Tastebuds American Bistro Tastebuds American Bistro

Tastebuds American Bistro

4019 MacArthur Ave. (Bellevue Ave.)
Richmond, VA 23227
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Cuisine: American / International
A neighborhood bistro at its best with no pretension but plenty of flavor.
Openings: Dinner Tues.-Sat.

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Tastebuds American Bistro Restaurant Review:


As if Bellevue weren't gentrifying with a wine shop and yoga studio, the fact that Tastebuds is its bistro-around-the-corner should make property values soar. Neighbors easily make this their dining room extension. While the food is upscale, in earnest bistro fashion, it’s intimate (40 seats and a tiny bar), oh-so-casual and a family affair. Owners Andrew and Valentina Wisniewski are always there. It’s the kind of place where servers have tasted the food and wine, so they can talk about it knowledgeably and enthusiastically. We recommend the three-course prix-fixe if you’re there Tuesday through Thursday. Oft-changing menu items, including pork tenderloin medallions with chorizo and sofrito vinaigrette, and pan-roasted salmon with red pepper jelly, barley-Parmesan “risotto,” spinach, grape tomatoes, black-eyed peas and mushroom broth, vie for attention with nightly specials along the lines of Virginia rockfish. There are starters, such as an eggplant napoleon, as well as salads and pizzas. Desserts are homemade, a warm spiced pear compote crêpe for example, and there’s always something chocolate, though one night’s brownie was Sahara-dry. But its herbaceous mint ice cream mercifully moistened it.