Bistro L'Hermitage

Bistro L'Hermitage Restaurant Review:

About the restaurant: Back in the days before suburban sprawl, this restaurant in Woodbridge grabbed attention for its upscale menu and French country inn ambience. Today, its elegance untarnished, Bistro L'Hermitage neighbors housing developments and nearby strip malls. But it is still the ultimate destination for area residents looking for a special dining treat.

Food: Not surprisingly, luncheon fare tends to be simpler and directed to lighter dishes such as soups, salads and sandwiches, plus a sturdier entrée. If you like the classic Caesar salad, it shows up as both an appetizer and an entrée, and keeping to the original format, sports anchovies. The croque monsieur yields melted wedges of Brie, and the steak sandwich is a tender cut on a roll. At dinnertime, the chef winds up for a full-fledged showing of haute French fare, from coquilles St-Jacques and a ragoût of snails to roasted duck breast, braised lamb shank and sautéed veal liver. Pace yourself in anticipation of a grand finale: chocolate mousse. When you leave the table and step outside, you will feel you’ve just emerged from a little part of France.