Each week, the Rapides Parish Journal’s always-hungry reporter visits a different restaurant and tells you about the experience.

By ANON E. MUSS

It’s hard to get excited about restaurants that are in strip centers.  The exterior rarely ever gives you any idea about what the restaurant is like on the inside, how big the restaurant is, what kind of food it serves, or what the price point will be. At least with the restaurant located at 5803 Coliseum Blvd., Ste H, in Alexandria, you know what kind of food to expect when dining there as the name gives it away. Le Bistreaux Coffee & Waffle Bar is a quaint restaurant with touches of French decor and checkerboard tables.

My wife and I stopped in recently for brunch after realizing that the bar-b-que restaurant on the other end of the strip center would not be open for another 20 minutes.  We had eaten at Le Bistreux once before for breakfast so we knew we would be in for a good meal. Even though it was well past the normal hours for breakfast, most of the tables were occupied by families and groups of college-age people. Some folks were playing checkers on their table while they waited for their food to be delivered to the table.

Le Bistreuaux has a large selection of waffles to choose from as well as omelets, scramblers, smoothies and coffee drinks.  The menu is more limited If you are in the mood for brunch.  On this outing, my wife chose to order the Original Breakfast Combo with sausage.  The meal included choice of meat (Black Forest ham, sausage or bacon) 2 eggs cooked to order, hash browns and a waffle.  The menu indicated that the price for her meal was $13.50. My wife opted for a glass of water to drink with her meal.  I chose the Monte Cristo Waffle (a waffle served with Swiss cheese, smoked turkey, Black Forest ham, jam & powdered sugar) with a side of fries off of the brunch menu. The menu indicated by the price for my meal was $16.50. I ordered a coke ($2.90) with my meal.  Le Bistreaux serves bottled drinks so there are no free refills as would be customary with fountain drinks. Water is offered complimentary but the glass is very small and requires multiple trips to the water dispenser.

While both my wife and I enjoyed our meals as the food was well-prepared, had good flavor and was filling, we did experience sticker shock once we had time to sit down and look at the bill.  With tax our total came to $38.04. Even though Swiss cheese was the second item listed in the description of my Monte Cristo, there was an additional charge of $0.20 for the Swiss cheese. My wife’s meal rang up at $15.00, more than 10% over the menu price. While these price discrepancies may seem minor to some, the costs really begin to add up for large families or folks on a tight budget. One good thing about Le Beistreaux is that, at least for now, they do not charge a convenience fee for those people using credit cards to pay for their meal.

I give Le Bistreaux three forks. We will return but probably only for special occasions.

Location: 5803 Coliseum Blvd., Alexandria, La.
Price: $15-$30 per person

Is there a restaurant you would like the Journal to visit? Email: Anon E. Muss

1 Fork: Would rather eat a box of dirt
2 Forks: Will return, but only if someone else is buying
3 Forks: Will return and look forward to it
4 Forks: Will return and go out of my way to do so