Review: Bistro at Nordstrom

I actually have never really shopped at Nordstrom apart from the occassional walk-through, so I had no clue that there was a Bistro in the top floor of the department store.  Awhile back, I had read a couple reviews and thought that this was a place I definitely wanted to try, I had only read good reviews!  It's been awhile since I went with my friend Kenzie, so I'm going to do the best to remember everything for you here:

First of all, the Bistro is located on the top floor near the juniors department.  A lady greeted me right when I walked up and nicely gave me a menu and told me that you order at the counter and then someone will seat you.  The Bistro has many salads, some flatbreads, and some sandwiches as well.  Honestly, everything sounded delicious.  When I walked in, I noticed that it smelled so good, there was a nice smoky flavor in the air.  The girl at the counter told me that it was the soup, so I wanted to try that for sure.  I got a cup of the soup and decided on a salad.  I can't remember the name of the salad, but it had artichokes, spinach, goat cheese, roasted red peppers, chicken, and croutons. 

After we ordered, we were sat in a nice booth along the wall.  This restaurant was surprisingly bigger than I had imagined.  It was very warm inside and had the decor of a nicer/upscale restaurant.  There was seating at a bar area as well.  Very chic but inviting inside.

Our waiter came over and greeted us after we sat down.  He was a friendly guy, but honestsly, a bit strange.  He just made very odd comments that forced our friend and I to awkwardly laugh, even though he wasn't in the least bit funny....

My soup was served immediately with a toasted crostini on top.  I wish I could remember the name of this soup, but I am sorry, I dont....all I know was that it was amazing! Such great flavors.  I remember it being a very hearty dish with some smoky and peppery flavors.  I loved this!! So good.

Next came our salads.  This picture doesn't even do it justice.  I absolutely loved this salad!  Everything was so fresh and just the right amount of all ingredients.  Plenty of goat cheese, chicken, and the dresing was light and refreshing.  By far one of the best salads I have ever had.

Kenzie got a shrimp salad that looked just as good as mine.  She loved hers as well.  She had actually been here before and said it was just as fantastic her previous visit as well. 

Now, we were already to get going; however, I had read another blog post about this place and the writer said how much they loved the berry shortcake.  Soooo, I talked Kenzie into sharing it with me :) 

This came out and we were so excited.  It looked amazing...and it tasted just as good as it looked.  The shortcake was homemade and more of a biscuit, which from my understanding is the more traditional way a shortcake is made.  There were tons of strawberries, a few blackberries, and sprinkled with powdered sugar.  The whipped cream was obviously homemade and was also delicious.  This was definitely one of the best desserts I have had in a long time and I love how everything was homemade.  

If you can't tell, I thought this place was fantastic.  As for prices, it wasn't cheap but wasn't terribly expensive either.  I would have easily been satisfied with just a salad, especially for lunch.  Now, the only thing we were a bit confused by was the pay/tipping situation.  We paid for our meals at the counter, so if you don't have cash, you don't really have the opportunity to tip the waiter.  Since we got dessert, he was able to run our card and we could tip on that, but otherwise, I'm not sure what you're supposed to do!

If you are in the Kenwood area, it's worth dealing with the parking lot to try this place!

~Kate
Food: 4.5
Service: 3
Overall Experience: 4.5