Background - Bastille opened about a month ago in the heart of Ballard by the owners of Cafe Fiori. A few days after Bastille Day we decided to check it out. It was a hot night and their large outdoor patio was calling our name.
Atmosphere - It doesn't get any more French bistro than this. It on the verge of too much for me, but the white tiles and lots of black and white details they've given in a lot of thought. It a large space with two bars, one for the hipsters and one a bit more mellow, and a nice communal table that looks like it will have a fireplace in the winter and an outside patio.
Service - We sat at the bar first while waiting for a table and both our bar waiter and our patio waitress had attitude. While the bar waiter was at least good at his job, our main waitress was all around disappointing.
Drink - Great selection of cocktails, wine and beer.
Food - All the French classics are on the menu - no escargot yet, but the waiter thought they would once they get a bit more settled. They serve lunch, dinner and brunch. We started with grilled octopus and baguette and butter ($3 for bread but worth every penny in my mind for the Pugla butter). The Count had steak frite and I had a spring pasta dish. The steak was delicious in flavor but came out medium when he asked for rare. My homemade pasta was cooked perfectly but a bit oily.
Verdict - The jury is still out. I hope they are still working out the kinks as Seattle doesn't really have a classic French Bistro. I will definitely give this spot a few more tries as I really want it to be great.3 stars for now...
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