Actually superior before renovation, but still good basics
Monday, January 19, 2009
having stopped here several times over the years for business, the experience has always been very positively consistent -- which counts for a lot when you are the out of town host out of your element.
after the recent rennovation, there is an obvious emphasis on elbow-to-elbow crennulated seating of 2s (in contrast with the previous slightly wasteful diagonal seating) of 4s on a new golden/sparkly beautiful tiny-pieced roman granite flooring. but there is no extra 6 inches for privacy. the restrooms still are sloppy, and the staff seems less able to understand english (let alone the french menu) -- to the point of embarrasing errors one feels obligated to accept /ignore in order to keep the "flow" going . pidgeon english and pointing at the menu produces better predictable results, but hardly leads to an elegant experience, also, i do not want to be perceived as a cheapskate simply because their WONDERFUL bread deserves to be taken home. the new policy is to bring out a bag/box combo strait to you for you to pack it up in a do-it-yourself minnie pearl tradition. no thanks, except maybe with the grandkids in tow ala marie calendar.
while the food is still of very high quality and of remarkable preparation, the service detracts from the old and still potentially wonderful exprience in so many ways -- from not noticing absentee course silverware which makes the entire party have to wait, to the simply outright misunderstanding an order. and then the dreaded plate-grabbing even though it is quite obvious we are not all quite done, ugh. another instance where the host (me) has to make excuses . what a pain!
Pros: Actual high quality food, even if it's not what you order; parking no problem whatsoever
Cons: Misunderstandings about what you are ordering; English not well handled after seating