Lynn's Bistro: Well Above Average, Not Quite Amazing

is celebrating its 10th anniversary in Kirkland this year, and yet most locals cock their heads with a quizzical look when I bring up this restaurant in conversation. Another group seems to fall squarely in the Lynn’s Bistro fan club, raving about the food and the owner and chef, MyLinh Tran. So I decided it was time to pay a visit.

As the name implies, Lynn’s Bistro is a mostly French-inspired place, complete with standard-issue graphic posters and an Eiffel Tower statue. White tablecloths provide a quiet, dignified presence within the soft green walls. The tiny store front is just visible between the Time Out Sports Bar and what was Raga on Central Way. The butler statue out front should do more to catch one’s eye, but the businesses in this building all read as generic "strip mall."

We were seated to the side of the main dining room, which was about half full on the Wednesday night of our dinner. My husband found himself staring uncomfortably at his reflection in the mirror behind me. It can be difficult to enjoy a meal while watching yourself chew.

I was a bit surprised at the price points on the menu, with entrees ranging from $20-$30. As it turned out, the crab cakes on the low end were the better choice. Without the filler normally associated with crab cakes, these were bite after bite of delicious Dungeness crab drizzled in lobster beurre blanc.

While nicely executed, my steak at the high end of the entree spectrum lacked seasoning and the pepper sauce lacked, well, pepper. Making sure no one was looking, I sneaked a few shakes of salt.

With these prices, I was expecting a little more in the way of ingenuity, and yet both of our entrees were accompanied by sauteed vegetables and a stack of bland scalloped potatoes. I appreciate the finesse that goes into a scalloped potato, but I missed the crisp texture of a nice pile of pommes frites or even a good batch of roasted spuds.

I had heard ecstatic reviews of the Famous French Onion Soup, so my expectations were inflated, perhaps. It was nice, delicate, subtle -- but it certainly didn’t blow me away. My spinach and grilled pear salad had a really tasty raspberry vinaigrette made with actual raspberries. Seasonal strawberry shortcake boasting house-made biscuits hit the spot, though we found ourselves wishing for a touch more whipped cream.

Chef Tran’s Asian roots sneak into the menu occasionally with non-French items that include tiger prawns in coconut curry sauce and a seafood fettuccini with spicy jalapeno, basil and tomato broth.

Lynn’s Bistro is an appropriate place for your grandmother’s birthday dinner or lunch with a girlfriend -- even a nice evening out with your spouse. The presentation is first-rate and the food satisfying -- but not quite amazing.