In the space vacated by Il Forno, Bistro 18 opened this week for lunch and dinner promising “New American cuisine with European & Asian influences in a bistro environment.”
The owner, George Kalivas, has been in the restaurant biz in Manhattan and New Jersey for 40-plus years. Kalivas is joined by executive chef Ricky De Guzman.
Bistro 18, 18 South Fullerton Ave., Montclair, 973-233-0800 (BYOB)
Download their lunch menu here
; dinner menu here.
Too bad this place, as every other restaurant in its location, is doomed to fail.
ok… so you don’t like the location… but how is the food????
Nice positive comment. To set the record straight the owners of Il Forno moved to Maine. They were successful in that location and on Bellevue.
Had a very good meal Saturday. We ate in the main room which is a little cramped but comfortable (vestibule has more room )and appetizer’s, main course and desert were excellent and more than reasonably priced. Even though they were packed until after 11:00 we never felt rushed unlike some places in town (Blu) where you are in and out in an hour.
Just wanted to add that we were there on Friday evening. Food was excellent but what really impressed us was the perfection of the service — particularly amazing for a restaurant that had only been open for four days. The fact that one of the owners came out to thank us for coming was a great added touch.
Ate there last week and the food,service and personal attention from owner george was so good that we made a reservation for valentines day.
Had lunch here twice now and both times the service and quality were top notch. The owner George and chef Ricky as well as the waiters are a great group of people that really know their business. Bistro 18 is a classy well run restaurant and i’m looking forward to having dinner here in the near future.
What a great addition to Montclair.
Had dinner here for the 3rd time and each visit was an experiance. Goerge the owner really knows how to make you feel comfortable & his staff ensure you have a great dining experiance. the seafood salad special, expectionally!
What do you get if you add up: 5 Star food presentation, plus delectable dishes and desserts, plus, courteous and friendly staff? The answer: BISTRO 18. It is a true gem in Montclair! Give owner George and Executive Chef Ricky a chance to awaken your taste buds and visual senses, I’m positive you will have the same experience we did (it is our 2nd time there).
I applaud new restaurant ventures in town….however, Bistro 18 was a bit of a disappointment. On the night we were there, the dining room was filled with cooking odors, greasy grill smoke, etc. The kitchen wasn’t venting properly. Does this happen every night? Our waiter, an older gentleman, was inattentive, and food was slow to come out of the kitchen. The food was so-so. A beet/arugula salad was bland, and the presentation was unappetizing. My first choice of entree, red snapper, was sold out. The filet mignon was charred on the outside and undercooked to the point of being inedible on the inside. The accompanying vegetables looked like they came from a bag from Shop Rite. Mashed potatoes had an unpleasant uncooked garlic note. The restaurant was very busy on a Friday night, and I hope they can make it work. However, the food does need some fine-tuning.
Nice change! Great service. Wonderful plates. My husband and I ordered the escargot “bruschetta”, watercress salad, filet mignon (which was so darm tasty) and the special of the night…lamb osso bucco with safron risotto, so delish! Looking forward to our return.
My closest friends and I had dinner, Friday night and at the end of the night, we all agreed that our experience at Bistro 18 was remarkable. Therefore, worthy of my time to compose and share this information for potential customers.
When dining out there’s service and then there’s SERVICE. I am overwhelmed by the kind of service Bistro 18 affords its customers. I am in awe of the striking presentation of the dishes. Meals as I observed them coming from the kitchen appealed to the heart and mind. It was as if each plate had a message to send.
Bistro 18’s maitre’d and owner Mr. Kalivas works as hard as his wait staff. Without discovery, one would not know that he is the big man behind the early success of the bistro. The staff creates an atmosphere conducive to appropriate conversation. Appropriate here means not being rushed to make another table available for the next customer. I’m glad people are sensitive enough to leave when it is time to leave. Of course the Bistro is there to do business but they are already doing business, and earning it at the same time by fulfilling any business’ ultimate goal-excellent customer service on their part. And then there’s the chef responsible for exciting our palates at the first bite and indulging it until the end. As I regard customers’ comments after their meals, I realized the chef’s versatility. His preparation of meat, seafood and vegetables were consistent. Customers were astonished when they met the person responsible for their meals. Indeed, you can’t judge a book by its cover.
