A Pretty Happy Ending at Glenora Bistro

After the debacle recounted in the previous post, we worried the birthday celebration would have to be postponed. Luckily Court can be tenacious, and with some hard work she managed to find a place that could seat all 9 of us for that Friday night. When she let us know we’d be going to Glenora Bistro (www.glenorabistro.com) the name didn’t sound familiar, but on checking their website I saw that the brains behind Normand’s had revamped this place last year. As Normand’s is a favourite of us both, I was pretty excited to check this location out. It wasn’t until we arrived that I realized I had eaten here before, but several years ago before the change in management. I kept that change in mind, because my first experience here for brunch was not one I would care to repeat – and it later came out that a few of the others had had hit and miss experiences here in the past.

It's a relatively small place, and very cozy due to the soft lighting. The servers were knowledgeable, quiet, and organized. They plied us with baskets of delicious, delicious warmed French bread - hard to resist while waiting for the appetizers. Court had the Coquilles St Jacques (baked scallops in a white wine cream sauce) and found it average. I tried the Fresh PEI Mussels in a pernod cream sauce that my neighbour had ordered, which were fragrant with anise and very good; the pernod is the dominant flavour. While soup of the day (Cream of Mushroom) was a resounding success, the salad of the day (Mixed Greens with Strawberry, Tomato & Blue Cheese) would be better served in summer when the ingredients are in season, as both the tomato and strawberries looked a little pallid. For mains, both Court and I ordered the Veal Osso Bucco which is done in a white wine cream sauce; the veal shank was perfect, falling off the bone but still pink inside, and the cream sauce was very good, though in my opinion the addition of whole red peppercorns was pretty but unnecessary. The portion is quite generous, and we both struggled to finish. It was served with a side of potatoes and steamed mixed vegetables (described incorrectly as brunoise on the menu), most of which were cooked just right - the only exception being large piece of rock hard squash.

It was very difficult to decide, as there are several items on the menu that sound delicious, and all three of the daily specials were tempting. I'd really like to go back and try the Cassoulet, as it's not something I often see on a menu. The prices are mid-range, with appetizers ranging from $4-14 and mains from $16-30. There were several reasonably priced wines available, and the few sold by-the-glass were $8-9.

On the whole, everyone was satisfied. While a few choices on the menu were a bit average, there are definitely enough stand-out items to warrant a trip back.