on a Saturday night. With the economy going downhill, you’d think businesses would extend their business hours… and c’mon it’s a SATURDAY NIGHT. Sometimes I wish I lived in France.
Bistro D’Asie does have that bistro feel: bar, dark wood, and a lot of framed pictures filling the walls. The menu made me a little hesitant. Being at an Asian fusion restaurant made me even more hesitant. But if everything was good as it sounded, then we were in for a treat.
I ordered the duck egg noodle soup. The duck was particularly good but I really wish they had just put in more noodles. The broth was alright. My other friends ordered several dishes such as the sea bass, tuna tartare, phở, and fried calamari. I had a nibble here and there and I was quite pleased (aka jealous).
There’s an option to get two entrees and an appetizer for $ 35. It’s a relatively good deal if you’re on a date. Service is very chipper. Look out for liquor induced dancing from customers.
The menu seems hit or miss although no real disappointments execution wise. I’d come back again if I were in the area at 10 PM on a Saturday night.

I came to Bistro D’Asie to celebrate a girlfriend’s birthday. It was a Wednesday night so the place was not crowded. In fact, we occupied most of the restaurant. Since some of the guys know the owner, we were able to have our own area at the front of the resaturant.
Overall the food was pretty good — since it is family style, I didn’t get to try everything on the menu that I would normally. However, I enjoyed the items that I did try. My favorite was the seabass — it was soft and tender, melted right in my mouth.
The portions are quite small — probably not a good choice for large parties. But given the price, it is reasonable. I believe their special is $ 35 for 1 appetizer and 2 entrée. Probably enough to fill up if I was eating with a small group instead.
As an added bonus, they have $ 5 martinis and drinks specials. The Lychee Martini was just OK. I’ve had better, but at $ 5 I’m not going to complain. The Long Islands ($ 9) are decent. I’d probably stick to these all night.
I’ll come back here again — I think they have the potential to be one of my top choices in downtown Palo Alto.

I feel sorry for B D’A’s Emerson addy. It’s overlooked and underrated.
Service is no-​nonsense & spiffy. Lighting is perfectly dimmed. Happy hour is DAILY. Sports tuned in at the bar and for more artistic-​Charlie Chaplin B&W’s on the BIG screen. Random, but a nice change.
For a mere $ 110 inclusive of tip & tax we were satisfied & had plenty to eat for later!
Be sure to check out the:
–Lamb Luc Lac, tender nicely seasoned cubes, sitting on a fresh bed of exotic greens.
–Steak & fries, a nice take on the French classic, sliced potatoes & steak-​fab flavor.
–Vienamese crêpe, different, but quite good, w/​bean sprouts, chicken & shrimp.
–Ahi Tuna Tartare, good, guac was fresh & diced mangoes were a delightful touch!
–Duck Tacos, green salsa was good and the bird was buttery.
I’d skip the hamachi shooters & the pinot noir by the glass was HARSH.
Overall, very good in comparison to the other Downtown PA haunts, definitely in my FAV five.