I was surprised at nicag’s comments. On Jan 16, I said that I was going back on Valentine’s day for dinner. I did and even with the crowd the food was again excellent as was the service. Although this is a great forum to share experiences, I would suggest that nicag go onto Bistro 18’s website and tell the owners his/her concerns. As a owner of a store, I know that most business really do want to hear the negatives to improve. Like you said you hoped they can make it work and maybe with your direct feedback they can address your concerns..
Ate dinner here last night. The service was really friendly. The food was so-so. I’m not a huge fan of the vegetable medley (carrots, squash, etc) and mashed potatoes with a spring of rosemary shooting out of it – that type of side seems dated and uninventive for a montclair restaurant. I won’t rush back, but I’ll give it another try in the Spring.
The tongue is the most effective tool in cooking. But at times our taste buds fail us. It fails us only when we can’t please those who we cook for. I say, whoever disapproves of what Bistro 18 has to offer should not just be credible but be factual in the way they criticize. There are two types of criticism-constructive and unhelpful. I didn’t say destructive because then the criticism becomes malicious, usually petty and spiteful. When one claims or rates food to be so-so, the argument should support that claim. The use of adjectives to convey that claim should be precise. Otherwise, anyone can say, “the food is awful, appalling or even disgusting.” Instead we should say, the food lacks seasoning, too salty, greasy, raw, or over cooked. Fast foods are. But we eat it anyway because we adapt to the taste. Therefore, when we eat at a restaurant, Montclair or anywhere else, our disposition should be sound. Meaning, be open to possiblilites. If you have standards with food-how it’s prepared and presented, the chef’s creativity is hindered. Perhaps it is the customer who needs to be creative in distinguishing what great food is as oppose to so-so food. And one can’t make a credible critic when they ate at the restaurant only once. Also, the food that is being rated should be specified. Then maybe I won’t have to order that dish. If I read the negative comments without critically thinking about what was said, I would think that whoever asserts the food being below par must have tasted everything in the menu or must have eaten there several times before. Because I would really be ashamed of having spoken cruelly or disapproving. At the end of the day I just want to be helpful.
Good service-good food-HORRIBLE COFFEE!!! I cannot figure out how this restaurant serves good food and then OLD coffee! And I meanold-smells like burnt popcorn, milk turns grey coffee. You coffee drinkers know what I mean. And it happened to me twice! But everything else is quite good. The only other thing I can say is that my gnocci special was supposed to have asparagus and tomatoes and did not but it still tasted quite good. Please, make fresh coffee and we’ll be back!
The food at Bistro 18 is delightful. I can’t wait to go back there for the fourth time! Every last bite has bursting flavor and the atmosphere is warm and inviting. My company and I could have stayed there all night. Bistro 18 is definately a place I would rave about to my friends.
Oh, I forgot to mention…I love the coffee at Bistro 18! Actually praised it to the owner George on more than one occasion. Strange how one person can love what one person hates. I would venture to say Bistro 18 has good coffee. The day my fellow Baristanet poster ordered a cup of “horrible” coffee, there must have been an oversight.
I do think that the horrible coffee was an oversight but it never should have been served. It should be obvious to someone in a restaurant (even if they’re not a coffee drinker) that the coffee is old. I will be back and yes, I’ll give the coffe another shot!
I do think that the horrible coffee was an oversight but it never should have been served. It should be obvious to someone in a restaurant (even if they’re not a coffee drinker) that the coffee is old. I will be back and yes, I’ll give the coffe another shot!
