Orange County Register

Stumbled upon Le Bistro by accident after hearing raves from others about this little joint by the bay. I was on a quest to find a sailboat for a photo shoot and was lucky enough to do that and nab a great lunch as well. Tucked away in Lido Marina Village, Le Bistro is one of the few remaining restaurants along the small avenue of shops and businesses overlooking the Newport Harbor. The menu boasts an almost dizzying array of Mediterranean fare: There’s Lebanese, Italian, French and Spanish offerings like hummus, risotto, cassoulet and paella — in addition to a tempting selection of breakfast goods as well …

My friend opted for the crab ravioli ($16), from the lunch specials menu. The ravioli arrived stuffed with King crab meat and doused with a tomato cream sauce. It wasn’t as heavy as I thought it would be and the sauce was rather pleasant, not at all cloying.

I didn’t have too intense a case of dish envy because of my grilled ahi tuna sandwich ($17). At first, I was really turned off by the gray, drab color of the slab of fish. I was convinced I had ordered a seared tuna sandwich and expected a rare, ruby-hued center. But after a bite, I had no real complaints. I mean, I guess I should have specified that I wanted it cooked medium or rare. So the fish was cooked, yes, but it was still incredibly moist and tender. It came on toasted focaccia bread, with red onions and the bun was slathered in a tasty tartar sauce — and I usually hate tartar sauce. I ate every bite. Then I remembered the hefty price tag: Nearly 20 bucks for a sammich?!? I guess I’m paying for that rustic view of the bay and sailboats.

I think I’ll have to come back to try breakfast, which I’ve heard great things about. There are frittatas galore; Crab Benedict (and Lox Benedict); 10 kinds of pancakes like apple, mango and apricot; crepes, too — both savory and sweet.

Le Bistro

3446 Via Oporto

Newport Beach, CA

949.675.9747

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.