On a late Friday night after getting shunned from a crowded restaurant with too long a wait, Dennis, Badri, XT, Michael C., and I decided to head over to Bistro D’asie at Dennis’ suggestion, as he knew the owner.
For a place with decent food and $ 5 drinks all night, to be less than half full on a Friday night at 8:30pm, when other places just a block away on a busy street are packed with lines out the door, this restaurant is a stark reminder of that age old adage: Location, location, location. Side streets are definitely not good for business. That’s okay though, better for those who know it to enjoy a quiet dinner.
Upon walking in, you immediately notice that this restaurant is deeper than it is wide, but hardly narrow with plenty of seating for 50 or so including the bar. At the far end wall a projector shines some TV show or other, but other than that strangely sports bar-​ish add-​on, this place has the feel of a posh and trendy restaurant with lighting highlights here and there, a slightly dark feel, and a few simple partitions giving a sense of cozier spaces.
With a reasonably sized group, we were able to try quite a few of their tapas like Asian Fusion dishes, and while I’m not generally a fan of Asian fusion, this place wasn’t all that bad.
Ahi Tartare
3.5 stars
Thinly sliced Ahi with the outer edges just slightly cooked, this was a rather typical preparation of Ahi Tartare and I had trouble trying to figure out the fusion aspect of it. Was it the sauce? I wonder. It was good though
Garlic Noodles
3 stars
I’m normally a huge fan of garlic noodles made with the thicker noodles like they serve at Crustacean, but these garlic noodles, while decent, were a tad too sweet. Not overbearingly so, but enough to be just ever so slightly annoying. Irony: I was so hungry for carbs, I didn’t care and I ordered it again.
Calamari good but small and fried veggies 3 stars
2.5 stars
This was tasty but rather disappointing because the chunks of calamari were too small, making me feel like we were eating more of the deep fried skin than meat. The tiny deep fried veggies were a nice touch, but the pieces need to be bigger.
Hamachi Cervice 3 stars
3 stars
Nicely done. The hamachi was chopped small and mixed with other ingredients and served as a perfect cylinder (that falls apart immediately upon digging in with a fork, but it looked nice). My favorite of the night. Very light. I think there was avocado in it as there was a little creaminess to it plus a nice citrus flavor too.
Peking duck egg noodle 3
2 stars
When you order duck, you should expect it to be fatty, and I do. But this was a little too much. I thought the duck in the soup wasn’t a very good match as the soup was watery and contrasted sharply to the mushy fattiness of the duck. I likely won’t order this again.
Peking duck tacos
3 stars
Sort of like fajitas, this dish was definitely fusion and one of the better culturally mixed foods I’ve had. The duck comes in thin slices and is fried, I think. Not too oily or too fatty (for a duck) and comes served on a cast iron fajita plate. Definite do again.
Chicken satay, grilled 3.5
3 stars
Pretty much what you’d expect. Nothing fusion here. skewered and grilled thin slices of chicken.
Lemon Garlic Chicken
3 stars
Again, pretty much what you’d expect. Think of Wing stop’s lemon garlic chicken wings, only less oily and you get the idea. Not bad.
Pumpkin cheese cake
3.5
One of the rare occasions when I have enough room for dessert! Pumpkin pie is generally lightish. Cheese cake, especially New York style, is usually too rich for me, but this Pumpkin cheese cake was a nice middle ground between the two. Not too rich, and not too sweet, and the pumpkin flavor was not overbearing. Good dessert.
DRINKS:
Bistro D’aise is a great cocktail bar, and we got to sample quite a few of them.
Mango Mohito
3 stars
It was more citrusy than I’d expect from a mango based cocktail, but that lightness made this a great drink
Blood Orage Mohito
3 stars
I was expecting this to be too acidic and sour for me, but it was very nicely sweet without being grossly sugary. I definitely liked it and would consider ordering it again.
Guava Mohito
2.5 stars
This drink was good, but very thick… Almost like a smoothie. Okay, maybe not that thick, but much more so than I expected.
Lychee Martini
2.5 stars
Anyone who knows me knows I’m a wimpy drinker, and frankly, I’m not much of a Martini fan. The Lychee flavor was definitely there, but this drink was just too strong.
All in all, the off-​the-​beaten-​path feel of this location, modern/​classy look, and some good dishes and tasty $ 5 drinks makes this place a do again. I didn’t like all the dishes here, and the food was a touch pricey (not too bad, but noticeably so), which makes this place just shy of four stars.
Still, if a place is A-​OK, for me, it means I’ll definitely be back.
So way to go Bistro D’aise, I’ll be back.

I’ve been here a couple of times… last time was a year ago. The waitress seemed familiar, but maybe that’s because the last time I was there she ALSO stood with her back to me for extended periods of time at the pass scribbling on something. I assume they hire only waitresses who are pre-med…because her table-​side manner was quite like a surgeon’s bed-​side manner: abrupt and condescending. She had a sense of how many steps away from my table to start asking, ‘how’s everything taste?” so that she was one step past me when she finished the question.
After a long wait after being seated, she finally tore herself away from her studies and took my drink and appetizer order. Later, I pulled her back after her en-​passant inquiry and ordered the duck tacos. «We’re out.» Really? On a Thursday night? One of the busier nights for business dinners? And a dish they’re kind of know for?
OK, so I ordered something else. Thank goodness for the busboy or I wouldn’t have gotten my drinks or food on a timely basis.
On my way out of the virtually empty restaurant I let the host know that once again, it would be at least a year before I became optimistic enough to return. I continue to hope that someday the service will live up to the quality of the kitchen, but I’m an optimist.
On the other hand… they won’t be seeing me again for at least a year when my optimism returns.

So I’m 99% sure this place used to be itapas wine bar which I really liked. And since it seems the menu hasn’t changed much, just the name, I’m still a fan.
Especially for Happy Hour!
$ 4 Sangria (red and white)
$ 5 Martinis (about a million to choose from)
And the apps aren’t bad either —
Calamari — GREAT!
Macaroni — Eh, could have gone without it.
Olives — GOOD
Spring Rolls — Good enough for the price.
So basically, if you want some delish and cheap drinks and thinks to snack on for happy, I would def. go here.

