Bistro 157

Slow service. Sat down at 530 did not get served our two fish specials till almost an hour later. The sushi appetizer was just ok, about Chinese buffet quality. The Mahi Mahi was a little under seasoned, but my wife's salmon was good. Not sure they were worth $25 each. Servers are ok quick with water and bread refill, and nice enough. The bar is really nice to look at but with enough people the atmosphere gets noisy. Too loud for a high end restaurant.

We dined with them on Sunday evening.....a party of nine. The place was quite empty when we arrived and still when we left which should have been a clue. Having enjoyed the place previously, we were very disappointed with the food...I ordered the Amish Chicken "cooked to the whim of the chef"......not very whimsical to bake a half a chicken and plop it on a plate.....bland and under seasoned. Every one complained: over cooked shrimp, burned roasted potatoes, dry bread, dried out frites. We were offered a dessert and after waiting 15 minutes were told they had none. The service was incredibly slow and we probably will not repeat the experience. Sorry about that.

When you walk into Bistro 157 it looks like a place you would love. The decor and ambiance are lovely. We wanted to love it having moved here from Chicago and were looking for a great, upscale restaurant that could be a regular place for us. The location isn't great if you don't live in Valpo because it is way downtown but we thought we would try it. The first time we ate in it was great. Everything was just as we ordered and there was enough food. Since that time, we have eaten in again and have taken out several times but there seems to be something overpriced and too minimalist about the food, especially the take out. The portions, including salad, are simply too small. We used to like the sushi appetizer (which is really sashimi and maki rolls) but then recently we had real sushi at Fuji in Portage and realized the sushi at Bisto 157 is not really good at all, particularly the maki rolls. The sashimi is good at Bistro 157 but the maki rolls are not fresh, either that or there is something wrong with their preparation. If you try maki rolls and sushi at Fuji, you will never have them at Bistro 157 again. The difference is night and day. But back in January, before we had tried Fuji, we had ordered three sushi appetizers from Bistro 157 for take-out and when I got them home, after taking off the lids, I realized something was foul. It wasn't that the rolls were not fresh, they were foul. I called the restaurant. Eventually the waiter told me they would replace all three. When I went back two months later in March for the replacements, they informed me when I got there that they had decided not replace all three sushis at all but only replace one sushi. They informed me by handing me a bill. It was just really uncomfortable. They then actually asked me to smell the replacement sushi as if it was foul only I could smell it? They seemed to need to make a scene. So uncomfortable and so low caliber. We would not go back. They just should have apologized and left it at that but they never even apologized. If you want to order out from Bistro 157, I would strongly advise against it, period. If you dine in, you will really like the ambiance, you may get a good waiter (I haven't seen any waitresses there) but you will need to be ready to pay a lot for a minimal amount of food. At least that has been our experience. It may be different if you order hearty/rich foods like pasta, ribs, etc, and don't care about seasoning, but we've ordered mostly seafood and have asked for minimal seasoning. Do note that if you have any food allergies or food sensitivities, they DO NOT cook to order. They say they do, so it appears sophisticated and upscale, but you can not get food cooked to order at all, we have tried. Everything is soaked in butter and salt long before you walk in, and you get that, what's been soaking in butter and salt for hours, the potatoes, the veggies, the salmon. And the worst part is they tell you it has been cooked to order when they serve it to you and could care less if you don't feel well after trying it. Then you get a bill for $125. Not good. We will not eat in or take out from Bistro 157 again but Fuji in Portage will be a regular for us for sure.