Saturday, August 13, 2005

Bon Bien

Bon Bien, Bend Oregon --

There's a reason I remain anonymous about my identity, and Bon Bien is it.

If I can reach just one person, just one, and convince them to spend their hard-earned money elsewhere, this blog will have done justice.

Bon Bien is Non Bien. Not good.


  • Crab Cakes? Tastes like solidified deep fryer oil.
  • Escargot? Snails the consistency of frozen gummy bears in a buttered spinach dip baked in an oily pastry crust.
  • Shrimp Etoufee? Frozen, diced carrots mixed with frozen peas, okra and canned tomatoes cooked with frozen, small shrimp, then set atop minute rice. A "Microwaved" flavor.
  • Hazelnut crusted catfish? Mushy -- so mushy that I couldn't distinguish the fish from the starch served with it. And the nuts as a crust? So hard, I was sure that I'd chip a tooth.
  • Service? Terrible. The young girl with the corn-rows in her hair kept saying "You guys all done?" and "Ya want more wa-duhr?" So much for the beautiful (!) atmosphere.

Seriously, the owners shelled out big money to remodel and impress with this place. It's gorgeous! The high ceilings, rich pumpkin colors, and crystal chandeliers are astounding -- there isn't another restaurant in 100 miles that can compete with the ambiance. It's just too bad that the service and food quality aren't up to par.

I would suggest visiting the bar about a half an hour before your movie at Pilot Butte Cinemas to have a delicious and authentic "Hurricane" (oh-so-good!) to see how beautiful the place is. Just steer clear of the appetizers and entrees.

5 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I enjoyed the appetizer sampler but the rest of the meal, and the service, were awful. I won't be back.

3:22 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's evident from the early posts here and at bend.com that Bon Bien needed some work. My experience is that they got the message.

I went recently and had a great evening. It was a Saturday night and was packed. Despite the crowd, the service was very good. The food was as good as the hype. We had dinner with a couple of friends who have enjoyed many a dinner and even a cooking class in New Orleans and they loved Bon Bien.

It may have been a rough start earlier this year but I'm pleased to recommend the restaurant

11:11 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

UGH. They're back to bland and minute rice. The crawfish ettouffe was so disapointing. The service was poor (waited nearly five minutes for someone to notice us and seat us... at NOON). Only 20% of the tables were taken, yet she tried to seat us right by the entryway. Thanks but no thanks.

5:42 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Love the great new menus and great drink specials. THe piano makes for a very romantic setting with my wife. no where in town compares to the atmosphere, Intrested in seeing how well they do catering, I have herd great things form the staff at BMC. The new prices are helpfull on the wallet. and for all those who have not tried them give them a shot great before a movie.

5:08 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Through work we catered a dinner here and I have to say they did a great job. The food was great (I had the steak), wine selection pretty good, reasonable prices and the seperate room is great for a party of 10-20 people. Would recommend them and will definitely be back.

7:09 PM  

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