On the Restaurant Scene REVIEWS, IMPRESSIONS, COMMENTS, COMPLAINTS Send your comments to: hello@thebrandywine.com Spring is just about to add some new green things to the Chadds Ford scene and flowers too... so it's a good time for a new menu. That's what we found at the Bistro on the Brandywine when we stopped in for lunch on Saturday. It had been a while since our last visit and we were pleased to find more choices; snacks, cheese board, soups and salads, Artisan pizzas, paninis, sandwiches and entrees. We decided on the Short Rib Sandwich, forever braised, point reyes cheese, caramelized onions, ciabatta - $11.95; and the Cali BLT, Bacon, avocado, arugula, tomatoes, garlic herb mayo on a croissant - $9.95. One change, we substituted a French baguette for the ciabatta bread. Both selections were very good and we plan to return to try more selections from the new menu. On Wednesdays there is dinner special, Family Style Dinner for $15 per person. Includes salad, choice of pasta entree and dessert to share (1 for every 2 people.) Thursday is Pizza Party - 1/2 price artisan pizzas, limit one per two guests... also available to go, limit 2 per order. Friday is Wine Night - 1/2 price bottles of wine from the bistro list. They are Happy Hour Specials too! 3/12/2011 We were invited to dine at the bistro on the brandywine when it first opened in Chadds Ford, next to Brandywine Prime. The bistro recently added a quaint bar where the takeout section used to be. Nothing else has changed though. They still serve "French inspired fare" for lunch Monday through Saturday and dinner every night and the bistro is still a BYOB ($5 corkage fee) offering beer and wine by the glass and bottle. I am by no means knowledgeable about French food. I recall ordering in Paris using my high school French and being somewhat surprised at what arrived at our table 30 minutes later delivered by a waiter with an attitude. That is not what awaits you at the bistro. First, the atmosphere is very relaxed. The wait staff wears jeans under their long white aprons and our waiter, Amanda, was attentive and helpful. The dinner menu offered "Taste & Share" appetizers served with house-made crisps; Soups & Salads, individual sized Pizzas baked in their stone hearth, Entrées and Sides. We ordered Moules Frîtes mussels steamed with saffron cream served with frîtes from the menu ($9.95) and Ahi Tuna tartare with capers, a special ($9.95), with the idea of sharing. Both were excellent and the portions were generous, but the sharing thing got sidetracked once my wife tasted the mussels. For entrées we ordered the Coq Au Vin, dark meat chicken braised in red wine with pearl onions and roasted fingerling potatos ($17.95); and the Grilled Chilean Salmon with haricot vert and tangerines with a thyme beurre blanc ($18.95), paired with glasses of Pinot Grigio, Lagaria 2007 Italy ($7), and Sauvignon Blanc, Petit Paris 2007 Bergerac ($7.50). Again, everything was very good. The salmon with tangerines was inspired. The two tastes combined for a wonderful new experience. But the Coq Au Vin... the chicken fell off the bone... and the flavor just took me home. I can't wait to come one night in the dead of winter and order Coq Au Vin and a glass of wine... what a treat that will be. We had the dessert special, a banana waffle with ice cream and wonderful sauce ($8), a coffee ($2). Excellent, excellent is all I can say. If you haven't been to the bistro yet, we recommend you try it for lunch or dinner. Archived Reviews Harvest Seasonal Grill & Wine Bar Mushrooms Cafe Twelves Grill & Cafe Brandywine Brewing Co. Kyoto Japanese Cuisine bistro on the brandywine Doc Magrogan's The Orchard The Whip Tavern Catherine's Harry's Seafood Grill Jasmine © Unica Multimedia   610.388.6841