Bistro Campagne: If Only We'd Skipped the Entree (Chicago Restaurant Review No. 38)

We seem to be in a rut. Everywhere we go lately starts out with wonderful appetiziers and good salads, but for some reason the entrees have basically been awful. Tonight was no exception. Bistro Campagna is very French and is a series of lovely rooms, plus what looks like a nice garden for summer dining. Our server was very knowledgeable and made everything sound delicious (even the rabbit dish, but we can't stomach eating Thumper).

The wine selection was not extensive, but there were several reasonably priced reds. We chose a French Syrah. It was a bit drier than we usually like, but it grew on us, and did have a bit of a fruit flavor.

We started dinner with a camembert appetizer. The camembert was served warm and tasted fresh and creamy. It was set off with thinly sliced pears, greens, and some other very small chewy thing that Lisa didn't like, but the rest was great. Steve also liked his onion soup which had the perfect amount of cheese topping and was not too oniony. Our salads were also excellent. Lisa had salade maison. The greens tasted fresh and crisp, and there was just the right amount of dressing. Steve ordered goat cheese salad. He devoured it in only a few bites, so he obviously thought it tasted great, particularly the dressing and the goat cheese.

Unfortunately, both of our entrees were lowlights. Lisa had salmon, which usually is at least passable almost anywhere. But not quite here. It looked brownish and hairy (sorry, no other way to describe it) and smelled fishy. The inside looked better (orangish) but hardly had any taste. Also, it was cool in spots, though ordered medium rare. It was not terrible, but not good, and barely approached average. Steve ordered chicken and onion frites because he wasn't in the mood for red meat, so he passed on what would have been the usual bistro choice, steak frites. Bad move. The chicken was okay but certainly nothing to squawk about. But the onion frites were crispy, tasty, and all in all the highlight of both entrees.

Dessert was better. Lisa loved her profiteroles, which had plenty of vanilla ice cream with a flaky pastry and almost enough chocolate sauce. At our server's suggestion, Steve had the bread pudding instead of the creme brulee. She was right because the bread pudding had a rich, smooth flavor with a bit of cinnamon and was accompanied liberally with the type of caramel sauce Steve really likes.

The bathrooms were small. Steve thought the men's bathroom otherwise would be a three, as it was very clean and was set up so a germaphobe did not have to touch the doorkknob to exit. Lisa was less enthused about the women's bathroom. It was fairly clean, but needed a paint job, as the area around the lightswitch was a bit grimy and the floor tile also looked a bit spotty.

The total bill, with a bottle of wine, was $200. It would have been about $160 with wine by the glass. If we'd made better choices on entrees, it might have been worth it. We do intend to return and try the steak and pomme frites (but still not Thumper) and also sample a couple other desserts (Lisa was eyeing the chocolate souffle). We also hope to get the same server, who would go in our Hall of Fame if we had one. Finally, already going back on his vow never to eat outside again, Steve wants to try the garden in summer. But he thinks there are less bugs in the city. We'll see.

Our rating for Bistro Campagne, 4518 North Lincoln, Chicago, Illinois:

6 of 10 Steak Knives; 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes