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By Sylvia Rector
Detroit Free Press
Published: 2/9/01

Some restaurants give you a saucer of olive oil and grind some black pepper as a dipper for your pre-sliced bread.
 
 

At Bistro Bourdeau, my chatty waitress set her service stand beside the table, mashed some roasted garlic cloves onto a saucer, added olive oil and grated a big mound of fresh parmesan over the top. Then she wrapped a napkin around a crusty loaf of hot bread and sliced it into thick pieces for dipping, so I wouldn't have to burn my fingers cutting it.
 
 

That's the kind of extra touch that this pretty, new place in Auburn Hills strives to add to its menu and service.
 
 

From the handsome ice carvings outside the front door, to the unusual circle-in-a-square dining room floor plan, to the brightly decorated plates, Bistro Bourdeau obviously works hard to impress.
 
 

Some nights and some dishes are more successful than others.
 
 

On three visits, service ranged from quite good to very confused. On the busiest night, a Saturday, not one course went smoothly. One thing after another was forgotten or delivered late; the kitchen seemed to be as swamped as the waitstaff. Live music and a full dining room made for a lively but noisy scene -- and a crowded room. We scooted our chairs in as much as possible, but all night, waitresses hefting big trays squeezed past us, warning "Coming behind you," as they made their way past our table.
 
 

The less busy weeknights, predictably, were smoother and quieter. Although the servers those two nights had quite different styles, what was consistent was their pleasant, engaging approach -- a tone set by general manager and co-owner Susan Bourdeau, who's almost always at the entrance or in the dining room.
 
 

Like the service, our food also had its highs and lows.
 
 

The best was the outstanding 16-ounce pork chop ($16.50) -- tender, flavorful and juicy, topped with caramelized onions and accompanied by grilled rounds of Granny Smith apple and a subtle, slightly sweet apple-brandy cream sauce. With some delicious roast-garlic mashed redskins, the dish delivers a great balance of flavors.
 
 

Beef fans shouldn't miss the blue cheese-and bacon-crusted filet mignon ($21.95), in which a mini-mountain of blue cheese -- mixed with smoky, crumbled bacon and chopped green onion tops -- is softened atop a pepper-seared filet mignon. Mashed redskin potatoes, a rich Merlot sauce and drizzles of sweet balsamic vinegar finish the plate.
 
 

The balsamic, applied with squirt bottles in lines and loops, decorates nearly every plate, along with sprinkles of finely diced peppers and bits of chopped chives. The look is colorful, but the syrupy balsamic adds a hint of sweetness that isn't always needed.
 
 

Several other distinctive preparations and ingredients also make frequent appearances. White and sweet potatoes are cut into ultra-fine strands and fried into an unusual crispy "hay" for garnish, and a warm bacon-and-mustard vinaigrette pops up -- without warning -- in several dishes that include sauteed or wilted spinach.
 
 

Starches and vegetables come with most entrees but may also be ordered as sides. I recommend the roast garlic mashed redskins, but the lobster-and-shrimp potato hash was a letdown. Its shredded potatoes were mushy and had an off taste, almost as if they had been frozen.
 
 

For entrees lighter than pork or beef, try the tasty Bistro chicken ($14.95) stuffed with asparagus tips, Swiss cheese and ham, or the flavorful roasted maple-pecan-crusted salmon ($16.95).
 
 

Desserts by pastry chef Sheila Nawrocki, who also bakes the bread, are luscious. Her tastings plate, which provides just a bite of each tempting confection, is perfect for the indecisive.
 
 

At the corner of Auburn and Squirrel roads, Bistro Bourdeau's building used to house Patrick's restaurant. But it has undergone an interior transformation into a casual, upscale spot with light woods, patterned gray carpeting, blue-green and tan walls, and soft, indirect lighting. A low stage in one corner hosts live music on weekends. A wall makes a circle in the center of the big square room, creating several distinct seating areas. The foyer has an airy feel, thanks to a high ceiling and an open bar to the left of the entrance.
 
 

While Bourdeau, 27, oversees service, her husband, Kipp, 31, is the executive chef. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America, and she worked for Ritz-Carlton hotels, training servers in the Washington, D.C., area and Hawaii. The two met in Florida where they had come to help open a fine-dining seafood restaurant.
 
 

Bistro Bourdeau, opened with the help of Kipp Bourdeau's father, is the couple's first restaurant. It opened in January and eager diners found it quickly -- maybe too quickly.
 
 

Even in its infancy, though, it's worth knowing about. And like great Bordeaux wines, it's likely to improve with age.

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