welcome addition to westlake. the blue dahlia bistro is a very welcome addition to the paltry restaurant choices available in westlake. a demanding neighborhood that does not support many new restaurants.
i have eaten at this location once for dinner, once at happy hour, and several times at breakfast. at each meal i have been served a really fresh salad of field greens with perfectly ripe tomatoes and adeliciouslemon vinaigrette. the bouillabaisse and the salade nicoise were very good if not the best that i've ever had. the fish was generous and not overcooked in the bouillabaisse but the broth could have been a little richer. i missed the addition of haricort verts in the salade nicoise. the salted caramel gelato was every bit asdeliciousas it sounds.
happy hour was a little less successful. the dining space is quite small and was exceedingly loud due to a large raucous group. when we asked to be seated in the quieter back space our request was denied because they lacked a 2 person table in this space and would not separate 2 small tables pushed together to accommodate 4 people. we ended up sitting on the outdoor patio which is lovely but rather hot on a august day at 5 pm even with the misters and fans going. when i reentered the restaurant a bit later, i did see that they had separated these tables to seat other couples. theirdeliciouswines are priced affordably at hh but the meat and cheese plate that we ordered was nothing special. i enjoyed an egg salad tartine with generous capers.
they are open at 8 o'clock for breakfast on weekdays and this seems to be a well kept secret as there is hardly anyone there. the frittatas are outstanding. the waffle and cheese blintzes and croissants are delicious. somewhat less satisfying was the soft boiled egg and bread basket. the egg was perfectly cooked but the bread basket contained on a couple of slices of a whole grain bread and cold baguette. the plate was dominated by a large salad that was very good but not what i'm in the mood for at 8 in the morning. salad also accompanies the frittatas. i would prefer fruit or potatoes. they serve wonderful raspberry jam and orange