3 for food, 2 for service.
I came here with a group of friends for Dine about Town — $ 21.95 for a 3 course meal — not too shabby. Décor is interesting, front half of the restaurant is fancy with wine bottles adorning the walls, then the back semi-​sports bar with sports on TV, and then live jazz. Cool but a bit odd?
Ok food. The starter I got was a pear salad. Um. not good. The salad tasted like they made it 3 hours ago with tons of dressing. Drenched, with limp greens. Not too impressive. Main was prawn garlic noodles. This was very tasty and I do admit, delicious. A little too oily, but really flavorful. Dessert was chocolate mousse. I personally thought they didn’t put enough sugar in it.
Service. It was almost as if this was the first time they waited tables. The waiter/​waitress never once remembered who ordered what. They’d bring two dishes out, and announce them, waiting for whoever ordered it to speak up. ummm for real? And the kicker — at one point, all but one of us got our entrée. The waiter came over with the last remaining dish, and asked who it belonged to. It just seemed quite obvious it was for the last remaining person… perhaps I am overly critical.
So overall, if you know what to order, the food can be good. Service needs a lot of work though.

4 stars for food, 2 stars for service.
My friends and I came for a decent Wednesday night meal. Their daily prix fixe ($ 21) and Dine About Town ($ 20.95) menus are nearly identical so I assume they’re participating in DAT to drum up some business. Not a bad idea since it got us in the door!
I have to get this off my chest:
Front of the house service is totally sub-​par. All our appetizers and food came out at different times and they didn’t remember who ordered what dish for any course. Every time a dish was brought out, there was a small flurry of confusion with them asking who ordered the chicken, the noodles, etc. Eeek!
Had service not been so off, we could have focused on the food more. The food, on the other hand, was quite good! It was flavorful, well presented, and generously portioned.
I personally ordered a salad topped w/​chicken skewer as a starter, garlic noodles with shrimp for entrée, and a trio of sorbet for dessert.
Salad was not bad though a bit over-​dressed/​soggy; the chicken skewer was well-​seasoned, tender, and came with a tasty dipping sauce.
Garlic noodles were tasty! They didn’t skimp on the amount of shrimp included, though they seemed a bit overcooked. Still good, regardless.
Sorbet was delicious, though not anything special. They gave me 3 giant scoops: strawberry, pineapple, and mango.
Overall, I don’t think I’d come here again nor recommend this place.

Color me unimpressed.
We went last night to check it out, and take advantage of their Prix Fix special. More and more, I am of a belief Prix Fix is a rip off half the time, I’d be better off eating less or spending more and get what I want, not some cost margin optimized selection.
They have a nice selection of $ 5 martinis, and a very nice bartender.
The Dirty and Spicey Martini was horrid. (To bartenders credit he said people other loved or hated it and would make something else if I wish. I like dirty and spicey — I think the recipe needs rework.) The Blood Orange mojito was tasty. Despite a comment contrary, their beer selection is meh, for a Bay area restaurant. 6 or so drafts, a few bottle, nothing great on the micro or International side.
As to dinner:
The food wasn’t bad, but nothing overwhelming. I had the Lamb chunks Prix Fix… skip…its low costs cuts of meat. Angie had the salmon which she liked. Desert was well presented and done. Also, you can’t order any of the vegetarian items (like the spring rolls) if you don’t go 100% veg, even if you offer to pay more.
–1 star for poor wine stemware, thick enough to be a auto windshield, and a Pinot by the glass that seemed over oxidized
— 1 star+ for playing basketball on an entire wall as entertainment. If I wanted to go to a sports bar, I would have. Tacky.
— 1 star No Jazz Band on Wed night as advertised
— 1 star for series of SNAFUs and un– attentive staff at end (seems like they wanted to bail at 9pm) billing for coffee and not bringing, finally bringing and have to light dynamite to get attention to get half and half, which they were out of.
hmmm maybe 2 stars is generous…
In the event I go again, I will just order off regular menu.
Lordi, I miss the city…

I officially declare that I’m no fan of Asian fusion. Asian food is generally so different from everything else it should really just mind its own business — staying authentically Asian.
My «Asian ratattoulie» was so spectacularly unspectacular I don’t know what else to say about it. Tried a few things other friends ordered and they were equally forgettable. Good service and pretty good bar though. The sangria packs a punch, just the way I liked it. It gave me a major Asian flush only 8 tequila shots could have accomplished — although the red wine/​fat tires combination punch is a known to get my blood rushing.

