Five star dining in Port Orchard

Last night my husband (Kelly) and I had dinner at the Bay Street Bistro located at 834 Bay Street in downtown Port Orchard. After a lovely dinner, I only had one question: Why did I wait so long to try this place?! (Apologies to my readers for not taking any pictures of the food- I had planned to, but each time food arrived I lost all thoughts and headed for the fork!)

Upon arriving, a light hint of jazz music filled the air. The neatly arranged tables were filling up and we decided to sit upstairs. With a view of the diners below I watched various groups of people enjoying a Friday night out: a group of gals enjoying a girls night out with lots of laughter; an older couple sipping wine and sharing secrets; a younger couple feeding each other delicately in between smiles and winks. The sound of glasses clinking, laughter and romantic whispers created a background for what would be a wonderful night out.

We started our dinner with the Spicy Coconut Mussels, with Cilantro and Lime. AMAZING!! I could have devoured the big steaming bowl of mussels myself! The light delicate sauce had just enough spice to make you want to lick your lips to save every drop (in fact I had to encourage my husband to use a spoon to finish off the sauce in the bowl vs drinking it from the side of the bowl like soup). The fresh mussels were steamed to perfection. A great way to start a weekend indeed!

We shared a salad of Spinach and Romaine lettuces with Goat Cheese, Dried Blueberries, Vidalia Onions and Walnuts. (Probably to avoid arguments and fork wars) they split the salad for us so we each had our own plate. If all salads tasted this good kids (and us grown-ups) would always eat our veggies! The flavors of the combined ingredients was a culinary symphony for my taste buds and next time I go to the Bistro, I'll definitely order my own salad (sharing food this good is just silly when everyone can order there own!)

For the main course, my husband and I chose from the Specials List. Kelly ordered the House-smoked Neah Bay Sablefish with Whiskey Cream and I chose the Stuffed Chicken Breast with Goat Cheese, Blueberries, Pine Nuts and Fresh Basil. The vegetables that accompanied our meal where served on a large platter to share and included tiny red potatoes, asparagus and carrots. Each vegetable grilled to perfection with light seasoning. Mother Nature herself would surely find delight that these treasures of the earth tasted so good. To summarize in one word: YUM!! The Sablefish was cooked to perfection. The delicate fish was firm and flaked perfectly on to the fork with each bite. The Whiskey Cream sauce itself could have won awards. A perfect mix of cream and whiskey, even a non-drinker would have enjoyed the delicate, yet robust flavored sauce. The Stuffed Chicken was so tender and I delighted in the light sauce that was created on my plate from the goat cheese, blueberry, pine nut and fresh basil that had been stuffed into the chicken breast- Flavors just enough, without being over powering.

Dessert (despite feeling full and satisfied, we had to!) was as one would assume after a dinner of this caliber: AMAZING. We ordered the Carmel Cheesecake & the Custard with Carmel drizzles. Each was delicious in it's own way and Kelly and I shared what was a perfect end to a wonderful meal.

Just when your taste buds think they are done for the night, the check came with a couple of delectable dark chocolates from Port Orchard's own Carter's Chocolates located at 160 Bethel Avenue (just a couple blocks from downtown).

Truly a delightful evening! Bay Street Bistro, you've got a couple more customers for life! I can't wait to share this local five star dining destination with friends and out of town guests.