Bristol Seafood Grill

I had a lovely meal this past Friday at Bristol. It's an out of the way place with a traditional decor, but the high ceilings and open tables are still quite intimate. I chose to take my meal at the bar as I was alone on business that evening, but most of the crowd was small groups or dates at tables. Reservations likely aren't an issue; I had no trouble getting a spot.

Walking in is fairly normal for an upscale restaurant and the decor was nothing out of the ordinary for a place like this. But once you sit down, the service shines nicely and that's more important. Te servers were all incredibly pleasant despite being busy and never seemed put upon or disturbed.

It was happy hour on Friday and Blue Point oysters were $1.00 (!!!) each. My order got mixed up in the kitchen and so I was  awarded 12 for the price of 8, no questions asked. They were served on ice and accompanied with homemade horseradish, Hal a fresh lemon, a tiny single-serve bottle of Tabasco, and an interesting mignonette of soy, miso, sesame oil, black and white sesame seeds, and wasabi that was quite good and wonderfully original.

For a main I went over the wide and appealing selection and had difficulty deciding, but the server told me the tuna was great an the swordfish excellent. I went with the seared tuna medium-rare accompanied by lemon-asparagus risotto and sautéed haricot verts.

The beans were great and the risotto surprisingly good, with fresh lemon flavor and a just-right amount of asparagus -- I have high standards for risotto, and I would order this every visit back. The tuna was a good selection and seared nicely, but was still cold in the center. It was definitely of a grade where this isn't a problem -- it was fine to me, and eventually the heat penetrated through and warmed the center. I'm happy with hot outside and raw inside on this grade of tuna, but be cautious. I expected it to be overdone based on other reviews, but it was the exact opposite. This cost them the one star.

Dessert was a big slice of carrot cake that my server also recommended; it was also a good choice. This wasn't your typical carrot cake quality; instead it was impressively done. The pecan praline filling between layers is an inspired touch on a traditional dessert and I despite the creme anglaise being an afterthought on the plate, it is definitely worth ordering. The cake itself was balanced between sweet and spice, and most importantly not dry at all.

The bartenders seemed competent in their craft. The crowd seemed nouveau-rich in a tacky sort of way, which was a downer. However, I suspect this has more to do with O'Fallon rather than the establishment. Reminds me of Tinley Park on the south side of Chicago...money, but not much class; no matter how much the residents feel to the contrary.

I'd recommend going here if you're in the mood for seafood. The prices are reasonable given the quality of the food and service delivered, and I doubt you could find a similar establishment without a significant drive.

As a visitor to O'Fallon, Bristol has save my impression of the town!  After a previous bad experience earlier in the evening, I located this place and the food was fantastic.  Servers were friendly and the happy hour with food and drink specials lasted all night!  Hard to call it a Happy hour when it is six nights a week all night long but I am not complaining!
The tuna tar tar with a wasbi sesame oil was delicious with a pleasant touch of heat.  It came with crisp pickled cucumbers and sesame crackers.
Next, the oysters were as fresh as you get on the coasts.  The server told me they get daily shipments.  I believe it.  The only thing was when they were shucked, they were not cut from the shell so they were cumbersome to eat.  The server explained they normally were freed from the shell but they had a new guy in the back so this should not be an issue next time.
The roasted duck flat bread had the most Delicious duck! It was juicy and I wanted more. The fig  sauce gave it a lot of sweetness, almost too much. I found myself scrapping the toppings off.  
Lastly, full as I was, the lobster roll had to be tried.  It was not a traditional Maine lobster roll (glad I was warned) instead it was very crunchy with corn and celery.
All in all, good food, great value and nice service. I will return next time I am in O'Fallen, MO.

My wife and I went there for dinner, and I will say, the food was great! The goat cheese bruschetta was great! The shrimp cocktail were big, and also great. I had the seared ahi, she had filet with scallops. Both had lobster Mac and cheese. All were great. Service was excellent. I only gave it 4 stars because it was a little pricey. 1 beer each, 2 apps, 2 dinners was $110. So after tip, that's a lot.