Life > January 31, 2008

By Walker Calan | Contributing writer

I told a handful of friends I was reviewing a restaurant called Par 3 Bistro. Their responses were generally the same: cocked head and squinty eyes – the look a puppy gives you when you tell it to answer the phone.

Situated beside a retention pond at the magnificent Bethabara Park Boulevard interchange, Par 3 Bistro boasts, without a doubt, one of the worst locations in Winston-Salem.

Even the towniest of townies will need MapQuest for this one.

But don’t let the sub-par real estate fool you – this French eatery serves up steaks to rival Ryan’s and the late great Frankie Rowland’s. Okay, so I’ve ragged on the location (which is really bad, but actually not that far from campus — about three miles), but the interior is quite lovely.

The setting is country club-esque (a la Ryan’s) and cozy, with only about seven or eight candlelit tables and a small, super-attentive wait staff. The menu is stellar — simple and elegant, with six appetizers, ranging from Pâté Maison to smoked salmon, and 12 entrees fresh from the farm and sea (and veal fattening pen). It’s a little pricey — entrees range $20-$27 — but well worth Easy Mac-ing it for a few days to save up the extra cash. Come appetizer time, I was torn between the escargot ($9.95) and mushrooms with crabmeat ($9.95). After much deliberation, I determined that I’m not ready for snails at this point in my life. Boy did I make the right choice.

I was a little worried they’d serve me a few mushroom caps filled with cheesy dough and a few bits of crab, but I was pleasantly surprised when our lovely waitress walked out with a steaming plate of crabtastic mushrooms. Great crab-to-filling ratio! I have a rule of thumb for first time dining at nicer restaurants: order the steak. If it’s no good, spread the word and hopefully the restaurant goes out of business.

My options were threefold: The filet-bernaise ($25.95), a center-cut filet with a tarragon béarnaise sauce; the tournedos bistro ($24.95), twin medallions with a burgundy bordelaise sauce; or the steak au poivre ($23.95), a New York strip with a brandied peppercorn sauce. Let’s keep it simple. I’ll have the filet, medium rare.

My friends ordered the rack of lamb ($26.95), tilapia ($21.95) and the chicken champagne ($19.95). Surprisingly, I preferred the chicken, with its delightfully rich champagne sauce.

The lamb was nicely spiced, but a little overcooked (I like it on the pinker side) and the tilapia was decent, but I’m not a big tilapia guy.

My steak was hands down the best. It was tender as veal, perfectly cooked and as flavorful as any steak I’ve ever had the pleasure of consuming.

Well done, Par 3. I’ll spare you the cheesy golf pun.

My overall dining experience was surprisingly delightful.

There was only one other group eating in the restaurant, which made things slightly awkward (everyone has that loud, foul-mouthed friend who says absolutely the wrong things in the vicinity of children and the elderly), but the general set-up and atmosphere are ideal for a date or a classy meal with a small group of friends. Treat yourself to a little Par 3 – you deserve it.