We went for a late dinner on Monday night with friends from out of town. What a spectacular feast we had! Everything was deelish – in honor of Cinco de Mayo we ordered Chef Ricky’s specials: charcoal grilled fish taco, mahi mahi with black bean sauce, rice and mango salsa. Rrrrreally good. Also loved the seafood cappellini, and a pasta special. Save room for desserts, each is a work of art and a real treat. Can’t wait to go back. AND what a delight to have another restaurant in Baristaville that’s open on Monday nights.
We have loved Bistro 18 since the week it opened. So, we are particularly sad that the quality seems to have gone down dramatically. We went there on a Thursday night. It was great to see that the restaurant was packed. However, the service was atrocious — over two hours for a meal, and that was without dessert and coffee. We also received the wrong items, but at that point did not send them back. The food itself was under-seasoned and mediocre. This was our fourth time there and we were really surprised. Plus, not one apology for the lack of attention not only our table but those around us received. We will give it one more chance but I hope success hasn’t gone to its head.
To jwbivins . . . as the owner of Bistro 18, I would like to thank you for your reviews – both the positive one from January 16th and your negative one on May 9th. I follow these comments to see where we need improvements.
I am truly sorry and apologize for your most recent experience and please be assured that we take pride in our restaurant and value each and every customer.
I understand that it is only the quality of our food and great service that brings loyal customers coming back, of which we thank you for being one.
I will be reaching out to your privately to get more details on the specific food that you ordered and service that you did not receive.
Again my apologies and I do hope that you give us another try.
George @ Bistro 18
My wife and I had a very pleasant meal the first time we went to Bistro 18, so we decided to go back with the family. We had a very nice and enjoyable meal at Bistro 18 until the check arrived.
I made the mistake of ordering two meals off the ?unpublished children?s menu.? I have never quibbled over the price a restaurant charged for a meal; everyone is entitled to make a profit. However, I do not enjoy being gauged.
When the check arrived, I learned that I was being charged $30.00 for two children?s meals; one had chicken fingers and the other pasta with butter. Given that a well prepared and sophisticated dish was priced around $20.00-$25.00, $15 for a bowl of boxed pasta (not even home made) with butter seemed outrageous. No other restaurant charges this much for items on the children?s menu.
In honesty, I expected the two dishes, together, to cost $15.00 to $20. When I questioned the owner, George, he told me with a certain degree of condescending scorn, ?We are not the type of restaurant that serves dishes for $7.50.
Well, George, you are wrong! You are that type of restaurant. You claim to have a children?s menu which includes boxed pasta with melted butter, and for this ?gourmet fare,? you are charging a full adult rate. So, you have to decide, do you have a children?s menu or not?
Our party of 10 had an enjoyable experience last Friday at Bistro 18, the service was attentive and the food excellent. I agree with the posting that said the vestibule is more spacious, the main room looked crowded, we however felt like we were dining al fresco but under cover. Prices were reasonable and the portions just fine. Our waiters were friendly and helpful. I would certainly come back.
We enjoyed a very pleasant Saturday lunch here – good food, nice menu, & attentive service.
We’ll be back.
Last night was our first time to Bistro 18.
The food was outstanding, the presentation was delightful, and the staff was very attentive (depite the fact the restaurant was PACKED!)
My only challenge for next time will be to try something different- the yellow fin tuna was THAT good.
(Bonus- Yogi Berra was dinning with friends a few tables away!)
Thank you, Bistro 18, for a wonderful dining experience. We will certainly be back.
Ate at Bistro 18 a couple of weeks ago and had a great meal. (My only regret was that Yogi was at the next table but left before I got there as I was parking the car!) Four dinners were excellent, good wait staff, and George was making sure that everything at the tables room ran smoothly. I look forward to coming back. (I loved Massimo and Il Forno, but regrettably he was a chef, not a business manager, and couldn’t run both the resstaurant and the bakery successfully.)
I took my family there last night and can’t say enough great things about the restaurant. Service was phenomenal, food was even better! My brother and sister-in-law are vegetarian and they were very impressed with the vegetarian menu. My new favorite place in Montclair.