Restaurant Review: Rustic Kitchen Bistro and Bar

For my birthday on May 7th, my mom took me out to eat for lunch. We went to Mohegan Sun in Wilkes-Barre, Pa to do a little bit of gambling and then eat lunch. At the Mohegan Sun there are several restaurants to choose from. We decided on the Rustic Kitchen Bistro and Bar because when I arrived at Mohegan Sun, I was given a flyer with birthday freebies including a free appetizer or dessert from the Rustic Kitchen if I chose to eat there. Since I love free stuff, the Rustic Kitchen Bistro and Bar beat out the other restaurants for lunch.

Entering the Rustic Kitchen, we were greeted by a friendly hostess who asked us where we preferred to be seated. There are several dining areas in the establishment including an area in the back that boasts an exposed pasta station. However, we wanted to watch the gambling crowd so chose to sit at a high table near the front bar entrance.

As soon as we were seated, a waitress came to fill our water glasses and take our drink orders. I ordered coffee while my mom ordered a gingerale. Neither of us wanted to drink that early in the afternoon but we did take a glimpse at the wine list which had everything from sparkly wines to fruity wines to the standard red and white wines. As far as wine lists go, Rustic Kitchen has a very large selection. When our waitress brought out our drinks she also brought out complimentary focaccia bread which was served on an elegant square plate with a dipping sauce. I'm not sure what the sauce was made of but it looked like a cheese sauce with a drizzle of olive oil on the top and spice to bring out the colors. It was delicious.

After a few minutes our server came back to take our orders. My mom ordered a baked potato because she wanted something simple and she is allergic to pepper so she worries about the spices used in foods and I ordered my free appetizer, Shaved Parma Prociutto & Homemade Mozzarella. The appetizer cost would have been $13 but since I had my free coupon I wasn't concerned with price. The appetizer arrived on a wooden cutting board and the presentation was that of elegance. The shaved parma prociutto was laid out on a thin sheet of paper on the cutting board and three large round cuts of mozzarella were in the center, fresh herbs were sprinkled over the entire plate with chopped up green olive. A drizzle of spicy cracked green olive vinaigrette complimented the entire dish. At first, I wasn't sure how to eat it but after asking the waitress in a whisper I sliced a small piece of mozzarella and rolled it up in a slice of the prociutto. Divine-ness on the tongue is the best way to describe this appetizer. The meat melted with the mozzarella leaving just a hint of the spicy cracked green olive flavor behind. I highly recommend this appetizer if you head out to the Rustic Kitchen.

While we waited for our main dishes, we got our first disappointment with the Rustic Kitchen Bistro and Bar. Our waitress came to tell my mother that she could not get a baked potato for lunch. She offered other alternatives but my mom declined and was happy to just pick stuff off of my plate. According to our waitress, baked potatoes can only be made after 4 pm. We were 4 hours too early. We didn't let this dampen our experience though.

Soon enough my main lunch meal came out. At this point I wasn't sure I was going to be able to eat it after having the focaccia bread and then the shaved parma prociutto but I was going to give it my best shot. For my main entree, I ordered the Baby Spinach Salad with Steak. The salad was filled with baby spinach leaves, white beans, roasted beets, kalamata olives and red onions then had feta cheese sprinkled over top. The salad was pre-mixed with an olive oil vinaigrette dressing. Thick, tender, medium rare piece of steak topped off the entire dish. I would go back to eat this dish over and over again. The salad was perfect and the steak was made just right with no need for seasoning. I am often the one to salt and pepper dishes wherever I go but this dish needed nothing.

My experience at the Rustic Kitchen Bistro and Bar was perfect expect for the baked potato incident. If not for that snafu they would have gotten a 5 out of 5 stars but as it hold I can only give them 4 and 1/2 stars. The food was excellent, the atmosphere quiet and comfortable and the staff friendly, quick and courteous.

Visit The Rustic Kitchen Bistro and Bar website to find a restaurant in your area and to see photos of their extraordinary cuisine.