Cafe Moutarde

The got the firtes right but the steak was the opposite of fresh. How can you serve an old piece of spoiled steak? It so obviously past its date that only a completely dysfunctional kitchen could put out food like that. Never going back. more

We went to Moutarde one night for dinner on a week night. The place was dead, but the food was phenomenal. We decided to go back on a Saturday night, and the place was packed. The food was significantly different from what we had the previous night?apparently, Moutarde is not capable of juggling many orders at once, and the food suffers for it. Regardless, the food was still pretty decent. My big problem was the service. It took us 10 minutes to get drinks, and 30 minutes to get our appetizers. Our waitress didn't check on us once, and after waiting nearly an hour for our entrees (an hour after we waited a half hour for our appetizers, if you're keeping track) I flagged her down and asked her what the deal was. She was surprised to hear that we hadn't gotten our meals, which further demonstrates her lack of attention to us.\r \r Because the service was so bad, we left a 10% tip, only to find in our credit card statement that the inept staff at Moutarde is also keen to dabble in a little credit card fraud. They had added money to the check, bringing the tip up to 20% rather than the 10% we left that the waitress, quite frankly, didn't deserve.\r \r Even with the good food and atmosphere, the terrible service and CRIMINAL activity will prevent me from ever going back.\r \r Dine at your own risk?and pay with cash. Pros: food, atmosphere Cons: terrible service, credit card fraud more

I come here often with my husband and am always pleased by the extraordinary service, not to mention the delicious food. The burgers at brunch are to die for and I strongly recommend the pan served salmon and goat cheese pillows with the gratin potatoes as a side for dinner. The wines by the glass are not bad but I suggest ordering a french martini or even a bloody mary (very chunky and spicy!) The service is always attentive, but not aggressive. The waitress that we usually have is so warm and genuinely seems to care about our dining experience. Mustard is now my new favorite condiment!!!!! more

Lunch only because the noise level (all hard services) must be horrendous during dinner and I'm also no fan of banquette seating.\r \r If you go for lunch, remember that it's cash only (charge cards for dinner OK).\r \r Since I went on Bastille Day, I expected some sort of celebrative atmosphere, but no.\r \r Service was friendly and the kitchen fast (of course, I was one of three diners). My croque monsieur was a bit dry, and pretty tasty (where was that mustard ""textured zest"" mentioned in the review?) but the included mesclun salad flavorful and generous in portion size. Since clafoutis is something you don't always find on the dessert menu in French bistros, I decided to order it and it was ready --and very tasty-- in a flash. BUT!!! $7 for a small desert (baked in a creme bluelee dish gives you an idea of the size) while my croque was $10. C'mon Moustarde, get real. Where are the values (monetary and moral) here?\r \r Anyway, it was an OK experience, but I wouldn't go back, even for lunch.\r \r I'll give Moustarde 2 stars out of 4 (I don't believe in 5 star inflation).\r \r \r \r Pros: croque monsier with salad, clafoutis Cons: dessert prices, potential noise level, banquette seating more

Maybe I just don't dig french bistros, but I was not overly impressed with Cafe Moutarde. The food was mediocre, the service was a bit better than mediocre, and the restaurant is extremely overpriced. Again, I may just be biased against this type of restaurant. Pros: Good location, nice atmosphere Cons: Overpriced more

It could have been a bad night, or they were down a person, but the place wasn't close to full and we waited for everything. Waited for attention of any kind -- drinks order, arrival of drinks, food order (taken hastily and without explanation and with a little annoyance at questions that might slow the process down) arrival of food, arrival of any kind of extras like mayonnaise (forgotten twice). No correlation to the order in which you were seated and the order in which you were served. And the attitude was cold and unapologetic. Our waitress had perfected the art of avoiding eye contact with inquiring patrons. Food... mediocre. Too bad, as the manager or owner started working the floor, and he appears to care, but couldn't make up for the overall incompetence and lack of caring on the part of his team. Pros: we were not impacted by a meteor Cons: service more

We had a terrible meal there tonight. The new menu is really limited. I ordered the steak as a last resort (because all of my old favorites were removed from the menu) and it was so sinewy I literally could not cut through it. The sauce it came with tasted curdled, so I asked for a different one, but as I could not cut my meat it was a non issue. They removed the meal from the bill, but I would have preferred having an edible meal. The AC was broken, so it was sweltering inside. The new decor was horrible - bright orange walls with murals that looked like they were copied from Disney's Beauty and the Beast. The bathroom area was scary - black walls decorated with toilet paper. My son's salmon looked good, bit he had ordered it with sauce on the side and it did not come out that way. All in all, a really bad experience. Cons: rest rooms not handicapped accessible more

