Laz Bistro and Bar

In a word: Likeable and Zestful.

The specs: #0327
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; blurb at HistoricStoughton.com; reviews at 77 Square,

Beth ate the tortellini with a coffee.
JM ate the large KC barbecue pork plate, cornbread and onion rings with a lemonade.
Lily ate the grilled cheese sandwich.
Nichole ate the ginger glazed salmon with a side of asparagus and a decaf.
Sean ate the Cajun etouffe with a beer.
We split a piece of tiramisu and a slice of caramel apple pie.
The bill was $75, or $15/person, plus tip.
JM gave Laz Bistro and Bar an A-; Beth and Nichole gave Laz Bistro and Bar a B (see our grading rubric).

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Another trip southward beckoned, and so we invited some Stoughton-based friends to Stoughton-based Laz.

Laz has some good vegetarian options - in addition to tonight's wild mushroom ravioli special, the regular menu includes spanakopita and lots of appealing salads. We appreciate that to each of the latter you could add a number of protein options including salmon and chicken breast.  These meats were always listed by the ounce, which makes Laz pretty easy for those counting points or calories, which some may want to do with the coming onset of swimsuit weather.

The kids' food came out first (perfect). We thought the presentation of the grilled cheese, quartered with bread points up, was odd; it made the cheese shift down to the crusts, which the kids naturally avoided, meaning some of their meal went to waste. Lily thought is was pretty to look at, though. Her opinion was that the sandwich was about the same as at home, but she'd probably ask Mom if they can come back for more grilled cheese sandwiches.

Beth couldn't talk Owen into eating much of the tortellini. He might have been on to something, though - while the sauce was good, and the parsley fresh, the noodles were underdone and the filling was bland. If we hadn't known it was beef, it would have been hard to distinguish from a nondescript cheese except for its lack of creaminess.

Sean's etouffe also had a distinctive, slightly odd plating, with a big scoop of rice atop the stew. Mixing the rice in later was not very effective in blending the flavors in the dry melange, either. The spices permeated the dish, though, and overall it was good if not great.

Nichole didn't have much to say about the ginger-glazed salmon, except that ginger, salmon, tortilla chips and basmati rice is a weird combination of ethnicities. She will note that $12 (not including the asparagus at $3) seemed a little steep for a slightly dolled-up version of a dish you more often see on the menu at, say, Applebee's.

JM found his Kansas City barbecue good but a little on the large side (to be fair, he did order the large portion). The meat was certainly filling but ended up a little heavy. (JM quote: "Oh! greasy bite. Oh! another greasy bite." Repeat.) The onion rings were also a touch too greasy, but the corn bread was the good news of this meal. It was quite flavorful and came as a  generous mini-loaf, but was only lightly sweet (such that it could toe the line between those who prefer their cornbread sweet and those who do not) and picked up on the smokiness of the pork. 

Dinner ended on a high note: two very tasty desserts. This caramel apple pie was a winner, with a cinnamon flavor that permeated the apple filling. The caramel topping was not overwhelming, and the peanuts completed the mix that fooled us into thinking we were eating an exceptionally tender, sweet, stickless caramel apple.

The tiramisu was respectable as well. It was very light and the espresso flavor was soaked throughout. It went well with the coffee, which was hot and plentiful if light-bodied, Norwegian-style.

After this point, the kids were getting tired and the cool night of early spring called us home. Laz may not be the zenith of this type of cuisine - we hesitate to use the word "eclectic," since it implies as much - but you will find its relaxed atmosphere charming and its food tasty if a little disjointed and obvious. We're sure Stoughton likes it just fine.

Comments

[Kathy]

"We're sure Stoughton likes it just fine."

Until now, I have never read something in print and thought, that is the definition of damning with faint praise. I'm not even sure I've used the phrase before!

Sounds like an interesting place. I've only been there a couple times, but the varied menu reminds me of that of Hubbard Street Cafe.

[Heather]

My friends and I happened upon Laz quite by accident - we were looking for the place in Stoughton where the wait staff sings. I found the food to be great - and more than I expected when I first looked at the restaurant. The squash tortoloni I had was done just right.

Only down side - we couldn't get the wait staff to sing to us. : )

[Kurt]

I've eaten there 2x and both times were very forgetful. The shredded pork was dry to the point of nearly being jerky and the chicken seems to have come from the deli counter at Pick & Save.

Service was fine and the locations itself was nice but I can't recommend them for food. Kind of disapointing as I live in Stoughton and we're in dire need to places to eat

[Steve]

I recently visited from Michigan and thought the Ravoli was excellent. My friend who lives there had the linguini and loved it.

[Jaime]

For me, the two best things Laz has going are the pineapple salsa and homemade potato chips, both are sides rather than entrees though.