Cyrano's Bistrot & Wine Bar

03/06/09

reminds me of Paris

by Rory

Cyrano's is our choice when we want a special dinner, in a fairly quiet atmosphere where the food is always good. Love the pate in a jar that you can take home because you can never finish the generous serving. The service ia attentive, but not intrusive. If you love French food, Cyrano's is for you.

• Pros:  a special dinner where the prices are fair.
• Cons: typical French restaurant with tables close together

02/18/08

Good prix fixe

by sweetpea1970

We went to Cyrano's for the $20 Restaurant Week prix fixe and were pleased with our experience for the price. The decor is a bit dated, but still cute. We were told beforehand by friends from DC that service might suffer because of the circuslike atmosphere of Restaurant Week, but we had a great, friendly waiter who was very patient with us. The food on the prix fixe was good--salmon to start, coq au vin, chocolate cake--nothing spectacular or anything, but then again we were only paying $20 for it. It seems like they have different prix fixe menus all the time, so we'll have to come back to try those and see how Cyrano's is on a normal night. Thanks Cyrano's for a nice Restaurant Week meal.

• Pros: Great service, good value
• Cons: A bit dated

09/02/07

Almost a 4

by badjuju

I'm debating whether to give this restaurant a 4 star. I want to because I like the name and LOVE the decor but the 2 times I've been here, I've been disillusioned. Let's start off with my first experience there. Lunch, one summer. The cheese spread was the best part of the meal. The bread ("ficelle" type) was too old and harder than it is supposed to be. I had escargots and they were just like everyone else's (but then it's my bad for ordering escargots). I think I had a cassoulet, one of their specialties I suppose (Cyrano de Bergerac is a character from Auvergne, home of the cassoulet). And it was too watery. I can't remember the dessert but I remember not being impressed with the meal at all, and telling myself it would be a while before I return.

3 years later, I come back with my girlfriend, this time for dinner. We have their specials. The "foie gras" tasted like a soggy pate. No bite to it. The best part of the course was the lobster bisque and the dessert. The rose was simple and clean.

The WORST part of the night, was the supposed cabaret style entertainment. The singer/pianist had no voice or tone and sounded more like a Siberian throat singer... actually possibly worse than one.

• Pros: Nice decor. Very nice service
• Cons: Avoid the cabaret when it's not cabaret night

03/06/07

Great french pick for the monetarily challenged

by bee74

The food here is great. I took a date here this past weekend...service was great (if not a little pretentious), and the sea bass was excellent! On a side note, this place used to be more of a over-looked divey french bistro, but they remodeled, and now it reminds me of every other french restaurant. How sad. But go! The dinner was excellent for the price! (soup + dinner + dessert = $65)

• Pros: Incredible seafood, attentive staff, cheap
• Cons: Very small, a little boring asthetically

10/25/06

Feel like you're in a Paris bistro

by angevin

My husband and I stepped in for lunch at this quaint restaurant recently. We were immediately welcomed, seated, and warmly introduced to our waiter and the menu. The waiter's Parisian accent and humility put us in a light and romantic mood right away. The food was delicious, the wine was a real value for the price, and the ambiance perfect for the afternoon's escape. We loved it. The only gripe I have is that we returned again this past weekend, only to find out that, unfortunately, they're not open for lunch on Saturdays. We'll be sure to coordinate our schedule to theirs when we get to Chicago again.

• Pros: Excellent food, romantic ambiance
• Cons: small -- could get noisy if heavy lunch crowd -- but it wasn't while we visited for a late lunch