Seafood Stew / Photo by Jessica Kelly
The Facts
Address: 102 Webster Street / North Tonawanda / Niagara County | (716) 264-4314
Cuisine: French/American Bistro & Bar
Hours: Tuesday – Wednesday from 4:30pm-9:30pm, Thursday from 4:30pm-10:00pm, and Friday – Saturday from 4:30pm-11:00pm
WEBSITE / SOB LISTING
Dish
Tucked away in North Tonawanda, Webster’s Bistro & Bar creates a cozy ambiance to enjoy French cuisine and fantastic cocktails. When you walk through the door you’re immediately hit with soft, romantic lighting and the aroma of garlic butter and fresh bread. Each table lit by candlelight and dashed with a vase of delicate flowers. Soft music played in the background under the buzz of conversations going on from content guests. I felt like I was dining at an authentic French Bistro.
[sc:Centerpost-2-700-150-200]
Recommendation
In my estimation Webster’s Bistro is an excellent representation of French cuisine in Western New York, particularly with respect to one of my personal favorite French dishes, escargot. Their creations are not only a work of art for the taste buds, but to the eye as well. The use of fresh vegetables and vibrant herbs make each dish come to life. If you enjoy French food then you’re going to want to dig into the beauty at Webster’s Bistro.
Escargot / Photo by Jessica Kelly
The Story
I’ve heard wonderful things about Webster’s Bistro and have wanted to try it for some time. We finally called in a reservation for 2 and made our way to the restaurant to fill our empty stomachs with plenty of rich French food.
When we arrived, we were told it would just be a minute to get our table ready. Fine with me, since I was immediately distracted by the 2 page cocktail list lying on the bar just waiting to be snatched up! The cocktail menu consisted of Mixed Delights ($7-10) like the French Maid (vodka, melon liqueur, Chambord, pineapple, and cranberry juices), French Selections ($7-10) like the French Gimlet (vodka or gin, St. Germain, and club soda), Martinis ($10) like the Orange Chocolate (Stoli-O, White and Dark Crème de Cacao, Godiva Cream Liqueur, orange juice in a Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup drizzled glass with chocolate shavings), and After Dinner drinks ($7) like French Coffee (Cointreau, Kahlua, coffee, and topped with whipped cream). After several scans of the menu I finally chose the Black Rooster martini. I opted for gin instead of vodka which harmonized beautifully with the Chambord, Blue Curacao, garnished with fresh blackberries. It was crisp and refreshing; deep, dark purple in color and garnished with a plump blackberry.
RELATED: How to Navigate a Wine List
While enjoying cocktails, we were approached and escorted to our table. We were greeted by a friendly waitress and fresh bread to start. I decided to start with the Escargot appetizer ($8). The tender out-of-shell snails sautéed in garlic butter and white wine then topped with flakey, buttery puff pastry were perfectly cooked and well-seasoned. If you haven’t had the opportunity to try escargot, I’d compare the texture to oysters and clams, but just a hair tougher in consistency. Snails don’t have a very strong natural flavor (it’s more of a delicate earthy tone like mushrooms), so they tend to take on the flavor of the ingredients with which they’re prepared. The crisp pastry was the perfect “cherry on top” to scoop up the flavorful sauce.
After enjoying the escargot, we each ordered our entrée. I decided on the Seafood Stew ($25) consisting of mussels, shrimp, white fish, scallops, and lobster in a decadent seafood broth served over linguine. A tender lobster tail, fresh shellfish and fish tossed perfectly and topped with splashes of bright purple and green garnish made for a delicious dish that left us feeling satisfied and happy. My fellow diner ordered the Salmon Wellington ($19), a plate filled with 8oz fresh Atlantic salmon with a mushroom duxelles wrapped in a puff pastry, topped with a dill cream sauce. I felt like I had to catch myself from humming “mmm” after each bite. It was a perfect blend of rich fish, creamy dill sauce, and buttery puff pastry. The French know how to create recipes. The textures and ingredients create the most delicate flavor profiles.
Creme Brulee / Photo by Jessica Kelly
Let’s not forget dessert. Ah, the dessert. We decided we just couldn’t leave without tasting the Créme Brulée ($6) made of creamy vanilla custard with a crisp caramel crust and topped with fresh berries. The crunch our spoons made when they broke through the hard shell of caramel crust is just the sound of pure happiness. I love a good crème brulée.
Our waitress was sweet, attentive and helpful when it came to answering questions and explaining the menu.
What Else Looks Good
- Cheese & Pate Plate $12-Imported artisan cheese and house pate accompanied by seasonal fresh fruit
- Stuffed Peppers $9- Banana peppers with spicy sausage stuffing topped with gruyere cheese
- Webster’s Beef Bourguignon $22-The iconic French dish of beef stewed with aromatic vegetables, herbs and spices
- Webster’s Banana Foster $7-Fresh sautéed bananas in butter, brown sugar and rum served over French Vanilla ice cream
For updates on the best things to eat, drink & do in WNY, sign up for our newsletter!
[mc4wp_form]
You might also like…
[justified_image_grid preset=4 row_height=130 height_deviation=1 prettyphoto_social=yes prettyphoto_analytics=yes caption=fixed mobile_caption=same timthumb_crop_zone=t limit=3 hidden_limit=6 max_rows=2 aspect_ratio=16:9 disable_cropping=no recent_posts=yes recents_description=nicetime recents_include=restaurant-reviews post_ids_exclude=current]
