Fine, Affordable Dining at Brother's Bistro in San Diego County

Last week my husband and I were looking for a place to have a nice dinner and celebrate the second year anniversary of our first date. We passed through Fallbrook on a Sunday search for antique stores a while back and figured we'd make the little town our next stop on our search for good local restaurants.

My husband found Brother's Bistro on the Fallbrook Chamber of Commerce website (http://www.fallbrookca.org/rest1.htm) which provides a convenient link to the bistro's website (http://www.brothersbistro.net) which, in turn, makes available its menu online. Now I need to do some explaining of myself. To me, the word "bistro" is overused, pretentious and snotty so of course I wasn't particularly thrilled with the idea of dining at one. I gave the menu only the most cursory of looks and agreed to try Brother's Bistro only because I could by the stars in my husband's eyes that this place, for God only knows what reason, appealed to him. So off we went.

Strike No. One was the name if this place; Strike No. Two was when we arrived and pulled up to, not a stand-alone restaurant in a cozy, rural, vaguely European setting (for some reason, "bistro" to me means there should be cows standing around mooing in French or Italian accents) but to a tiny little storefront in a strip mall with a Major Market right smack in the downtown area. It didn't look promising. If I had to eat at a bistro, I wanted those European cows around somewhere.

But since we had reservations, we went in. There's not much maneuvering room in the dining area and if "small" means "intimate" then the bistro is indeed intimate. But we were seated immediately though the restuarant was a bit busy and though there are no booths, the tables are of adequate size and the chairs are comfortable. I add this only because I have lower back problems and normally dread anything but booth seating.

I ordered the Lousiana Hot Pepper & Garlic Shrimp and I hate to say it but I was absolutely blown away. The shrimp are nice and large and arrive on a bed of pasta (linguine) with a light garlic sauce, made tangy and citrus-like somehow (lemon or lime juice, or perhaps even an oil/vinegar mix is my guess) with fresh cilantro sprinkled on top. And for the first time in my life, I neglected some of the shrimp (whch I absoutely love) because I was too busy enjoying the pasta. It was wonderful.

My husband ordered the pan seared scallops which also arrived on a bed of pasta. I'm not a tremendous scallops fan but I can say that these were moist and tender.

I should add that we started with an appetizer of black mussels steamed in a Chardonnay, garlic and fresh herb sauce. Garlic bread accompanies the mussels which you'll appreciate in order to take advantage of the wonderful broth after you've consumed the mussels.

The wait staff at Brother's Bistro verged on becoming too attentive but if you've ever waited patiently (or impatiently) for a course to be cleared, for your check or even for a refill of coffee, this is actually a big plus. The bistro, at least on the evening we visited, also has live music (electronic piano) and the pianist played Christmas carols quietly and unobtrusively in the background. Played quite well, as a matter of fact.

Our dinner (appetizer, two entrees and one Diet Coke, along with two or three servings of complimentary bread) ran us a little under $55 and even for someone like me (picky AND cheap) the money was well spent. But bring cash for a tip. When my husband handed over our American Express card it was taken and run at the exact amount of the bill so we were grateful we had cash on hand to tip for the wonderful service.

One last aside: We accidentally left our credit card at the restaurant and the staff was immediate in its attempts to contact us about our oversight Of course it's a courtesy you would hope would be universal but you and I both know it isn't and it just solidified our delightful experience at this bistro. Yes, I guess I do dine at bistros now or at least I intend to do so at Brother's Bistro in Fallbrook again and again.