While trying to find a good place around University Avenue, I remembered someone mentioning this place to me which is in front of the Aquarius theater and right next to the Chicago pizza place called Paxti’s. Apparently it used to be Itapas.
What I think about it?
Excellent.
What can I say about a place I went to 2 times in 2 nights?
I even forgot my credit card on the first day when I was leaving because I was pretty satisfied with this place.
The moment you go in, there’s a huge projector focused on a part of the huge wall showing some sports events, the noise is low and you can talk over the quiet music going around. There is a jazz band on Wed. from a sign also. Happy Hour is by the bar where the sangria is 4 $. The décor is pretty nice and neat. Its a nice meeting place for after work drinks with nibbles.
An extensive drinks list, several beers listed which country they came from, several kinds of martinis, mojitos, sangrias and etc. I had sangria on my first night, 3 different types of martinis on my second night.
(Yeah I had to try the Appletini twice and Shanghai 1931, I know its a bit of a girly drink but the menu lists all the ingredients that I really wanted to see how it tastes like!)
Did I forget to mention to you that the martinis are only 5 $ every night, all night long?
As for the food, I ordered the Calamari, Dungeoness crab cakes, Ahi Tartare on the first night.
Calamari, duck tacos (comes with guacamole, duck sauce, lean duck meat, some mango bits I think) and garlic prawn noodles on the second night. You have to try the duck, it is damn good! The noodles are tasty too. Dishes are good for 2 – 3 people and they were supposed to be small plates.
The service was great, our server or the server who was serving me for 2 nights was very attentive. I was surprised the place wasn’t packed on a friday or saturday night. I mean, the drinks are great (5 $ martinis in Palo Alto??) and the food is just spectacular. Perhaps everyone is too busy doing Christmas shopping?
I am coming back Bistro… errr D’asie (The name escapes me too) and next time with a big group of Unilocalers…

The old ITAPAS revamped. Great location on University, space is nice & romantic. I’d describe it as Americanized Vietnamese food. The owner is very personable and funny! :D Staff is great!
We had just about everything on the menu…
Starters —
Ahi tower — good, use the sauce to add flavor to the dish
Goi ga — close to home cooking but the chicken was a little on the dry side
Calamari — love the petit sizes, easy to eat
Chicken skewers — tender, moist perfect w/​the dipping sauce!
Lamb skewers — a little gamey for my taste
Entrees —
Lamb luc lac — very diff &new — nicely paired w/​the greens
Macaroni — just like mom used to make! yummm…
Seabass — my fave dish! melt in your mouth good
Dessert —
Sticky rice w/​tropical fruit — not too sweet, nice & warm w/​mango chunks
Trio of sorbet — mango, pineapple & strawberry, delish!

me and my buddy were happily on our usual way over to darbar and got waylaid by a sign that said:
«executive power lunch, 2 for 1 till the end of the month».
heck, we didn’t have to prove we were executives either. i showed up in a thermal underwear top.
the exec power lunch includes a salad, a spring roll and a main dish for between 11 and 15 bucks. my buddy had the steamed chicken and i had the shaking lamb. wow, the shaking lamb was incredible: lotso chunks, perfectly cooked, flavorful and not at all lamby. it was garnished with small heirloom tomatoes and some raw stalks of some bitter plant that complemented the soy flavors.
the starches were slightly freaky, tomato rice and garlic macaroni. they were kinda out of place considering the rest of the meal was upscaley.
the salad was fine and the spring roll good too. since it was a day off we had beers which were reasonably priced and a big selection. great service too.

This is my new happy hour spot.
Since getting a job down in Silicon Valley, I’ve been looking for a new watering hole. This place is perfect. Great drinks, chill atmosphere… NO crowds. NO waiting.. Been here 3 times already and it never disappoints.
For appetizers, I highly recommend the potatoes, duck tacos, and the crispy imperial rolls. The calamari is just OK…

After a really enjoyable evening at iTapas a year ago, I was happy to see good reviews for its revamped version as Bistro D’ Asie. We came on a Saturday night and enjoyed a similar experience.
The focus has shifted to Asian dishes for the most part; gone is the world and Spanish tapas section of the menu. Small and large plates are there now, along with an excellent wine list and a big list of $ 5 martinis. Alcohol here is very affordable which is a nice change. We sampled 3 of their martinis along with a wine flight.
Dishes have nice variety; we ordered two rice paper rolls which were so-​so (veggie and lobster) that I would pass on, but our other dishes were great. The husband ordered the same duck tacos he had ordered from iTapas, and proclaimed them to be just as great. We shared the spicy asparagus and mushroom side dish which was very special, to be ordered again. We also shared the Sea Bass entrée which was unbelievably moist and tender. It was roasted in a banana leaf and accompanied by a sweet mango salsa and soy dipping sauce. Even the husband, who is usually anti-​fish, enjoyed it.
No dessert for us here, but we enjoyed our experience and I’m sure we’ll be back– hopefully before they change name and menu again!