I go there quite often for brunch. The staff have all worked there for a long time and are extremely friendly .... I was there on Mother's Day and it was very busy. So I'm assuming that is why you weren't attended to as you had wished.... but it is just a neighborhood corner bistro. Sounds like you yourself could have had a stiffer Bloody Mary, instead of assuming the staff is drunk - how rude! FYI ... the servers don't serve the food there.... pay attention! You give Park Slopers a bad name!! I love this place ... if you don't go back ..... more chocolate croissants for me!! more

I came in to Cafe Moutarde with my parents on Mother's Day for late brunch. If you can bear the fake French bistro thing, the place has kind of nice charm and is in a good location in park slope. The experience started out kind of weirdly as a waiter glanced up at us when we walked in, held up three fingers to ask ""party of 3?"", put menus down on the table, and walked away (no eye contact, no recognition that we were actually human). \r \r The ditzy blonde waitress who came to take our orders appeared to not really understand the menu and not care too much as long as she could go back to the bar and chat away with the bartender. In fact she was basically so incoherent I wondered whether she was under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. Every item that was brought to the table including drinks were dropped from several inches and made a nice loud clattering as it smacked down on the table. Her depth perception seemed incredibly compromised and every item we ordered required repetition and clarification.\r \r The most embarrasing moment in the meal though came when the entrees we ordered were delivered, not by our waitress but by another waiter, a male who basically brought our dishes and proceeded to set them down on the table, ignorant of which one belonged to which person. As he did so, we corrected him since he didn't seem to care, and he began exchanging them, but in an incredibly casual and frenetic manner that I was surprised the plates didn't tip over as they slammed down on the table. The whole time he had a scowl on his face and he looked disgusted to have to serve us food.This happened very quickly and once the plates were on the table he abruptly walked away.\r \r I can overlook the obnoxious accordian music and pretty bad food, but for the prices you pay even at brunch and the nightmarish service, I would stay away. I was so embarassed for my parents and had to apologize to them profusely afterwards. Save yourself the trouble. Stay away from this place. Pros: in a good location Cons: horrible service, bad food more

I came here with my family for brunch and we were very pleased with the food. It is so pretty inside and I highly recommend the Omelette w/ Wild Mushrooms & Goat cheese and the Banana Pancakes. Our food did not all come out at the same time which was very unfortunate but somewhat understandable as we were a party of 9. Another thing I'd like to mention is that I called a week in advance to see how busy it would be at 11:00 on the following Sunday and I was told by the manager that it would be very quiet and we wouldn't have to wait. I reminded him that we were planning on coming on Mother's Day and he assured me that we would not have to wait if we came at 11. Well, he was completely wrong because when I arrived with my party at 11 the restaurant was COMPLETELY full. Luckily, we had to wait 20 min which wasn't that bad, but it was unfortunate due to the fact that I was with my 80 year old Grandma. I really wish they took reservations... aside from that we had a pleasant experience. Pros: brunch food, pretty/bright restaurant Cons: dishonest manager more

They flat-out LIED to me! I'm a pretty knowledgeable foodie, so I've had my fair share of steaks. I order the ""famous"" Hanger Steak for dinner last night. Imagine my surprise when my plate comes and on it is a rather tiny skirt steak. I know the difference between Hanger & Skirt, but figured I would give them the benefit of the doubt. I asked my waiter to explain the difference, he said there was none. He went to the kitchen, and said they confirmed they are virtually identical, the hanger is just a tad thicker (funny since my steak was only about 1/4"" thick). While most diners probably wouldn't know or care about the difference, I did and they should have fessed up. To top it all off, I odered a Hanger Steak this afternoon for lunch from a fairly well known restaurant in Manhattan, and I received.........an actual Hanger steak! Not a skirt steak, not anything else, but an honest to goodness Hanger steak that is quite different from a skirt. I think NY'ers are pretty knowledgeable when it comes to food, and the kind of deceit demonstrated by Moutardes is just not acceptable. Cons: Misrepresenting their offerings to consumers more

Moutarde is an attactive French cafe / Bistro that serves great food in a charming and inviting dinning room. \r \r My partner and friends have dinned at Moutarde atleast 20 times. We've always had a great dinning experience because of the following reasons.\r \r 1. Most often prompt seating. Definitely faster than some of the other local hot spots.\r 2. Great service. The team is professional, curteous and friendly.\r 3. Always good food. The froie gras is manifique! Amongst many other delicious items.\r 4. The prices can't be beat for the quality of food served.\r \r This is one of our neighborhood's hot spots. We will be back for more.\r \r Viva Moutarde!\r \r I highly recommend you try it.\r \r \r more

