Friday, May 13, 2011

Word of Mouth Bistro


(Second Review -- July 2011)
(Third Review -- December 2011)
(Fourth Review -- January 2012)
(Fifth Review -- March 2012)


Located in Salem, Oregon, Word of Mouth Neighborhood Bistro evokes simplicity and comfort food at its finest. Everything is made from scratch and the staff is extremely friendly. They are open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day, with breakfast served all day. Their signature dish? Creme Brulee French Toast!

Creme Brulee French Toast (Source: go here)


Personally, I enjoy getting the specials. One of my personal favorites is their BBQ Pork Sandwich special. The pulled pork is prepared extremely well, with their apple-cider BBQ sauce providing the right amount of sweet and tang. The cole slaw may be a little runny to some people and just right for others. For me, I think it's pretty much spot on. In my opinion, you need at least a little liquid from the mayo and a citrus fruit (probably a lemon or lime). The only problem I have? I want heat! Of course, that's just my personal preference, and in no way affects the overall rating.

Here are some other awesome specials I've had:

Chicken sandwich on foccacia, w/candied pecans, dried cranberries, lettuce, and onions. Side of fresh fruit.
Fried oysters with french fries!
I have enjoyed almost every meal I've eaten here. The one meal I had issues with: a chicken sandwich that had Gorgonzola cheese in it. The Gorgonzola proved too overpowering for my taste buds, to the point where I struggled to realize I was eating a chicken sandwich. I personally would have preferred it on a 100% beef burger. But to be fair, I have never been a fan of Gorgonzola, and yet Word of Mouth's amazing dishes enticed me to eat it anyway. Now that's saying something, folks.

The longest I've waited for a booth or a take-out order was about 25 minutes. The place used to be a hidden gem...but now many people know about this great bistro. Word of Mouth does use social media (Facebook, Twitter, Internet) to spread the word, but they don't pay money to run commercials on television or radio. The popularity of this place really has spread via word of mouth.

Word of Mouth has attempted dinner services the past, while staying closed on Mondays. However, through their own trial and error, they have limited service to breakfast and lunch, seven days a week. I think being open each day from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. is a proper window of time to stay open. While they obviously will miss the dinner rush, they should still be able to catch people of all ages, either before work/school or during lunch breaks. Also, Word of Mouth's dinner menu was basically a slightly upscaled lunch menu, with dinner prices (more expensive) affixed to each dish. Popular dinner specials, such as Chicken Marsala, have been incorporated into their rotation of daily specials. Now that's how you keep the customers coming back -- or at least get someone else to order it.

Word of Mouth is one of my favorite places to eat. The staff pretty much knows me by name already. There is a reason Word of Mouth is always in the running for Salem awards like Best Breakfast and Friendliest Staff. I wonder if there will be a true signature lunch menu item (much like how the Creme Brulee French Toast has become the signature breakfast item). I urge everyone to give Word of Mouth a try.

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