The Red Vault Bistro

This review is for their Wednesday menu only when this steakhouse run by a French chef turns into a sushi restaurant. And the five stars fully reflects the rural location. You could drive many miles in any direction and not see anything close to a sushi restaurant. There's one in Bastrop, but that's 45 minutes away. You'd probably drive an hour hour the next closest option. Three stars for the food - since it was a limited menu, adapted a bit to rural taste, was missing a few of the expected Japanese touches such as a dish to mix your wasabi and soy sauce and dip your sushi into. That said, the fish was super fresh and they were generous with it, and we enjoyed the meal. Plus one more star for the service and the nicely priced sake, which were both very good. And definitely a bonus star for bringing sushi to this remote community of 1,800 people. They are ambassadors of culture and their outreach is well received. The place was packed. And everyone was using chopsticks! We had the items you see pictured and captioned below. The tempura wasn't the whispy batter you often see, but it was still very good - perfectly fried and well seasoned. One small thing, though: they made the mistake of placing Chinese Duck Sauce in the bottom of the shrimp tempura bowl. Not Japanese and not needed. This type of rural adaptation was evident in the sushi rolls, where the few options included rolls that are either fried, loaded with cream cheese, or both (very similar to Kyoto Sushi in Bastrop) But, again, that packed the house. And even their least Japanese roll - the Philadelphia role - was delicious. Although my next trip there won't likely be on a Wednesday, we definitely enjoyed the meal and I very much appreciate what they're doing. As they say in Japan, "Keep it up, y'all!"

Stopped in while waiting for pizza next door , enjoyed a beverage -who would of thought this place would be in Flatonia Texas -what a find, and the French bread is outstanding

Every aspect of my first experience at The Red Vault Bistro was amazing, from the atmosphere, hospitality, service, and obviously the food. This dining experience is well worth the trip! Bravo!

Elizabeth & Chef Gabriel are amazing people. If you have a chance to eat here they are very accommodating. The food is amazing!! Desserts too. I am not a wine drinker but they have wine and beer.

I don't know what kind of people come out of their way to eat here, but news flash- calling a place a French bistro doesn't make it so- nothing on this menu is actual French cuisine. So disappointing. And the prices! Holy cow! They legit slapped the words French and bistro in the name so they can charge you accordingly.

I really liked the aesthetic of this place. The service I got was incredible probably some of the best I have ever had. But the best part for sure was the food. It was super surprising for a little town place. The crab cakes were the best I have ever had. I also had the salmon and ravioli was very good amazing sauce for all the meals. Definitely would come back

I stopped in on a Thursday evening. There were only a few other customers there. The food was amazing. I had the crab cakes for an appetizer, and they were the best I ever had. I had the steak, which was cooked to perfection. The sides were mashed potatoes and broccoli. The mashed potatoes were a little bland, but I prefer to spice up my mashed potatoes. I had the cheesecake for dessert. That was amazing. The cranberry sauce with it was delicious, but very sweet. When I received my check, it was $80+ bill before tip. So I will keep this place in mind when I want to celebrate something. But I will continue to look for a cheaper place to have dinner for 1. Also, next time I won't come in right after work. I had a feeling that's a more semi-formal atmosphere. I was told and seen other posts talk about sushi night on Wednesdays. So I'll definitely check that out and see how good that is. I'm sure I won't be disappointed.

Atmosphere 10/10 overall. 6/10 at our table. We had a group of 7 so they put us in a semi-private corner next to lots of stacks of inventory next to the kitchen. Workers talked extremely loudly behind us throughout the evening while we were trying to have a quiet, relaxing meal. This caused the atmosphere to nose dive. Service 5/10 Our server was very nice, but not very efficient. She never checked back on our drinks (thankfully there was water on the table), and there were several times we needed something and after waiting 10-15 minutes for a steak knife, or tea, I had to hunt someone down only to be told to wait because they were busy doing something else. She seemed super stressed. Again, when trying to have a relaxing meal, continually having to hunt down what we needed, trying to talk over loud servers near the kitchen, and feeling bad asking for what we needed so we don't stress out the server- it's just not great. One of the worst things was trying to discreetly discuss for which of the guests I was paying. When we first arrived, I attempted to let them know immediately so there would be no awkwardness when the bill came. Two different ladies came over and loudly started pointing and asking whose meals were going on my ticket and making a big deal about how confusing it was. It was so embarrassing. A got up and asked if she could step aside to discuss it with me. I wanted to quietly pay for 5 of the 7 guests. It just felt very low-class for such a nice place. Food:Smoked salmon appetizer 10/10Crab cakes 8/10 a little heavy for me, but that's a personal preference. I e read reviews of other stating it's the best they e ever had. I prefer lighter crab cakes I've had in Columbus. (I don't think I can name other restaurants in a review) Salmon dinner 7/10. Seemed a bit overcooked House salad with vinaigrette- 9/10. Field greens. Very tasty. No choice on dressings. It's this or Caesar. Luckily it was very good. Sea bass 10/10 Perfect and deliciousPork chop - 8/10 Beautiful presentation but tasted average. Filet Mignon - 9/10 Extremely tender. Would give a 10 with more seasoning. Very good, though. Rib-eye 7/10 Disappointing. Not bad, but I've had better at average family steakhouse chains. All meals were served with garlic mashed potatoes that were very good, and yellow broccolini, which was also good. We wished there were options on the sides, but there are not. French bread - very good, warm and crusty. Real butter. Overall, for the amount of money we spent (around $600 for 7 people), I would prefer service to be better. Or at least not harried and loud. Staff REALLY needs training. This is however, a small town. If I were in Dallas or Houston, I'd expect impeccable service. I will return and sit in a different location and know what not to order. Business seemed to be good and I wish them all the best.

We are regulars at this wonderful spot. It is our go-to when we need great food, friendly service, and a small, reliably excellent wine list. Highly recommended and well worth the drive to get there!

An Oasis ! Truly A fine hand in spice and highest quality in ingredients give so much to nourish us . Thank you for your dedication and love of what you both do .