First Look: Au Troisième, or AT Bistro, Serves Cajun, Hawaiian, French and One Fine Au Jus

Au Troisieme opened last summer as a neighborhood bistro in the heart of University Park (Preston Center). The concept is new American cuisine with a global influence — actually not French. There are a few French dishes on the menu (like fish Provencal), but then there’s also a kimchi Reuben.

Au troisieme is French for “the third place.” The term has special meaning for the owners, Bobby Pollette and Jeff Acol, whose paths first crossed in Hawaii and many more times throughout the years. During a conversation, Acol pointed out that people spend most of their time either at home or at the office, and he hoped that this restaurant would become the go-to “third place.” Hence, Au Troisieme.

Alas, that’s hard to spell for some, and a modern day problem with spelling is dropping it in Google maps. They’re working on changing the name to simply AT Bistro.

That’s neighborly.

The indoor dining area of Au Troisième has a combination of booths and tables accented with dark-colored velvet and gray, beige and gold accents throughout. There is a full bar with about eight seats and an outdoor patio. The wallpaper throughout the restaurant is filled with monkeys, lions and leopards, oh my! The bathrooms are worth checking out, even if it’s just to see the vodka-drinking, Cuban-smoking monkey wallpaper.

For our first look, we went all out with a late lunch/early happy hour, which, it happens, is very French. We started our adventure with the tuna and avocado appetizer ($22) — a generous portion of tuna poke, avocado, wonton crisps and a sharp kimchi emulsion, perfect to share between two people.

We then tried the Texas gumbo ($8), which is filled with andouille sausage, Gulf shrimp and okra and served with a house-made hot sauce that is fermented for six months — just like a sourdough starter — and is more about flavor than heat. It added a nice, pickled contrast to the gumbo. Ça c’est bon.

Next up was the New Style Cuban sandwich ($20), with Hawaiian-style kalua pig, house ham, Swiss cheese, mustard and mojo au jus. We intentionally ordered the mustard on the side, because we wanted to make sure we were having a pure high-end Cuban, not ruined French’s yellow mustard. The whole-seed mustard added a soft horseradish bite. The bread was buttery and toasted but what sends this sandwich over the edge is the mojo au jus.

We combined the Cuban with a side of Parmesan fries ($5), which have a hint of truffle. Dip these in the jus to unlock a new level of french-fry euphoria.

When we dined, we were bumping up against the happy hour specials (Tuesday through Friday, from 3 to 6 p.m.) so we managed to control our urge to devour the entire Cuban sandwich we ordered for lunch and waited a bit to order a few other items from the happy hour menu. First up were the fried green tomatoes ($9 during happy hour, and $14 otherwise). There were about eight quarters of fresh green tomatoes, lightly battered and served with a white cheddar pimento cheese, dill and carrot aioli.

The star of the experience for us was the Smash Burger ($11 at happy hour, $18 otherwise). You get two 4-ounce angus patties, Au Troisième sauce, shredded iceberg, sautéed onions and American cheese, served on a sesame bun with house pickles. Pollette said he sources his beef from Custom Meats on Lovers Lane, which specializes in whole animal butchery. The beef is a medium ground 80/20 blend with a combination of NY strip and other dry-aged meats, rendering a fantastic taste and texture that really sets it apart.

On weekends, it’s all about brunch, so we went back to indulge again. We started with the smoked fish dip, which was filled with chunks of smoked salmon, dill and cream cheese, served with slices of fresh rye toast. It was savory, smoky and indulgent in a single bite.

We were so impressed with the burger on the previous visit that we ended up ordering it again, but the brunch version comes with a fried egg, and it was just as good as the first time. A few other items on the brunch menu that are on our list to try next includes French toast ($18), corned beef hash ($20) and a unique dish native to the Hawaiian culture, locomoco ($22), which has a smash patty, fried rice, a fried egg and classic brown gravy.

The first Tuesday of every month is “First Tuesday Fried Chicken, Burgundy and Caviar Night.” There’s a full meal on offer for $125, which is enough for four and includes a choice of a wedge or Caesar salad, a whole crispy fried chicken, mac and cheese, collard greens, black eyed peas, biscuits and jam and all topped off with cobbler. Burgundy wine is 15% off and caviar is available for an additional cost.

As the business continues to evolve, subtle changes will emerge, including the name. Also look for seasonal menu changes and patio events for awesome weather days, as well as special occasions, like the Masters Golf Tournament, which will be accompanied by pimento cheese sandwiches and a putting green on the patio.

AT Bistro, 8305 Westchester Drive, Tuesday – Saturday ,11 a.m. – 3 p.m., 5–9 p.m; Sunday, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.; closed Monday.