Mariosbistro's Blog

Visit the Bistro

mariosbistro — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 13:30:34 +0000

I hope everyone had an enjoyable and safe Fourth of July.

Now is the time to visit the Bistro.

We are going to have beautiful weather tonight and Eric Diamond will be gracing the Bistro with his unique version of Epic Jazz Fusion. His son (Hunter) might also be joining him tonight…that’s always a treat!!!

We also have live music on Saturday night with the Hunter Diamond Jazz Quartet!!!

There will be wine specials so please join us at the Bistro…

European Bistro and Fourth of July?

mariosbistro — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 23:41:28 +0000

I’m pretty sure the French celebrate the 4th of July…at least they should after the many times we have bailed them out.

We will be open this weekend!!! Celebrating the 4th at the Bistro. Could it get any better? I think not…

Let us know if you are planning on visiting the Bistro this weekend. We’re thinking about having Sangrias, Wine & Beer Specials, Live Music and Tomfoolery. Interested????

Thursday Night Jazz Fest

mariosbistro — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 15:05:38 +0000

This Thursday we have the privilege of hosting the Hunter Diamond Jazz Quartet. The last time they graced the Bistro we were packed to the gills. This time we get to use the entire patio since Chop Stix has taken the next 2 weeks off for renovations.

We will be having delicious dinner entrée options. We might even have Sangria flowing along with wine and beer specials.

Join us on the extended patio for some great music and food.

Yelp is a Joke

mariosbistro — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 13:53:28 +0000

Do you know of anyone that has contributed to this opinion website? The site allows anyone and everyone to provide reviews from bubble gum to restaurants to the condition of sidewalks.

The main concern is that the anonymous nature allows competitors or unhappy people to disparage the business by creating illegitimate negative reviews on their respective profile pages. Is this fair to the average consumer that is trying to get a fair perspective about a product or service?

So…Yelp has introduced a new plan to help alleviate negative reviews. In fact, for $299 a month you can remove any reviews from your profile. Are you freaking kidding me?

Picture this. A hard working business man trying to make a dollar in a very tough economy. He or she looks at a website and some slouch puts a bad review of their business on the profile. Who knows…maybe the person doing the review had a bad day, maybe they are just a prick and never happy about anything. Either way, negative reviews hurt business. Many people go to the review sections on the Internet and base their entire opinion upon those reviews.

It’s completely unfair that a website allows this to happen and then bribes the business owner to have the opinion removed. I will be boycotting this type of practice until they do something about their unfair practices.

Boycott YELP!!!!!!

The Next Big Thing!

mariosbistro — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 14:04:19 +0000

We are extremely excited about the new addition to our lunch menu. The Open-face Egg Salad Sandwich.

My wife, Christi, saw this creation on the Food Network’s The Best Thing I Ever Ate program and we had to add it to our line up of fresh salads and sandwiches.

We have done a few test runs and everyone loves this sandwich. Don’t miss out!!!

Chef Spoonman toasts a slice of Wheatberry bread, tops it with homemade sun-dried tomato pesto, fresh arugula, goat cheese, bacon bits and 2 poached eggs. Everything works together in this sandwich.

Keep an eye on the Bistro for more additions to our menu. Did someone say Fish Taco?

See you soon…

Tapas Tuesday & Happy Hour

mariosbistro — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:43:18 +0000

Today is ‘Tapas Tuesday’!!!!!

We have 5 Tapas for $5 and Happy Hour from 5p-7p that includes our house wines (Burgundy and Chablis).

You might be asking, ‘What is Tapas Tuesday?’… We are running special discounts on 5 of our Tapas that include:

Caprese – Fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and basil drizzled with olive oil and a balsamic vinegar reduction.
Bruschetta – Fresh bread topped with diced vine ripe tomatoes and basil pesto.
Portobello Crostini – Fresh bread topped with grilled Portobello mushrooms.
Margherita Flatbread – Fresh basil, tomato and mozzarella on an Italian flatbread.
Portobello Flatbread – Grilled Portobello mushrooms, caramelized onions and red pepper pesto on an Italian flatbread.

We are also starting our Happy Hour at the Bistro from 5-7. We have Burgundy and Chablis wine that we will be offering for $4 a glass.

Exciting times at the Bistro. See you soon…

Arctic Char

mariosbistro — Thu, 27 May 2010 20:01:35 +0000

We are serving Arctic Char tomorrow at the Bistro. Here is some information about this particular fish.

Arctic Char is both a freshwater and saltwater fish in the Salmonidae family, native to Arctic, sub-Arctic and alpine lakes and coastal waters. No other freshwater fish is found as far north. It is the only species of fish in Lake Hazen, on Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic. It is closely related to both salmon and trout and has many characteristics of both.

This fish is fantastic and pairs well with the Moselland Riesling that we have at the Bistro. This wine bottle is something of a marvel. Drop by the Bistro to check it out.

See you soon…

It’s Cool at the Bistro

mariosbistro — Sun, 23 May 2010 19:15:10 +0000

Just in time for the warm months, Mario’s Bistro has installed a new, powerful and cold air conditioner. Special thanks to Hogle’s Heat and Air, Bill & Jo West and Billy Dean for chilling the Bistro.

I don’t like to dine in places that are too hot and that was the problem we were having at the Bistro. The A/C was too small and inefficient to adequately cool the dining room due to the open kitchen. That has all changed now. This A/C rocks and we have already seen an increase of inside diners the past 2 days.

Drop by the Bistro for some fantastic food & great wine at a cool temperature…

Tilefish and Duck

mariosbistro — Thu, 20 May 2010 14:07:53 +0000

Tilefish and Duck. That’s our menu for tonight. You can’t get much more off the beaten path than that.

Here’s a little background on Tilefish. They keep to themselves and generally stay at or near the bottom of the ocean. They rely heavily on their keen eyesight to catch their prey. If approached, the fish will quickly dive into their constructed retreats, often head-first.

Tilefish have firm, white meat with a mild flavor and they are an extra lean fish. You can liken this fish to Amberjack, Tilapia, Grouper, Shark, Snapper. A nice Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling pairs well with this meal.

The other dinner entree tonight is Duck. We are preparing the duck in a Blueberry sauce that will knock your socks off. A Pinot Noir will pair very well with this dish.

Drop by the Bistro tonight for these incredible specials…we also have Richy Stano on the patio playing music.

See you soon…

A/C, Music and Wine

mariosbistro — Wed, 19 May 2010 14:11:34 +0000

If your air conditioner is too small for the building you are renting wouldn’t you expect your landlord to replace it in order to make sure that your customers dine in comfort. Evidently that’s not the case in the restaurant business. Friday marks the day that a new air conditioner is installed in the dining room of Mario’s to ensure that we are comfortable this summer. Thank goodness…

Richy Stano will be on the patio this Thursday to provide the soothing sounds of beautiful instrumental guitar. I’m very lucky to have such great friends playing music at the Bistro. Richy, Marty Liquori, Eric Diamond, Mark Gaignard, Mama Trish, etc. It makes the entire experience of the Bistro more enjoyable for everyone…

Don’t forget about the blind wine tasting on Sunday from 6-8p. We picked out the wines yesterday and we are traveling around the world on this one. From Italy to Argentina to California to South Africa. Spoonman will be putting together some special appetizers for the event. Give us a call to make your reservations (352) 375-4420.

See you at the Bistro…