Le Noir Belgian Bistro

It was time for dinner and we were trying to decide which local restaurant we might want to revisit…

We hadn’t been back to 'Le Noir – A Southern Belgian Bistro' in Lenoir City Tennessee for about a year.  Our first experience had been OK especially considering that the restaurant was newly opened at that time… 

The ambiance is casual bistro chic…relatively small with a big bar, imported beers, a brick wall and comfortable chairs for diners who are waiting for a table.  The restaurant encourages doodling on the paper table coverings.  They cut some of them out and put them up along the wall over the door.  We took a photo of the doodles but it just wasn’t blog post worthy… 

For a “light’ appetizer, I ordered the Fries Carbonade, which consists of a large order of “French” fries topped with Belgian Beer Stew. ($5.50) It was OK…no real complaints…but it sounded better than it tasted.  My better half’s beef pot roast or stew has significantly better flavor.  With the gravy on the fries, it reminded me of poutine…

FYI… Poutine is a dish originating in Quebec, Canada, made with French fries that are topped with a light brown gravy-like sauce and cheese curds.  Variations of the original version, some without cheese, abound.  Some adaptations include truffles, foie gras or even caviar.  To learn more, just go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poutine.

Laurie ordered the Seafood Pesto Pasta…linguini with Alfredo pesto sauce, scallops, shrimp and mussels. ($15.00) She thought that it was alright but the flavor/spices used were not very distinctive and the sauce was a little thin for her taste. 

For my entrée, I ordered the Brussels Burger. ($11.00) This beautiful 8 oz. burger is topped with sautéed slivered Brussels sprouts and a combination of Raclette and Boursin cheeses.  The bun was toasted and the burger was cooked just right at medium rare…

This burger combination just misses being terrific… If those Brussels sprouts had been caramelized instead of just being sautéed, this would have been a flavor overload!  My side dish of creamed cheesy spinach was very good indeed.

When in a Belgian Bistro, it’s only natural that one should try a dessert that begins with a Belgian Waffle!  We shared this creation which involved a waffle, strawberries, vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, whipped cream and powdered sugar.  It was very satisfying…ending our meal on a positive note!

Le Noir – A Southern Belgian Bistro is located at 123 Broadway (US Rte. 11) in Lenoir City Tennessee.  Phone: 865-816-3516.  Le Noir’s Website can be found at http://www.abelgianbistro.com/.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave