• Home
  • About
  • Alphabetical List
  • Archives
  • Comment Policy
  • Contact
  • Favorites

Lafayette Eats

Dining and Restaurant Reviews and Guides for the Greater Lafayette Area

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Bistro 501

December 2, 2010 By Lafayette Eats

Restaurant Name: Bistro 501

Location: 501 Main Street, Lafayette, IN  (map it)

Phone: 765-423-4501

Cuisine: French

Review: Finally, time to write my much overdue review of Bistro 501. I’ve been wanting to write a review for some time, but haven’t had the opportunity to go there and enjoy a meal. This week, I finally got that opportunity to go eat a meal with some great friends at this eatery. (We had actually set out to try out Sharma’s Kitchen, but apparently all the Indian restaurants are closed on Mondays. Who knew?)

Bistro 501 is located right downtown on the corner of 5th and Main. You can’t miss it. Reservations are recommended, but since it was a Monday night, we chanced it and didn’t have any trouble getting seated right away. The restaurant is beautiful. It’s clean, the decor is lovely, the lighting is really nice. It was a very pleasant atmosphere for a meal.

Our water was brought out right away with a promise of a waiter to take our drink order. We ordered a bottle of wine and perused the menu for a while.

I was surprised at how small the menu was. Just a handful of items in each category. Appetizers, salads, entrees, and desserts. We placed our orders and enjoyed the bread and the butter that came with our drinks. The bread was good, but I really want to know what they put in that butter, it was just heavenly! I wanted to coat my whole meal in it.

The soups and salads came next and I can say that I have not found a better bowl of French Onion Soup in Lafayette. I’ve had plenty of really bad bowls of French Onion Soup for sure. This was great.

For the main course, I ordered a chicken dish served with potatoes and asparagus. I can’t remember the name of it right now, but it was the only chicken item on the menu. My friends had two different kinds of steak, one with potatoes and green beans, the other with fries.

The food came beautifully prepared and it was clear that thought had been put into the arrangement of food on the plate. I was pretty excited about the chicken, because it’s not everyday that I dine in a restaurant where the main course alone costs $24. (And I got the cheaper item!) I was pretty sure it was going to be heaven on a plate.

It was good. Would I classify it as heaven on a plate? No. Perhaps chicken is not their specialty or perhaps it was an off night. The chicken was fine, but it didn’t blow my mind and for the price, I was kind of hoping to have my mind blown. The potatoes were excellent and my friends loved their steak.

We were offered dessert menus and I knew that tonight would be a night that dessert was key. They dessert menu nearly did blow my mind. So many tasty choices, but as soon as I saw the crème brûlée, I knew it had to be mine. And it did not disappoint! A most excellent dessert indeed.

Cost: Pretty Pricey – my meal alone was $50, but this is about it for “fine dining” in Lafayette.

Kid friendly: No

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Print

Filed Under: French Tagged With: downtown, fine dining

Subscribe

Enter your email address to receive an email every time Lafayette Eats publishes a new review. No spam and we never sell your information!

Welcome to Lafayette Eats!

Your comprehensive guide to restaurants, dining, and everything food for the Greater Lafayette Area, including West Lafayette and surrounding towns.

Learn more about us.

Most Commented Reviews

  • Blue Fin Bistro – CLOSED (14)
  • O’Bryans Nine Irish Brothers (13)
  • Black Sparrow Pub (12)
  • Tomates – CLOSED (11)
  • Thai Essence (10)

Highest Rated

  • South Street Smokehouse 6 votes, average: 5.00 out of 56 votes, average: 5.00 out of 56 votes, average: 5.00 out of 56 votes, average: 5.00 out of 56 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5 (5.00 out of 5)
  • D & R Market 4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 54 votes, average: 5.00 out of 54 votes, average: 5.00 out of 54 votes, average: 5.00 out of 54 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5 (5.00 out of 5)
  • El Chicano 3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 53 votes, average: 5.00 out of 53 votes, average: 5.00 out of 53 votes, average: 5.00 out of 53 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5 (5.00 out of 5)
  • Thai Essence 3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 53 votes, average: 5.00 out of 53 votes, average: 5.00 out of 53 votes, average: 5.00 out of 53 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5 (5.00 out of 5)
  • People’s Brewing Company 2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 52 votes, average: 5.00 out of 52 votes, average: 5.00 out of 52 votes, average: 5.00 out of 52 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5 (5.00 out of 5)
  • Holmestyle Grill 2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 52 votes, average: 5.00 out of 52 votes, average: 5.00 out of 52 votes, average: 5.00 out of 52 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5 (5.00 out of 5)
  • Khana Khazana 2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 52 votes, average: 5.00 out of 52 votes, average: 5.00 out of 52 votes, average: 5.00 out of 52 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5 (5.00 out of 5)
  • Contact 2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 52 votes, average: 5.00 out of 52 votes, average: 5.00 out of 52 votes, average: 5.00 out of 52 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5 (5.00 out of 5)
  • Fortune House Buffet and Grill 2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 52 votes, average: 5.00 out of 52 votes, average: 5.00 out of 52 votes, average: 5.00 out of 52 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5 (5.00 out of 5)
  • Akropolis 1 vote, average: 5.00 out of 51 vote, average: 5.00 out of 51 vote, average: 5.00 out of 51 vote, average: 5.00 out of 51 vote, average: 5.00 out of 5 (5.00 out of 5)

Comment Policy

Before commenting, take a look at our comment policy.

About Us

Your comprehensive guide to restaurants, dining, and everything food for the Greater Lafayette Area, including West Lafayette and surrounding towns. This blog was created as a way to document the places we love to eat, the ones we love a little less, and a few of the ones we never want to dine at … Keep reading

Comments

Comments are welcome at Lafayette Eats. Having various opinions on any restaurant makes the site and reviews more useful. All comments are moderated, and will not be published on this site until reviewed and approved. No spam or advertising comments will be published. Anonymous comments will … Keep reading

Recent Comments

  • La Hacienda – CLOSED – Lafayette Eats on Taco Rico
  • KirkAcrosstheHall on Restauration
  • Susan on Restauration
  • Susan Hawthorne on Adelino’s Old World Kitchen – CLOSED
  • KFreeman on Sushi Don Asian Fusion

Copyright © 2023 · Site by Sumy Designs, LLC