3 /5 Kasalou B. Bennett: Bay Street Bistro is a place I have visited several times, and it continues to stand out as a welcome change from the usual downtown Lakeland dining options. We need more restaurants like this in our area. If you are looking for an elevated dining experience with attentive service, this is absolutely a place to walk into.
We ordered the blueberry compote brie appetizer and the Saturday night dinner scallop special with apple ginger chutney, risotto with asparagus, and a beautiful cabernet. Here is my honest feedback from our Saturday evening visit.
The Caesar salad was the best I have ever had. I am fifty years old and have lived in New Orleans, Knoxville, and Nashville, and I order Caesar salads everywhere I go. Nothing compares to this one. The Parmesan and the dressing were exceptional, and the crisp lettuce brought it all together. I would stop in just for that salad at lunch. It is that good.
We also tried the squash/pumpkin (unsure) soup. It lacked luster in all departments especially presentation (see pics) not lovely but fell flat in flavor and for the price was disappointing. It needed seasoning or something to bring it forward, like a fall spice, a swirl of crema, or fresh herbs. Even with salt and pepper added at the table, it still felt unfinished. The presentation must be elevated with the same touches. Elevate because we are paying for that experience.
The scallop special was flavorful, but the portion was extremely small. Had I known it would be four small scallops, a very small dollop of risotto that was gone in three bites, and a few sprigs of asparagus, I would have ordered an entrée instead. We do not mind spending three hundred to four hundred dollars when dining out, but it would have been helpful to know the special was more of a “tasting portion” than a full dinner. The apple ginger compote was outstanding, but the plate left us wanting more. Also the presentation was runny scallops and could again be elevated with some wiping pre-presentation.
The blueberry compote brie, which we order every visit, was wonderful as always. The only suggestion I have is to warm the bread that comes with it. It would complete the experience. The warm dinner rolls served before the meal were exceptional, and the house made butter was so good we kept asking for more.
Wine selections were lovely. We tried several glasses priced between ten and twenty dollars and enjoyed all of them.
Our total bill was two hundred eighty two dollars for two and we left three hundred sixty. So here is my feedback on the service. Every staff member was kind and professional, but the number of check ins disrupted the flow of conversation. Our server was fantastic and truly connected with us, and that is who we expected to interact with throughout the meal. Instead, our entrées were brought by two different people and the manager checked on us twice during the main course. Combined with our server checking twice, that was four interruptions. It began to feel like the experience you get at Ace Hardware when three or four people stop you to see if you need help. Being well taken care of is wonderful, but there is a balance. One check in from the manager and one from the server during the entrée would have been perfect.
To sum it up, Bay Street Bistro remains one of the finest restaurants in Lakeland. The Caesar salad is perfection, the brie is consistently excellent, the service is warm, and the atmosphere is elevated. We can’t say enough about the wine selections. A few refinements in pacing, communication, and plate presentation would bring the experience fully in line with the price point and the otherwise outstanding standards of the restaurant. I will absolutely return and continue supporting this gem in our community.
