The Bistro at Our Town gets Fresh!!

A lot of people have commented on how fresh the food is at The Bistro. I am always shocked by this because I feel this should be a given but I have to admit, I too was blown away by how important this is to the chef and owner. They go above and beyond to make sure the ingredients and the way the meals are prepared and served are the best!

For instance...the herbs and lettuce that is used at The Bistro, are grown by Ashley Stratton, the owner of The Bistro. She cares and tends to these to ensure perfection in taste and freshness in all dishes. It seems like such a chore to home grow all of this for The Bistro, but Ashley feels it is worth it and never wants to skimp on quality no matter how time consuming it may be. I have attached some photos of last year's herbs grown for The Bistro.

I guess that is the same reason you won't find a microwave in The Bistro. They refuse to succumb to microwaving meals to make things quick and easy. Meals at The Bistro have heart, and warmth, not because they were reheated in a microwave but because they were made fresh just for YOU, not for someone else 10 hours ago. This might seem like a silly blog for those who don't understand the workings of a kitchen, but I feel it is so important for people to know that The Bistro truly does do all they can to make this the best meal you have ever had.

And on that note...remember when you have leftovers from The Bistro, which you will because the portions are tremendous, reheat them in your oven!! Makes for such a better meal!

Ohh and remember if you can't get into The Bistro for a meal this week...call for take out or delivery, which is now available!!!!

http://www.cuisinetogo.net/

Thanks and chat soon!

~Ally

The Bistro at Our Town

Tuscan Table, Live Music and Babies??

Ahhh...Nothing says fun like a Monday morning after a beautiful weekend. Many of you have yet to even open your lids yet, and others have been pretending to. This weekend was fabulous. I know I know, I said I love snow and I do, but I love sunshine and warmth just as much. It was incredible to see people out running, families walking their dogs..and kids, and people genuinely enjoying the outside! I do miss that. Spring is not far away!!

Friday night was the start of the fun at The Bistro at Our Town. Tuscan Table is a weekly event and as usual we spare no expense to entertain our guests. So lucky us, one of our customers, brought along his guitar and singing voice and serenaded everyone to some...hits, or misses depending on your opinion. Lucky for "Carlos Santana", our crowd Friday night was a blast!! Didn't seem to matter if you were 21 or 91, everyone laughed, reminisced and truly enjoyed another great night out at The Bistro, and even a free concert ticket was included in this special "Live Music" Tuscan Table, which was a big surprise...even to The Bistro.

Although "Carlos" as I will call him, was of course the biggest hit of the night, I have to say The Dessert Pizza with honey, Mandarin Oranges, Ricotta Cream Cheese, and shaved white chocolate was the edible hit of the night!! Sorry "Carlos" don't know you well enough to say if you are edible. And for those of you who are fans of The Bistro's Creme Brulee French Toast....Friday the chefs dipped it in White and Dark Chocolate to turn it from a day to evening meal!! It just needed a little black dress and it would have been ready for The Oscars.

I always mention celebrations at The Bistro because I feel it is so important to recognize the people who choose to spend the milestones in their life at The Bistro and with our family. We rejoiced over the upcoming birth of one of our customer's babies. We wish her all the happiness and craziness that goes into be a mom. Anyone who knows being a mom ...IS all it is cracked up to be and more. We also celebrated Jillian's mom's birthday....Jane Godfry!! Happy Birthday Jane, I think you know how much everyone at The Bistro loves you.

And last but not least...Friday night we had lots of repeat "Tuscan" customers. They couldn't get enough of us the first time around so they came back for another tour of Tuscany, in Exton. And one of our customers, "Beth" we will call her, as I'm not sure she would want her name broadcast all over the world wide web without her consent, well she came to try to track down Ashley's secret ingredient to The Bistro's famous Kale. She has been making it at home and it just didn't come out right...so Ashley did indeed share the chefs' secret ingredient with "Beth". And you might have figured out now the reason i call her Beth, is because I don't want anyone knocking down her door now that she has the secret ingredient to The Bistro's Kale. Good Luck Beth!

So another great night..with new friends and old. And lots of live music, entertainment and a good bit of laughing and smiling. Thank you to all who make this a weekly "must" in Exton.

See you next Friday!

~Ally

The Bistro at Our Town

Stuffed Creme Brulee French Toast & Desperate Housewives!!

Two birds with one stone...

Gourmet Weekly Recipe & The Bistro's "Prime Time" Menu Guide

I am glad to know so many of you enjoyed last weeks recipe from The Bistro. Please continue to send photos and comments, it's fun to see all the trials and tribulations that cooking can cause. Those who are here only for the recipe...scroll down. For the rest of you, sit back, settle in and enjoy my 1st pairing of "Prime Time TV & The Bistro's Menu".