I walked in to meet a group of friends a couple of weeks back. I sat at the bar with them in the hopes of getting a cup of coffee while we waited for a patio seat to open up. There were only four of us at the bar and, in five minutes, I asked my friends whether or not they thought the bartender would ever acknowledge my existence. They said they had to ask him to get served to. Again, nobody else was at the bar. Not only that but when one of my friends got up see whether or not a table was opening up the same bartender told her that it was HIS job to look, not hers. Needless to say we left exact change on the bar and went down the street to a place that wanted our business. I'll never go back. more

My husband and I had dinner here last weekend. We had gone once before when my sister and her bo where in town. I love the room and the atmosphere - a true bustling bistro. The food though is very sub par. The effort is there but the follow through is not. I had scallops atop the squash side. The side must have sat on the plate for hours before they added the main item. My husband had the same side and his too was cold. I had to convince my husband to return after the first similar experience and now Im afraid this last visit will be our final dinner at MoutardIm hoping Brunch will save the day. Id hate to never visit the old world style room again. Pros: ambience, service, location Cons: cold food more

The Eggs Benedict here are to die for!! Truly, they are the only dish I've ever ordered but they keep me coming back week after week. Brunch options are limited but worth it. \r Order the bread basket which comes with a croissant, 2 chocolate mini-croissants and 2 pieces of bread, all of which is fresh and delicious.\r The coffee is also amazing! Expensive but worth it!\r I've also never had bad service, contrary to the other reviews here. The waitstaff is friendly and quick and the owner often walks around and mingles with patrons making sure everyone is happy. \r I can only vouch for my experiences, and they've been great. Pros: Eggs Benedict and Coffee = Tres Bien Cons: Semi-Pricey more

I went there last night with my fiance and service was prompt, friendly and curteous. But, their food is terrible. I had the duck, it was the worst thing i have ever eaten. The quality of the meat was terrible and the sauce was something that my 5 year old nephew can throw together. Stay away from this place unless you like bad food. more

At 10:30pm one weekday night, my boyfriend and I and one other couple were the only ones in the restaurant. We recieved amazingly friendly and prompt service. Our waiter was very helpful in offering menu suggestions and when we were curious about the music that was playing, he hurried over to the CD player and brought the CD over for us to check out. Even better than the service though, is the food. The Hanger steak (MUST be ordered with the mustard sauce) was completely amazing, and the terrine and pear appetizer that my date ordered was absolutely phenomenal. We both had three courses and shared a great bottle of wine, and the bill with tip still fell well below $150. If you enjoy hunting out great French spots in NYC, definitely pay Moutarde a visit. Pros: Affordable more

I feel that I give restaurants a fair chance. But I've been to Moutarde three times for dinner and I consistantly receive slow service and mediocre food. The room is designed where noise bounces causing everyone to scream louder to be heard. The decor is fussy and a Disney-fied idea of being ""French."" All this would be dismissible if the service and food was up to par. I appreciate a chef who likes to take chances or can do classics well. Unfortunately, my dish was completely cold and the leeks still had sand in them. And I'm amazed that the chef created a duck breast dish so flavorless. It seems that the chef doesn't know how to marry flavors well. Like I said, I gave the restaurant three times (usually because someone in the party wanted to try it), and trust me there will not be a fourth. Pros: Good location Cons: Mediocre food, Slow service, Disruptive atmosphere more

The food is completely mediocre. I ordered the tuna tartar app that contained so much gristle that no amount of chewing could masticate. In fact, there was so much gristle that the chunks of tuna came out of the kitchen still all connected together. The ratatouille that came with my entrée was nearly devoid of any flavor. It is appalling that they charge as much as they do for such unremarkable fare. The food was so bad that my dining companions did not even finish their meals (but I'll leave it to them to complain here for themselves). I don't understand why people are willing to wait as long as they do for a table here. The food is horrible. The prices are high. Don't eat here if you like food. Cons: mediocre food, high prices, long waits more

We took some family there last night (Party of 4), and were seated at a cramped table. We asked to be moved and they sat us at the only booth in the restaurant. As we were seated, a part or 5 or 6 showed up and a waiter came and asked us if we would be 4 or 6 at the table. After telling him we were 4, he tried to guilt trip us into moving instead of just asking (""Well, I guess the guests will just have to wait 2 hours while you eat, since you're sitting in the only booth in the restaurant."") He hemmed and hawed awhile until finally we just got up and left. Given the level of service and the average quality of the food, there are FAR better places to eat in Park Slope (Cocotte comes instantly to mind.) Pros: Good Prices, Good Food Cons: Lackluster Service, Rude Waitstaff more