We went on Friday night, after I found out about ""cutbacks"" at my office. Enjoyed a lovely glass of wine with the equally lovely bartender, then moved to a table. The service was great except for our waiter, who seemed uninterested in helping us--though we were his ONLY table for at least an hour.\r
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We had some questions about the wine list, in particular a budget-priced Hungarian white. He couldn't tell us anything about it, went to the bar, came back and told us that the bartender said the wine was pretty much as the menu described it. Hmm. Helpful. So, we went with the even more budget-friend Cotes de Rhone. It was drinkable, but I really would have liked to have spent a few more bucks for something interesting. Minimal salesmanship could have gotten us to order the other. \r
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The food was.....eh. A big eh. I have lived in both France and New York for years, and I don't think I can remember ever being served sliced bagged bread at a ""french"" restaurant in either location. It wasn't even heated. The appetizers (basically baked cheeses on salad) were fine. I mean, you can deep-fry brie and please just about anyone. Entrees=disaster. I went simple with the poulet frites. The chicken was terribly overcooked, and the fries were pathetic. Even my date wouldn't eat them, and this man loves himself some fries. Even the salad was sadly dressed. His salmon and couscous was covered with a sweet sauce that I found cloying, and the fish was overcooked too. I spied on tables around us that had ordered off the regular menu--the food looked equally anemic, including the pricier frites.\r
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Dessert was unusually (almost offensively) large, with the pot-de-creme taking the prize over the limp, unheated apple tart. The coffee we ordered was so burnt that I could smell it before it had even left the waiter's tray. GROSS.\r
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The only time I saw a flash of genuine human interest from our waiter was when he realized that I -- not my date -- would be paying. Pathetic.
Pros: Nice space, bar
Cons: Table service, lack of interest, anemic food
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