Bistro 1888
Bistro 1888 is located on Main Street in downtown South Boston, a small community in Halifax County, Virginia. Distinguished as “one of the best” by many folks in town, the restaurant is small and unassuming, and describes itself as “infused new American cuisine.”
When we walked in, we knew it must have been good: it was packed! They kindly accommodated us at the bar for dinner, where we met Stacy, their bartender. She seemingly made easy work out of filling cocktail orders with a swift hand and an authority. If professionalism was her hallmark, our waitresses were friendly and accommodating in equal measure. Interesting art pieces decorated the walls. Despite the crowd, it’s a place where you can still hold a conversation.
The menu should speak for itself, everything ordered during the evening was well-portioned and tasty. Texture, flavor, and seasoning were all in check. While exotic items may have escaped the menu, along with a cooking style that demands super-precise technique, they do pretty well here with their results. Our new friends in town recommended the salmon. A previous visit proved that the lamb was superb. Seems like there isn’t a good reason not to go!
Several desserts, including a chocolate decadence-style dessert, came recommended, although the bread pudding would have hit my sweet tooth. We opted for a healthier evening by skipping the sweets. Next time, I’m not so sure that will be apropos.
August 31st, 2010 at 5:38 pm
Thanks for stopping in. We haven’t had any requests for exotic items to-date but will vary our menu, wine, and spirits accordingly to customers’ requests. See you at the Bistro!
January 20th, 2011 at 6:01 pm
Bistro 1888 is unpretentious, has great food and a nice atmosphere.
Why do self-proclaimed critics havvvve to find something negative to say? “While exotic items may have escaped the menu, along with a cooking style that demands super-precise technique, they do pretty well here with their results.”
What? Did the SAY they had exotic items? Don’t think so. And, have you ever heard a food critic use ‘super-precise technique’ and what is that? In a rural Southern Virginia county of less than 38,000, do you really think there is a high demand for ‘exotic’? Shame for not appreciating what they are trying to do in a small area.
January 20th, 2011 at 7:42 pm
Becky, thanks for your comment.
I share my experiences for free for readers to use as they see fit. I appreciate you letting me know you didn’t like my review. I don’t have advertisements and I’m not doing this for money, so I don’t review sites with the same integrity as professional journalists. While it’s possible, I can’t say I have the time to write and report at that level.
Looking at the menu as it stands today, there are plenty of exotic ingredients I see on the menu - and I’d include things that they make and things they import (wasabi aïoli, ponsu miso sauce, saffron, etc. I am not sure if these are new items or not… but please know I meant the comment about exotic ingredients and precise technique as a compliment. I was very pleased with my meal at Bistro 1888. Despite not using sauces that may have taken a day or more to prepare, or precise knife work (brunoise, etc.), I thought the results were great. I’d agree they are unpretentious.
But another restaurant I reviewed that’s in an even less-densely populated place - TownHouse in Chilhowie - was likely on my mind when reviewing Bistro 1888. It’s a destination restaurant. While the area may be of interest for folks visiting the state park near by, or Abingdon for the theater, there’s not much to do in the area save for exploring civil war sites of interest.
I was visiting South Boston on business. Of all the places in town, this was my favorite, so I’d visit again if I was in town. But I wanted readers to know that if they were going to travel for a destination experience, and wanted to experience dishes that take days to prepare and exotic ingredients or very exotic pairings of flavor (salmon roe with banana for instance), then Bistro 1888 isn’t it.
I have no reason to be ashamed. But please know I have no obligation to publish future comments. If you don’t like my reviews, we’ll have to disagree about our assessments.