Lil’ Bistro: Catch a rising star at Lil’ Bistro 33 in Long Island City

By Suzanne Parker

Little Bistro 33 is a pocket-sized Long Island City eatery with big ideas. Sampling Chef/Owner Gary Anza's French/Asian fusion cuisine is the dining equivalent of discovering a talented emerging artist. You can sense the creativity and the passion, and know that he is destined for great things. Like buying the work of a great artist who has not yet made his reputation, you can smugly enjoy the intimacy and affordability of Lil' Bistro before word gets out.

The décor, what there is of it in this miniscule space, is true to its French/Asian fusion theme. The walls are wainscoted with dark wood, stuccoed, and painted a deep khaki color reminiscent of an aging French bistro. The ornamentation is limited to a few Oriental prints and a few oddball artifacts. I appreciate the fact that even with so little seating space, Lil' Bistro devotes some of it to a vestibule so patrons are protected from drafts.

Places are set with both silverware and chopsticks. Take your pick. Plates are anything but round, underscoring the trendy oriental theme. Along with a well chosen and well priced wine list, is an extensive list of sakes, served hot or cold. We chose a carafe of Hakushika Jun Ginjo, a sake which stood up well to whatever we paired with it. When rice, the major ingredient of sake, is polished to 60 percent of its original size (40 percent is discarded as bran), the sake is called ginjo sake, which has fruity and refreshing flavor and aroma.

The above praise notwithstanding, our meal got off to an inauspicious start. The complimentary seaweed salad presented was salty beyond edibility. Our attention, however, was diverted by the diners at the adjoining table, or more specifically what they were being served. Our curious glances did not go unobserved. Soon our neighbors, who turned out to be a group of United Nations employees from Syria and Ireland who traveled from Manhattan seeking a food adventure, were chatting enthusiastically with us about what they had ordered. One of the charms of this place, with its cramped quarters, is that the diners are as eclectic as the menu.

After previewing our neighbors' plates, we chose crispy tofu salad with matsu dressing, duck confit spring roll with mango sauce and a shrimp special for our appetizers. The tofu was feather-light and creamy inside accompanied by field greens. It was a subtle and delicate choice. The confit spring roll was fusion as it was meant to be-quintessentially French preserved duck and unmistakably Asian spring rolls formed a sublime union. The shrimp special expressed its French roots by its petite portion size. Three perfectly grilled shrimp were paired with a relish of tomatillo and pineapple, more tropical than Asian. Delicious, but our American appetites yearned for more.

Entrees cover a lot of ground, both in terms of gastronomy and geography. Although mightily tempted by the grilled baby New Zealand lamb chops, lemongrass sauce, fuji apple cole slaw, our neighbors' recommendation, we went with goat cheese crab cakes roasted corn coulis, avocado salad, and crawfish etouffee over rice. The crab cakes were excellent, and the influence of the goat cheese subtle. You would hardly know it was there except for an interesting aftertaste. The sweetness of the creamy roasted corn coulis worked nicely in combination.

The crawfish etouffee was less successful. Although the waitress warned us twice that it was spicy, we assured her that was not a problem. Spicy could not be used in the same sentence with the way this Louisiana favorite is prepared here. Spicy compared to what? Oatmeal? A generous helping of crawfish in a nondescript tomato sauce over rice is what we got. We should have gone with the lamb chops.

Anza's desserts are creative and individually prepared with care. For chocoholics there is a divine fallen chocolate soufflé with a molten center and vanilla ice cream. The special on the night we were there was homemade sesame ice cream with peanut brittle. Since halvah is one of my guilty pleasures, I knew in advance I was going to like it, and was not disappointed. The ice cream was slightly less sweet than its commercial counterparts, allowing you to savor the sesame flavor. We had another scoop of it on the warm apple tart , another delight. There is also a selection of flavored sakes served as dessert wines.

The Bottom Line

This highly original eatery has a downtown feel. The prices are very affordable with no entrée exceeding $20. Wake up your taste buds in a charming, cozy, if somewhat cramped environment. The Lil' Bistro has a big heart.

Lil' Bistro

33-04 36th Avenue

Long Island City

718-609-1367

www.lilbistro33.com

Cuisine: French/Asian Fusion

Setting: Tiny but charming.

Service: Attentive and professional

Hours: Open from 3:30 p.m. seven days

Reservations: A good precaution given

the limited space

Alcohol: Wine, beer, and sake.