Acclaimed Chef Roberto Donna, executive chef at Roberto’s Ristorante Italiano, opens his newest dining enterprise, Le Bistro, Tuesday in Vienna. Located just down Church Street from his award-winning Italian dining destination, which was named one of the 50 Best Restaurants in Northern Virginia in 2022 by Northern Virginia Magazine, Le Bistro marks a departure from his native cuisine.
“We are ready to go,” Donna says. “A friend of mine came and helped us set up the menu — a French chef — and now for the next two weeks, I will be there almost every night.”
Le Bistro replaces what used to be Blend 111, at 111 Church St. NW. Donna posted a menu for the restaurant’s September 15 soft opening on the Vienna VA Foodies Facebook page, with the official opening on Tuesday, September 19.
“It’s been fun,” says restaurateur and owner Nancy Sabbagh, wife of Donna. “People pop in Roberto’s and then they go see us at Le Bistro — we’re so grateful for this community.”
The French menu includes classics with some modern twists. Diners can enjoy salade Lyonnaise, cassolette of snails à la Bourguignonne, steak frites, and beef Bourguignon, among the offerings. Entrees run $24 to $30.
“They all say they love it,” Donna says about the soft opening diners, though he notes a few outliers questioned the authenticity of some French dishes.
“You want to go authentic, but you also want to go American palate-friendly,” Sabbagh says. “We’re finding a mix and people are just excited to have a bistro, which makes us happy.”
Reservations are available for Le Bistro on the OpenTable dining app.
“It really is just a comfortable place to come in and have a good meal, gather round, have a glass of wine, in the neighborhood,” Sabbagh says. 111 Church St. NW, Ste. 101, Vienna
Feature image by Rey Lopez
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