Have you ever had one of those restaurants that you have heard people talk about it, but just never remember to go? Then, one day you happen to end up there and you thank your lucky stars that you did. Now, you can’t go back there often enough because the food is so good? 

Welcome to Bistro Nota, friends! 

Maybe it wasn’t on my radar because while it is in the heart of downtown at 620 S. Calhoun, it wasn’t necessarily on my beaten path. Maybe it was because I had in mind some of the previous restaurants located at that spot and it was hard for me to envision the space transformed from a quick lunch stop into more of a fine-dining establishment. 

Whatever the reason, I had never checked it out until recently, when I saw Chef Aaron Butts had joined co-founding chefs Cam Kaminski and Jacob Koczergo who launched Bistro Nota in 2019. Butts’ time at The Golden had taught me that whatever he serves me (or you) will always taste good. You might have also tasted his work during his time at Joseph Decuis and Copper Spoon.

Our lucky day

Reservations are recommended, which we did not have when my boyfriend and I popped in hoping to check out it one Saturday at about 5:30 p.m. We’d gotten hungry early and were hoping to beat that need for a reservation. 

Unfortunately, we were told they were booked till 8 p.m. Except, a party had not shown up for their reservation (boooo, always call to cancel, people) and they were late enough that they decided to let us have their table. Yay for us! 

Through another good twist of fate, it just happened to be Restaurant Week on The Landing. For $40 per person, we both got to choose a starter, an entrée, and a dessert from a prix fixe menu. With two offerings in each category, we decided to try it all and share everything. 

We started with the Pain et Fromage (sliced rosemary and sea salt focaccia with roasted pepper cheese dip) and the Nota Salad (featuring charred corn, roasted red peppers, Parmesan, iceberg lettuce, house croutons, and buttermilk dressing). 

Thinking back about the starters as I’m writing this, I’m getting hungry all over again. They were superb examples of fairly humble starters: bread and cheese along with salad. The rosemary sea salt bread was perfectly toasted, think, crunchy, and chewy, with creamy cheese punctuated by kicks of pimento. These are some of my favorite flavor combinations, and it met all expectations. 

The lettuce in the salad was finely chopped, almost resembling a slaw, and the salad had been tossed in the luscious buttermilk dressing. These two preparations meant every bite of the salad was balanced and evenly dressed, and it allowed you to taste all the components together. 

For our entrées, I had the braised boneless beef short rib and my boyfriend ordered the low country shrimp. Both dishes were simple but elegant, with nothing unnecessary on the plates. My beef was lean, with a nice crust to the edge, but so tender that you didn’t need a knife to cut it. It made a perfect bite with the roasted fingerling potatoes and carrots alongside it. The grilled shrimp were served over a polenta that was so creamy with a velvety roasted tomato sauce that was smooth and delicious. Nothing else mattered. The dish reminded us both of a recent trip we took to New Orleans. 

Going back for More

Having loved the meal so much, we could not wait to go back. So, a few weeks later, we met up with some friends for dinner — this time with a reservation. 

The Nota Salad again called out to me, but I was intent on trying new things. 

To my delight, one of my friends let me have a bite of her salad. And I was tickled that her report was virtually identical to what our previous experience had been: She loved that everything was bite-sized, evenly dressed, and delicious.

I began my meal sharing the French onion soup. It was hearty, with lots of onions, seasoned croutons, enough — but not too much — cheese on top, and a deeply flavorful broth that avoided the most common pitfall I find with onion soup: being overly salty. 

For my entrée, I had the pasta Bolognese, having seen a gorgeous photo on social media. My notes from that night begin with, “yummmm,” and I’m tempted to leave it at that — it pretty much covers it. 

My boyfriend had the beef stroganoff. Fortunately he’s a willing food sharer, so I got to have a few bites of that as well. It was another dish of flavorful meat so tender that it practically melted in your mouth. For both our dishes, everything — meat, sauce, pasta — was beautifully integrated, rather than sauce sitting on top of noodles. 

For dessert, we shared the Bistro Blondie, a buttery, chewy, crunchy delight surrounded by a warm, salty, sweet caramel sauce. It was a perfect ending to a fabulous meal. 

Time for Brunch

Bistro Nota also serves Saturday brunch, so obviously I had to try it. 

A brunch date was in the works with some girlfriends, and the text thread mentioned some usual suspects as options. 

“Hey,” I threw out, “how about we mix things up? Has anybody tried brunch at Bistro Nota?” 

They were game and wanted to order different things, for the sake of journalism. It’s good to have friends who let you eat their food! 

We started with a piece of the house-made blueberry coffee cake for the table. It had a lovely cinnamon flavor in the brown sugar streussel topping. I would have loved for it to be slightly warmed, nevertheless we all enjoyed it. 

I followed with the open-faced breakfast sandwich, which was kind of a combination of many of the things I had enjoyed previously (beef short rib, demi-glace, rosemary and sea salt focaccia) topped with scrambled egg and cheese. The bread was so good. The beef was so tender. I don’t usually seek out meat for my breakfast, but this was delicious. 

My friends tried the Steak & Eggs, the Croque Madame (ham, white cheddar and gruyere, sauce mornay, and a fried egg on house-made bread) and the Hot Mess Express (a fried egg served on a mountain of sautéed brussels sprouts, caramelized onions, roasted peppers, red potatoes, cherry tomatoes, and house sausage). 

Everyone reportedly enjoyed their meals. From the bites I got to sample, they were not wrong to do so. 

For me the standout was the Croque Madame. I’m not a big ham fan, but it did not dominate the fork-and-knife sandwich that I would happily eat for my own meal sometime. My friend said there was not one thing she would change about it. 

The atmosphere at Bistro Nota is warm and cozy while also having a bit of an industrial feel, with exposed brick and corrugated sheet metal. I was worried I might be cold since there’s no vestibule — I’m a weirdo; I think about things like this. But all my visits were during cold weather, and it was quite comfortable in the dining room. 

Service was top-notch at every visit, and the kitchen is open to the dining room, so you can watch the action if you’re seated with the right vantage point. 

Bistro Nota, I’m sorry I took so long to discover you, but I look forward to our future together!