Terrific Takeout: Bistro Citron Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins
Executive Chef Jerry Katzenberger and General Manager Patricio Curillo, and their exquisite escargots!!!
Fresh Origins is America’s leading producer of Microgreens and Edible Flowers. Combining the benefits of an ideal climate with a deep passion for quality and innovation, Fresh Origins products are sought after by the finest restaurants and top chefs. The farm is located in the picturesque rolling hills of San Diego County, where the near perfect weather allows for production and harvest all year. Fresh Origins produces almost 400 Microgreens, Petitegreens, Edible Flowers, Shoots, Tiny Veggies™ and related items. Many are not available anywhere else, with new introductions nearly every month. Fresh Origins products are on top of the finest cuisine in the world! Fresh Origins supplies distributors of specialty produce who serve fine dining restaurants and resorts nationwide. There are also a few online sources of their products available to private chefs and home cooks. Read our first Culinary Queen interview with Kelly Sasuga:
For more information about Fresh Origins, visit their website at
We first picked Bistro Citron in 2012:
And we were delighted to return recently! Though they are a lemon in name, we still think they are the furthest from a lemon the way you would use it to describe a car! Bistro Citron is owned by Eric and Jason Machado and their dad Fabio; we were delighted to recently meet Eric. We worked with Patricio both times-he was once an owner. Bistro Citron defines fine French bistro cuisine, and since we are committed to the classics, we followed our palate on the menu too.
Oooooh how we love escargots! We loved these so much we tried to pick a font color to match them. How often does that happen?!??!
The menu says: Escargots Maitre d'Hotel: Snails in garlic herb butter.
We say, they are so much more! Eight succulent little snails await you in the appropriate dish topped with eight perfect toasted circles on top, which is a unique presentation we liked.
We cannot overemphasize how expertly flavored the garlic herb butter is, which is one of our most favorite sauces if not the favorite! We would be happy ordering this Petit Plats on repeat for quite awhile. You must march yourself over to see Jerry and he will make them for you.
We're trying to remember if we have liked Escargots just as much anywhere else, and the answer is certainly not recently!
No it's not Burrata, it's a poached egg! The salad that caught our eye was the Salade Frisee aux Lardons: Baby Frisee, crispy lardons, poached egg and a lovely Dijon vinaigrette.
Picky Peachy even liked the dressing which was light and complemented the salad rather than overpowered it. Of course, those lardons brought out the bacon-addict in us.
The classic choice for an entree at a French Bistro is Steak Frites!
Bistro Citron gets their steak from Green Tree we were told on our visit, and they've been working with them for 15 years. We tried the New York strip steak and it was medium, just like we requested:
We enjoyed this steak even more with the tantalizingly creamy and rich Bearnaise sauce, which is worth the extra miles on the elliptical without a doubt:
And the french fries? Guess who could not stop eating them. Guess who ate every single last one. We guess she liked them. They are highly addictive.
The perfect ending?
Apple Tart a la mode!
Bistro Citron is Terrific Takeout
