Dinner at Sandrine's Bistro - Confessions of a Chocoholic

Cambridge, chocolate, restaurants, review

Dinner at Sandrine’s Bistro

posted on February 1, 2012 by Bianca Garcia

Have you ever been to France?

I haven’t yet, and often fantasize about visiting Paris and enjoying all the sights and fashion and food. But, alas, right now I don’t have enough money to go on a French vacation, so I’m consoling myself with French things instead. The past month I have bought Givenchy perfume, made boeuf bourgignon, and ate my weight in macarons.

(Okay, I haven’t done the last one yet, but one day I aspire to.)

I continue to pine for my Parisian holiday but in the meantime, I can enjoy a little bit of France right in my own neighborhood, thanks to Sandrine’s Bistro in Harvard Square. Sandrine’s is a charming restaurant that focuses on classic French cuisine, with an emphasis on Alsatian cuisine, which is strongly based on German culinary traditions. Think flammekueche (tarte flambe) and sauerkraut and lots of pork.

Here are some pictures from our dinner last week, which was provided free of charge by Sandrine’s:

Milk chocolate pot de creme with peanut butter mousse (we did not start with dessert, but this was my very favorite thing that night!)

Smoked trout with warm fingerling potatoes, horseradish creme, and salmon roe

Traditional baked Alsatian escargots

Moules Marinieres (mussels steamed in Riesling wine, garlic, shallots, and onions)

Traditional flammekueche (crispy flatbread topped with nutmeg-scented fromage blanc, smoked bacon, and caramelized onions)

Chef and owner Raymond Ost

My dining companions (from left clockwise) Martini of Beyond Boston Chic (one of the fashion photography blogs I religiously follow!), Meghan of Travel, Wine, and Dine, Brian from The Gringo Chapin, Emily of A Cambridge Story, me, Will of The Boston Foodie, PR maven Chris Lyons, and Melanie of Kiss my Glass Boston

Apple and gorgonzola salad

Alsatian Choucroute Garnie au Riesling (or, as I’d like to call it: the Meat Platter): sauerkraut slow cooked in Riesling, bockwurst, wiener, grilled smoked porkloin, ham hock, and bacon-wrapped fingerling potato

Mango sorbet

Profiteroles

Once again: that luscious pot de creme

I had a really lovely evening, so thank you so much to Sandrine’s Bistro for having us and transporting us to France for a few hours that night. I have a soft spot for Sandrine’s because my parents always mention it when they used to live in Harvard Square. Whenever I think of Sandrine’s, I remember my parents and their date nights – which my sisters and I would always crash, so it inevitably becomes family dinner. And speaking of date nights, since there is that little love holiday coming up on the 14th, I highly recommend checking out this charming French restaurant. And don’t forget to order the pot de creme!