Bistari びすた〜り 022-352-7651

Website:  http://www.bistari-nagamachi.com/

Address: 仙台市太白区長町3-7-1.   Located between Nagamachi-itchome and Nagamachi Subway Stations.   It’s closer to the Nagamachi Station, though.  It’s on the same side of the street and near the 77 Bank.  It's also within walking distance to the Nagamachi JR Station.

Map:  Scroll down to the bottom.

Open:  11:00 am – 9:30 pm.  Closed Mondays.

Fantastic!!!  I’ve only been here twice but it immediately made my Favorites list from the get-go because of the wonderful variety of flavors I encountered.  Unbeknownst to me at the time, Bistari is special in other ways as well.

My first visit was a couple of months ago, so the events of that evening are a little fuzzy to me and I’m going to have to rely on notes that I wrote at the restaurant.  But this is what I do remember from that night.  I ordered the pasta “plus” set menu which came with my choice of pasta (Bolognese), a set of three おまかせ appetizers, soup, and dessert.  Since I’m a picky eater I was a little wary of what the appetizers might be.  I forgot what the waitress told me what they were serving but by my facial expression she could tell that they were not to my liking.  She then added, “But if there’s anything special that you don’t care for, please let me know and I’ll see if we can offer something to your liking.”   I was shocked and pleasantly surprised!  I gave her my long list of inedible ingredients and the staff magically produced a tantalizing bonanza of appetizing appetizers.

Now according to my notes, this is what I ate that evening:  A vegetable mix that tasted like tomato soup, ham strips, bread, and minestrone soup.  Fresh green salad with some really delightful French dressing.  Boiled potatoes with miso, corn, and edamame.  The Bolognese Pasta was served with fettuccini noodles.

I also noted that my wife had the scallops and tomato with honey citrus glaze.  I’m guessing this was the appetizer but I can’t read my own writing from my own notes.  Her main entrée was the pasta with mussels seasoned with garlic, white wine, and chili pepper.  

My dessert was a huge platter with small samplings:  a scone with yuzu jam, yuzu sherbet, pumpkin cake, and cheesecake (I gave this to my wife who loved it!  I don’t like cheesecake).

All this flavorful food came to 5050 円 (I still had the receipt).   It was definitely worth much more than that and I vowed to return.

My second trip confirmed that Bistari belongs on my Favorites list.  I ordered the ペポーゾ, black peppered beef and a side order of fresh-baked bread.   My wife went with the フレッシサラダ , garlic toast, and the clam chowder soup.  The salad came with a wonderful homemade dressing that I had never had before: carrot dressing.   

The salad was indeed fresh and big enough for both of us to have multiple servings.  We swapped bread slices and discovered that the garlic toast really didn’t taste like garlic toast.  It was more like bread with olive oil and a hint of garlic on it.  This was Bistari’s only gaffe.  My bread came with olive oil, which added a nice touch.

The beef serving was on the petite size but it was succulent and soft, with just the right amount of pepper.

ペポーゾ Peppered Beef

I requested the dessert/coffee set and decided upon the scones.  I’m really not a scone eater but I remembered that I liked them the last time.   The two scones were soft, warm, and with the added cream and homemade blueberry jam, just splendid!  The organic coffee was wonderful and as an added bonus came with a fantastic almond biscotti.

Scones with homemade blueberry jam and cream

This amazing feast for the two of us came to only 3200円! 

Oh, and now to why Bistari is special in other ways.  First, they grow their own vegetables.  Secondly, I believe that all their dressings and bread are not only made at the restaurant, but also available to buy for take out.  But most importantly, Bistari, like  Curry Shop Sakura, assists challenged individuals in supporting themselves.  I’m quite thrilled that I’ve come across two inspiring restaurants in Sendai!!!  Please check out their website for more info.

If you happen to come by car, there is no free parking.  There are two pay parking lots across the street, and Bistari will give you vouchers for one-hour of free parking, but you’ll probably still have to pay at least 200 円.  But you need to ask for these vouchers when you pay your bill.  The staff will not offer them up unless you request them.

One other thing:  Bistari is rather spacious and VERY often holds events or private parties.  Please check their website to see if they are closed to the public on the day or time you are planning to visit.  This was one reason I was not able to return here when I wanted to.  It seemed like every time I felt like patronizing Bistari, they were closed due to a special event.  Please check their listings!

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