Bistro Watel's 6047 Lewis Street Dallas, 75206 just west of Skillman between La Vista and Live Oak VIEW MAP

(214) 720-0323

Global French

Lunch Entrees $8 - $12 Dinner Entrees $19 - $29

www.watels.com

Bistro Watel's

A cozy restaurant featuring French cuisine with global influences located on the edge of Lakewood in East Dallas, near Skillman & Live Oak. The staff is personable and knowledgeable and their menu represents a variety of cultures. Watel's first opened in 1986 and has won countless awards and acclaim year after year.

About us:
Chef/owner René Peeters was born in the Belgian Congo to a Belgian father and a French mother; he spent his early years split between the Congo and southern France.  He later lived a number of years in Laos and a year in Greece before moving to the U.S. René was trained in classical French cuisine, but travel has influenced his cooking style;  his French menu features a lot of global touches.

Comments from Leslie Brenner
at the DMN: The easygoing chef, a fixture on the Dallas dining scene for more than two decades, has brought his freewheeling style of cooking, which draws on cuisines from around the world (born in Belgian Congo, he has lived all over the globe). I’m glad he did: That dining room suits his laid-back, people-pleasing style perfectly.

Blackboard specials are listed high on one wall, and Peeters, at once chef and front-of-the-house man, seems to enjoy elucidating them —  Peeters, ever eager to please, is quick to point out that most of the mains can be pared down and ordered as starters, and many of the appetizers can be turned into mains. Just tell him what works for you, and he does his best to make it happen.

Recently, small slices of herb-crusted seared tuna came with a puck of excellent ratatouille, its vegetables prettily diced; tomatoes with deep flavor pulled it together smartly. Quail was good, too, well-grilled in its tangy, lightly sweet-spicy Indian-accented glaze.

Desserts - Best, I think, is the Belgian waffle, at once crisp and tender, served with vanilla ice cream and a strawberry coulis.

There’s something so refreshingly different about the dishes at Bistro Watel’s. Peeters and a waiter share the serving duties, executed with an easy informality that makes you feel as though you’re dining in a friend’s home. That’s a wonderful and unusual thing.The wine list, which Peeters assembles, offers some interesting and unusual bottles — at very reasonable prices. And that’s the value of Bistro Watel’s: Chef-owner-sommelier-server René Peeters has a knack for making diners happy.

Visit website to view menus.