"Desperate Housewives"....I apologize now to the guys who follow this blog...as this one is mainly geared to us women who continue to watch other women on TV. Sometimes it makes us feel better about ourselves. Just being honest, it does. We are glad we aren't Katherine who had a so called "breakdown", we're glad too we aren't Bree who has not only cheated, gotten caught but now from her own acts landed her husband in a wheelchair for life. And then there are times when a character like Robin struts on stage and we all silently say ....WOW, great body, great hair, but then we realize OK....ewwww she has a job that most of us don't strive for, she is single and doesn't have a great love of her life, so life seems a bit better, Phewww. We are better then her. We have a good standing job, great friends, a good man in our lives and we say bad things about her because of her job, start to question why any guy would find her beautiful when she is a stripper! When of course we know, she is beautiful and she isn't really a stripper so again...jealous, but of course we would never admit that! And we somehow forget....this is a TV SHOW!!

So while all this drama unfolds before us every Sunday night, we need a perfect food to enjoy while watching it. Something indulgent but delicious, something gourmet but comforting, something sweet but filling, something like...

Stuffed Creme Brulee French Toast.

Yes I said it!! Sounds amazing doesn't it? So now for the recipe part. As I said before the Chef isn't big on exact amounts, or measurements so some of this is based on your taste and experimenting.

1. Bread: We liked to use long Italian Bread. We slice it into long pieces, approximately 7 inches long and about an inch and half wide, maybe even two. You can use whatever shape bread you like, Sourdough works great as well.

2. French Toast Batter: 4 eggs and 4 egg yolks. Whisk together until bubbles form (that's how you know its fluffy ;) add a half of cup to three quarter cups half and half, Add one cup sugar and half cup brown sugar. Whisk all ingredients together. Add Vanilla Extract to taste. Dip bread into batter and poke holes in bread to allow egg mixture to soak in. (Chef's tip: The more stale the bread the better as fresh bread does not absorb as much liquid as older bread.) Fry toast in butter over low heat until center is done.

3. Stuffing: Mix 1 package cream cheese and 1 cup Ricotta Cheese, and one cup white sugar together in a bowl, (can be done by hand or mixer) Add the zest (for more flavor) of one orange and juice of one orange to mixture. You can add more of any ingredients or less of any ingredients depending on your taste. You may also replace orange zest for Lemon Zest! Meyer lemons work best as they are less acidic and have an orange flavor to them :)) (BAMM))

4. To assemble: Place one piece of toast on plate, top with two large scoops of Stuffing mixture, lay the other piece of toast just slightly on top. Top with confectioners sugar and grated orange zest!!

So now every Sunday night...turn on Desperate Housewives and pair it with your newest found recipe...STUFFED CREME BRULEE FRENCH TOAST. But for those of you who still don't feel like cooking. Call The Bistro and order take out.. This is available on their menu and is soo delicious it's cruel. If your hubby or boyfriend or kids desire something out to eat...there are so many options...Mac & Cheese, Meatloaf Sandwiches, Stuffed Bistro Burgers, Salads, wraps and so much more. So there is plenty for everyone!

And for those of you DVR or TIVO Desperate Housewives...I have an even better idea. Get a group of friends together after work, call The Bistro, order your French Toast, head to your house and enjoy the show together...this way you can all cackle and laugh together with this decadent dish melting in your mouth!!

And I am still working on what to eat during American Idol....can't seem to figure out what would help settle my stomach when I get so upset and what I would enjoy as I listen to impressive newbies. So stay tuned next week for the next pairing of The Bistro's Prime Time Menu Guide.

~~Ally

New Year's Eve Bistro Style!

Well we rang in 2010 with a fabulous private party at The Bistro at Our Town. It all started from a sample of our food...things normally seem to branch off like that for us here at The Bistro. He came in, had a look around and booked The Bistro for New Years Eve! What a blast it was for all who attended. We had music, food, dancing, and such a diverse group of people. We rang in 2010 together as the balled dropped, and new friends were made. Check out the testimonial page for Thank you letter.

The Bistro at Our Town is that kind of place. It is YOUR kind of place. Come mingle, enjoy delicious cuisine, host your own party, stop by to visit, or reconnect with old friends. This New Years Eve was exactly what The Bistro at Our Town is all about. Stop in and find out! Our family looks forward to meeting you and yours, and maybe we can help make a special memory for you!