The Bold Knight Bistro

I remember going with my parents as a kid to this restaurant’s previous incarnation The Bold Knight Restaurant located off Monterey Highway. In 2006 the owners relocated to 840 North 1st Street directly across from the VTA Civic Center lightrail station and renamed itself The Bold Knight Bistro. The Bistro itself does not appear to be big from the outside, but inside they have a huge downstairs dining area specifically for large gatherings and is wheelchair friendly. Like Original Joe’s in San Jose, the remade Bold Knight Bistro’s staff is attentive and alert. It used to be that the previous restaurant provided a complimentary fondue hordourve prior to ordering. The Bistro does not, however it is included on the menu as a priced appetizer. I ordered the fondue which is tasty enough but not overtly special. If you took a can of Campbell’s® cheddar cheese soup and added a cup of grated sharp cheddar with a dash of Lea & Perrins® Worcestershire sauce in a saucepan over low heat, you would have a very similar fondue. It worked better as a complimentary item rather than as an overpriced appetizer. I mean honestly, the cubed French bread isn’t even toasted! Second, I ordered the spinach salad. On the whole a dismal flop. I don’t understand how anyone could so effectively ruin such a simple thing. The spinach was warm and wilted covered in insipid reddish vinaigrette and adorned on the top with a lump of finely shaved hard boiled egg. Besides its repugnant appearance, there was a profound stale taste of refrigerator I couldn’t quite put my finger on. A mystery I didn’t care to solve. Lastly, I ordered the filet mignon and Australian jumbo lobster tail. This is where the Bold Knight Bistro shined. The filet was perfect and was accompanied with a delicious horseradish sauce on the side. The lobster was in fact jumbo, I mean huge! It was fresh and sweet, by the way I recommend when ordering lobster ask your waiter to have the chef mince just a small amount of garlic in the drawn butter, trust me it makes all the difference. Overall I went with my heart set on surf and turf. I walked away happy in that regard and with a hope that they will soon fine tune the smaller items.