The Cellar's Ex-Executive Chef Opens Bistro Bleu in Anaheim

By Edwin Goei Mon., Apr. 16 2012 at 8:00 AM

David Kesler, The Cellar in Fullerton's executive chef for almost a decade, has now opened his own French restaurant in Anaheim in the space he took over from Sal's Bit of Italy.

Bistro Bleu, debuted a few weeks ago and seems to be making good on being a French restaurant Kesler says will be "without the high prices, sub-par food, and pompous attitudes."

The menu posted on the website long before they opened appears does seem to prove his intent to offer typically expensive French cuisine at "economy-busting prices." Listed is a $9 for his "Burger Bleu" to $16 for steak frites. A $10 cheese plate is called "Homage to Fromage."

The highest-priced item is a $24 rack of lamb. The cheapest item for dinner is a $4 French onion soup.

918 S. Magnolia Ave Ste. B, Anaheim,

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Bistro Bleu

918 S. Magnolia Ave., Anaheim, CA

Category: Restaurant

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Fullerton's next Art Walk is next Friday, May 4. 'Twould be great to pair a pre- or post- dinner at Bistro Bleu with that. Spaghetti Factory and Knowlwood patrons, leave your comfort zone and follow the light!

Mr. Bleu I mean Mr. Kesler should also work out some cross-promotion deals with the cultural institutions and entities in Anaheim and Fullerton...and with the Catholic Church to occupy the Crystal Cathedral a few miles away in a few years, I sure bet his wine list alone will lure in visiting clergy.....

I'd really love to see this restaurant succeed, even though it'll (1) be fighting the headwinds of being in a somewhat ghetto neighborhood with distant freeway access, and (2) bravely be offering bistro cuisine in a county of 3 million people which doesn't have many bistro eateries. (The only one that immediately comes to mind is French 75, and when I dined at the [now-closed] Irvine one in '05, it had more of a hybrid menu.) ..What Mr. Kesler needs to do is connect with convention organizers and hotel concierges in the Anaheim Resort area and promote his new venture, to supplement business that will be lost because county residents have been weaned on PF Chang's and county journalists are too busy publishing photos of receipts from Dee Nguyen's Break of Dawn or writing about their experiences making Carl's Jr. biscuits. ..Seriously, the menu prices at Bistro Bleu are about the same as a diner's, and lower than Cheesecake Factory. It would be great to see SAFII's Anaheim correspondent, Das Ubergeek, show Bistro Bleu some love.

Dave Lieberman

They need to be open for a while before I go. (I'm not just the Anaheim correspondent, I'm also a Francophile.)

Nice little waspish remark there. Glad to see your reading comprehension is improving.

I have no idea what you mean by WASPish remark, but c'mon, don't you want to see your byline underneath a headline that says, "Sacré bleu!"

Since I do have a slight and slender build -- even as a frequent patron of Luigi's d'Italia and Magic Wok -- I should have known what you meant. Je regrette. C'est la vie!..But back on topic, I really want to see Bistro Bleu succeed. We need more chef-owned places here in OC, where every other eatery seems to either serve crawfish in trash bags or crab/cream cheese wontons, or have "Alberto's" in its name

Dave Lieberman

Waspish (adj.):

1. like or suggesting a wasp, especially in behavior. 2. quick to resent a trifling affront or injury; snappish. 3. irascibly or petulantly spiteful: waspish writing. 4. having a slight or slender build. And this is an alt-weekly; I wouldn't use the minced oath. The headline would say, "Sacré Dieu et câlice d'hostie de ciboire !" and all the Québécois could be offended.