I had very high hopes for this ideally situated bistro in the middle of Fourth St, Berkeley. It has a great ambiance on a sunny weekend with outdoor seating. I had great expectations with the raspberry lemonade running $5 and the average main dish costing between $15-$20. I ordered the Steak Frites ($18, I could pay that much for a dinner entree in the city) and wine, my husband ordered spaghetti (which was fabulous) and one of three Belgium beers. The staff had not been educated on the beers and had no knowledge at all on any of the foreign beers served so when asked for a recommendation he merely gave a shrug. Anyway, my steak fritte arrived and it was fantastic! Cooked as ordered at medium with a side of pomme frittes. I was thoroughly enjoying my meal when I saw a HAIR!!! I'm not one to complain usually, but I took this opportunity to send it back. After half an hour of waiting (my husband already finished his meal) they served another Steak Frittes. No Hair this time, BUT it was overcooked. This was well done and dry. The first one having been perfect (save the stray hair) served as a point of reference so I was very disappointed. I finished what I could and discreetly mentioned to the server that again, the first meal had been delicious (despite the hair) but the replacement had been overcooked and not served as requested. I received an apology, but was disappointed to receive a bill for the full price of our meal. Not sure if it's a lot to expect that a restaurant would comp a meal that was served unacceptably wrong twice in a row. I'm sorely disappointed that such a promising meal went so awry and am sad to say that I could not trust going to this establishment again. This is the first time I've been so disturbed by a restaurant that I felt the need to write a review... It could have been such a pleasant experience, so I'm very frustrated..."
Pros: allows dogs in outdoor area, patio seating - nice ambiance on sunny day
Cons: staff not knowledgeable, poor customer service, despite pricey lunch - HAIR IN FOOD
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