Passerelle Bistro

Last week T and I tried out Passerelle Bistro downtown.  They are still in their soft opening phase, but should be doing their grand opening later on this month.  Passerelle is the French word for footbridge, which is so appropriate for its location. The restaurant is located right off of Greenville's iconic Liberty Bridge that overlooks Falls Park.

T and I took the scenic route to the restaurant stopping to look at the waterfall that runs through downtown.  With all the rain we've been having lately, the falls were extra loud and lush.  

They have great outdoor seating overlooking the park, and you can even get a little taste of the outdoors while you are inside.  There are several dutch doors along the side of the building and they open them up when the weather is pleasant. 

I was thrilled to see dry rosé on the menu.  I  got into this wine a couple of years ago when it was really trendy, but I've noticed that a lot of restaurants haven't been offering rosé wines this year. 

We started with the Rillettes.  I had no idea what Rilettes were, but when I saw that they came with cornichons (those little savory French pickles) we decided to order it.  The staff seamed very knowledgeable about the entire menu.  Very impressive considering we came on the second night they were open.

  So if you're wondering what Rillettes are here's what we learned:  It's a pork-based dip similar in consistency to pâté. It is served with rustic bread, grainy mustard, and cornichons. I could have completely butchered the Rillette etiquette, but we thought it tasted best when all ingredients were combined. 

As for our entree, I chose the Cheese Crepes as recommended by one of their employees, and T had the Steak Frites. 

Both entrees were great! The crepes were perfectly done and very flavorful.  Steak was perfectly sized and seasoned. I do wish they served the fries with some sort of aioli for dipping though.  It's socially unacceptable to dip your fries in mayo if you're anywhere else than a French restaurant.  But if you're in a French restaurant, it seems so Parisian and cultured.

Overall we were really pleased with everything.  Their outdoor area is going to be great for summer nights. I'm hoping they'll have live music outdoors sometimes.  Maybe even an accordionist.  I think that just screams French Bistro.