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4626 North Federal Highway..Lighthouse Point,
FL..954-946-9240...< > Click
here to contact The Bistro
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Welcome to Le
Bistro in Lighthouse Point……. Le Bistro “One World One Cuisine” - Join us in uniting the world through food one plate at a
time. We love to update
classical cuisine by blending
flavors and ingredients from the world. Modern classical and healthful world influences make an
exciting menu to delight all tastes. Chef Andy is European educated, trained
& traveled. He has worked in prestigious restaurants & hotels
including: Three Star Michelin & Relais et Chateaux in France, England,
Belgium, Holland, Germany, the Channel Islands, the Caribbean & Florida.
Elin is a graduate of the School of Culinary and Hospitality Management at
Sullivan County College. “Our goal is to make you feel comfortable, present
well-balanced, tasteful, colorful food & an enjoyable dining experience”.
Zagat 2010 French
Tops, Best Buys “These folks love what
they do” say Lighthouse Pointers of this “sleeper in a strip mall”, where
chef Andy Trousdale uses only the “freshest seasonal ingredients” to create
his “scrumptious” French fare (including a “lot of healthful options”) and
wife/co-owner Elin promotes a “friendly” atmosphere, abetted by “charming”
decor and staffers Zagat 2009 “The best
secret in Broward County” brag locals about this “gem” “set in a strip mall”
in Lighthouse Point; “Chef Andy Trousdale rules” with his “innovative” “fine
cuisine with a French touch”, “accompanied by wine suggestions” from
wife/co-owner Elin who creates the “warm, intimate atmosphere”; though the
menu’s “constantly changing”, “healthy options are always available” too ( REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION
9/1/09 “Hi Elin and
Andy, Please make a reservation for me for Sept class. Many thanks
to my favorite people and favorite restaurant. You know that your
establishment is my all time favorite restaurant: but I want to share what my
friends told me Sunday night. All 5 of then said that the meal they had
at Le Bistro was superior our meal at a nice restaurant on Friday
night. Our trip to the Le Bistro was the highlight of their trip to
Florida. Many thanks for showing my friends such an elegant experience.
See you soon, Helen Byram” |
Chef
du Jour: Dropping anchor in Florida, English-born chef whips up French cuisine. By
Joan Lipinsky Cochran South Florida Sun-Sentinel January 7,
2010 Name: Andy
Trousdale
Title:
Chef/co-owner, Le Bistro, 4626 N. Federal Highway, Lighthouse Point, 954-946-9240.
Age: 49
Years
at this location: nine
Type food: Modern
French
Background: Trousdale was born and
raised near Cheshire, England, where he also attended culinary school. He has
worked in restaurants throughout Europe including Longueville Manor in the
Channel Islands and The Waterside Inn in London, both of which are members of
the Relais et Chateaux restaurant and hotel group. He lives in Lighthouse
Point with his wife and Le Bistro co-owner, Elin, and their 10-year-old son,
Chandler.
Having
worked at restaurants in Germany, France, England, Belgium and Holland, how
did you end up in the United States?
In 1992, I got fed up
with the captain of a motor yacht, on which I was working as a chef, and got
off in Fort Lauderdale. I found a job the next day and have worked in the
United States ever since.
As
a chef who specializes in French cuisine, do you have trouble keeping your
weight down?
No. The idea that
French food can't be healthy is behind the times. French food can be light
and flavorful, if it's prepared with professionalism. I've learned how to
prepare it so that it's gluten free, fat free or low calorie, and I'm always
willing to put the sauce on the side.
To
what do you attribute your success as a chef?
My wits and sense of
humor. Those are the big kahoonas, especially if you're going to survive in
the Florida restaurant business.
What
are you really good at?
Improvising. People don't make
reservations as often as they used to and many like to change their order or
ask for changes to what's on the menu. In order to do these things last
minute, you have to rely on a strong knowledge of food and food preparation.
English
cooking has received a bad rap. Do you agree with critics who find it bland?
A lot of Americans
don't know we had good food in England for years before World War II, but we
were still on rations until the 1950s so we were limited in what we could
make for quite some time.
Beef Wellington ,
apple pie, trifle, scones, Yorkshire pudding are English. Crème brulee is
just overcooked sugar on English custard. Saying 'English food is bland' is
like saying that, 'In America, all you can get are hamburgers and hot dogs.'
But most people know we're beyond that.
What
do you do for relaxation?
I love gardening. I have one mango and 34
papaya trees and grow tomatoes, peppers, cilantro, Thai basil, Thai peppers,
lemon grass and galangal. I use my papayas in the papaya crepes and papaya
ice cream I serve at Le Bistro. I figure if I've got the land, I might as
well grow things I can harvest.
What'd
you make for dinner last night?
My wife bought a breast of veal, and we
pan seared it and put it in a broth with lemon grass, garlic, peppers,
jalapenos, onions and Kaffir lime, then braised it in the oven with parsnips
and baby sweet potatoes. It was beautiful.
If
you could only buy three condiments, what would they be?
Chile peppers or hot
sauce, sea salt and a good extra-virgin olive oil.
This
being the New Year, what do you predict are the hottest restaurant trends?
Tasty comfort food at
a good price. Cassoulet, chicken with dumplings, lamb shanks, that sort of
thing. Local and homemade are big too.
We make our own bread with local
products and are trying to become involved in a project to bring farmers and
restaurant owners in and around Florida together to encourage the use of
local products.
It goes along with the whole 'no farms, no food' movement to
preserve agricultural land from development.
You
taught at the culinary school at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale for
more than seven years. What teaching method did you find most effective?
I'd have students
focus on any single product – say eggs – and find out as much as they could
about it, provide four or five recipes for that product, make one or two of those
recipes and write a report on what they learned. This encourages
self-learning and creativity. I do it myself all the time. For example, right
now I'm researching and growing heirloom tomatoes.
You
no doubt receive compliments on your cooking? Is there one that stands out as
memorable?
A lady recently told
me…she felt that many restaurants were too cautious in their seasoning, but
that our food, regardless of how simple or complicated, was seasoned right. Copyright
© 2010, South Florida Sun-Sentinel . . |
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