Bistro VG

Let's get it out of the way -- this place is not cheap. It's not incredibly unreasonable either. Two of us had 3 cocktails, six 'small plates', and dessert for just over $100. We were a bit piggy and left stuffed.\r \r Decor is whitewashed modern decor intermingled with french country and some contemporary artwork. The music was a lot of European lounge and trip hop mixes (sounded great to me, not sure how well it went over with my older dining neighbors).\r \r Started off with two tasty and sweet drinks: a sugar rimmed margarita with pear and a grey goose with chambord and pineapple. Highly recommend both.\r \r Wait staff was attentive, made solid recommendations. We opted to skip on a dinner plates and go for a mix of 'starters'. Everything was fresh with unique flavors: tuna tartare with tobiko, buttery lump crabcake slightly carmelized on the bottom with slaw topping (ordered a second!), delicious gnocchi (just the right texture) with sauteed mushrooms, and a thin but creamy white bean soup with truffle oil. \r \r We wrapped up the meal with a very unique beignet covered in sugar granules sitting on candied marmalade sauce, accompanied by a small serving of thick dark chocolate mousse (forget the actual name). I grew up on these things so at first I was hesitant, since they were NOT the usual puffy pastry covered in powdered sugar. But it won me over, nice dense interior and rich sides to accent.\r \r Granted we were the early birds and received great treatment, so I don't know what it's like later in the evenings and hopping. But I will definitely be back... Pros: Great variety of delicious French and Italian dishes, cocktails, solid service Cons: Valet Only Parking more

As a semi regular at Van Gogh's, my wife and I came to appreciate the ambiance and warmth that the Van Gogh's experience had prior to a remodeling project. The staff was generally friendly, the food was typically above average and the seating (especially the bar) was comfortable.\r Now it is called Bistro VG and has been ""reinvented."" The changes include a much colder, cleaner, brighter look and a menu that is more in line with current trends in dining such as small plates, draught beer, specialty pizzas, and a more reasonably priced selection in attempt to bring in a younger, more hip crowd. \r All of that is fine. In a dynamic industry, it is important to stay current and and inventive, the problem with Bistro VG is the inconsistencies that have occurred in the three times we have gone since the remodel. \r The cheese plate has varied in size and condiments, we've had the same issue with the veal w/ gnocchi, and the food has consistently been over salted and oily. Case in point is one of the new featured menu items that I tried . The ""Royale with Cheese"" is basically a greasy bacon cheeseburger w/ a portabello mushroom that the server touted because or the cuts of meat and originality. \r Van Gogh's has always had a snobbish air to it, but since it lowered its prices to get a younger crowd, it has become, strangely, overtly snooty and ostentatious. This includes some of the staff and servers. And the patronage has become annoying, but not younger (btw my wife and I are in our mid 30's and we were looking forward to that aspect of change). \r We probably will still go and meet our friends and have a few drinks at Bistro VG, but we will no longer partake in their fare. I can think of many other places in town to spend $100 + and have a better experience (Yes I had a dinner where I had a bacon cheeseburger and still paid over $100). \r To be fair, I suggest that you do give VG a try and determine for yourself, you may be there when they get the details right again. Pros: Cant go anywhere but up Cons: Inconsistent food and service more

Not impressed. Over priced. Food is ok. save your money and go to another place. They havent' added or changed the menu in a while...boring\r Pros: close proximity Cons: food,service, etc. more

My wife and I have been several times and love the change. The old place was tired and due for a change. Having a hip new spot OTP is a welcome addition to the northside dining scene.\r \r All that we have tried has been very good and consistent. The menu is very comprehensive and should appeal to all palates. Pros: Extensive menu Cons: Noise level more

My partner and I have dined extensively all over the country and we both agreed that we are very fortunate to have such a great restaurant as VG Bistro in our hometown. Most recently we dined at VG on new years eve. A restaurateurs most stressfull night of the year no doubt. Their service was first class. After changing my reservation head count no less than three times I found them to be the most polite and accomodating restaraunt of recent memory. The decor is fabulous...very hip and alive. I can hardly remember the decor of old and we both love it. Our entire table was very pleased with their chosen courses. In particular my filet mignon was possibly the best I've had...no kidding. Hats of to Michelle, Chris and your entire staff. Well done!\r \r PC more

We selected Van Goghs for our department holiday dinner. We were never told that the beautiful restaurant with quiet elegance, romantic atmosphere and exceptional food had been destroyed. Our reservations were accepted without mention of the tragic results of their ""renovation"". The decor was non-existent with warehouse-like walls and bare cement floors. Sound bounces across the tasteless environment like a cavern. The once lovely tables separated far enough to avoid encroaching on other guests conversation, are now jammed so close as to mimic Taco Bell with such poor clearance that the wait staff had trouble delivering the orders. The food is miediocre at best. We will miss Van Gogh's as a Roswell treasure and will never be back at this poor excuse for a fine dining experience. more

Being a big fan of Van Gogh's, I was extremely disappointed with the make over. The all white interior is cold and uninviting. The sound level is intolerable. The Heat/Air was like sitting in a refrigerator. The small plates were okay, but the entrees where overcooked, over salted and overly small. The service was spotty and the hostess was snotty.\r \r At this price not worth a second chance. Pros: Convience Cons: Parking, Noise, Food more

Our company has been coming here for our Christmas luncheon for a few years. With a couple of new empoyees, we were eager to show off what used to be Van Gogh's, a rustic, warm & inviting restaurant. What we saw was VG's Bistro, a pure white restaurant that was cold and uninviting. It was very loud and noisy...with no carpet, etc to absorb any noise. Started with 3 appetizers with the fried calamari being nothing special, the crab fritters tastless, and the pecorino & bacon pizza being good tasting but the meats were overcooked, hard and difficult to chew. My salmon sandwich would have been good but the pumpernickle/dark bread was burnt and the sandwich kept falling apart. Impossible to eat. Way too many red onions on it and overpowered the entire sanwich. Special grilled cheese sandwich bread was burnt, the cheese wasn't even melted and it wasn't hot, nor was it eaten. Grilled steak was overcooked and dish was not finished. Their big superburger looked to be overcooked and part of the burger went uneaten. The lasagne dish was said to be okay. Superior service by our waiter so we decided not to torment him about the food since he didn't cook it. All in all, very very disappointing and we all skipped dessert and voted NOT TO COME BACK to VG's (for lunch or dinner!) Pros: Service Cons: Food overcooked/burnt, parking issues, cold & uninviting ambiance, loud more