This was a nice place as the iTapas wine bar so why did it change?
Well the staff is the same because I got the same waitress I had both times I came here as iTapas. Wonderfully bubbly…
I started with the Red Mango cocktail and finished with a sapporo. The cocktail was good but a little too sweet for me but some may like it. I am actually surprised any of the drink was in the glass as the entire glass came out stick and wet. So much for getting all the drink in the glass.
We had the hamachi ceviche, duck tacos, lobster rolls, asparagus and an oops by the kitchen of the crispy spring rolls. Turns out we ordered pretty much all the iTapas dishes except for one.
The asparagus was especially good and highly recommend it. The rolls are just rolls not great but not super oily either. The ceviche was good but not memorable… maybe some chili oil would add some zest to it. The duck was a mess! Is it mexican or asian? The corn tortillas were cold and too tough for the dish. The duck was good with the hoisin sauce but then putting avocado and salsa on it just didn’t work. Need to rethink this dish. Great potential bad execution.
Looking forward to the 3^rd restaurant that they change too… i hear that one will be a charm.

What the heck? An affordable and good dinner option in Palo Alto? Did I just find Sasquatch or something?
We came here for dinner on Friday with a group of friends. It was nice because we basically ate family style and I was able to taste a bunch of dishes and overall, it was a great experience.
First thing I noticed was the prix fixe special. I believe it is only for early diners (5pm-​7pm and maybe lunch?), but that seemed like a good deal. Mixed drinks here are much cheaper than places in PA. It was only 5 bucks for a mojito (I had the passionfruit which was good) so even an expensive date could be had cheap here.
On to the grub…
Appetizers:
Everyone raved about the duck tacos, but I don’t eat duck so I smiled and nodded approvingly. We also had the yellowfin ceviche which was excellent. it mixed well with the vinegar and avocados. Crabcakes were good and the oysters were fresh and didn’t send me to the toilet the next day (double bonus). The only disappointing plate was the poke, but overall, the appetizers were very good and a great set up for the entrees.
Entrees:
My favorites included the chilean sea bass (very tender and buttery, cooked in a banana leaf), crab pasta (dungeness crab meat with fusilli pasta) and the scallops (seared, but not overcooked). The clams in white sauce with pasta was also good with the hint of chili peppers for a little kick. I normally don’t like the taste of lamb (it’s very earthy) but I ate some of the lamb luc lac and it was… edible. That’s a good thing because a majority of the lamb I try I declare inedible.
Staff and ambiance was good. Very helpful and friendly. Overall, 4.5 stars because of the quality, good prices and location (can’t beat downtown PA and all the after dinner events close by). i’ll be back.

While I was disappointed to lose iTapas, the owners have brought the space back with a restaurant that is much better. While the look is the same, the menu is a mix of large and small Asian-​fusion/​Vietnamese dishes pretty similar in name to those at Three Seasons, but with a lot of novel takes on them.
We started with the very reasonably priced wine flight ($ 11 for three 2-​oz pours, which include wines that were more than that just for a glass) and they’ve maintained the same high caliber that I loved about iTapas. The Zinfandel was a particular standout.
Our appetizers of crab cakes and beef skewer were decent, but luckily our large plates more than made up for it. I got the lamb chops, which were one of my favorite lamb experiences in recently memory. Four hearty chops accompanied by a wine reduction sauce with a potent slightly salty flavor that is also reminiscent of dark chocolate and cinnamon. I’d highly recommend this dish. I liked my friends beef and potatoes, though the rest of the table just raved about them. The lamb cubes were also delicious.
One potential low-​light was when my other friend’s noodle dish (which he loved) came much later (like 15 minutes), but our waitress checked in a lot and right before it arrived the manager apologized and offered everyone a glass of wine or sangria. That was very unexpected and very impressive customer service.
While I didn’t try it, my friends also loved the mousse that accompanied the pre fixe.
The prices are definitely better than restaurants like Tamarine and on par with Three Seasons, and they offer a $ 21 three-​course pre fixe from 5 – 7 everyday, which is a pretty great deal around these parts. Sadly, they aren’t open for lunch, which is particularly disappointing since I work nearby.
Definitely will be back and hope to continue having great experiences.