Tony A.
Yelp
For this Yelp review I'm going to use a different format than my usual. This review needs to be broken down into subcategories.
*** Service *** 6 Stars!
Far and away the best thing about the night! Andres M. is the absolute best. He has a professional disposition about him, he is attentive with an incredibly warm energy, quite simply an all-around great person. We joked together, talked about past cities we lived in, we spoke about the menu and wine selections. I can't say enough great things about Andres.
***Drinks*** 5 Stars
Our table of 4 split the Evesham Wood Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley) and the Camino de Chile Sauvignon Blanc 2022 which were both excellent and paired well with the SMORGASBORD and the flounder main course.
*** SMORGASBORD / Appetizer *** 5 Stars
Marketed as quote: "Our favorite 3 meats & 3 cheese at the moment. All served with our bread, pickles, mustards, jams, and such. Check the chalkboard and chat with us about today's selections."
Our wives consulted and chalkboard and made the selections. The SMORGASBORD was decadent! All the various little bites paired beautifully with the Pinot and when we were done only crumbs were left. At this point the stage is set, and the bar is set high.
*** Main Course *** 1 Star
Sigh. This section pains my soul. I had the steak frites and I'm disheartened to say it was terrible. Probably one of the worst steaks I've ever had. I don't know what cut of meat it was, but it was chewy like a junk piece of SHANK beef. I've had flank steak that was more tender than the sinewy dryness I was served. There was zero seasoning, not even a dash of salt. I asked for medium rare on the cook and was given medium-well. The frites were the star of the dish and were perfectly cooked and seasoned. I supposed one could argue that the dish originally calls for rump steak and the flavor comes from the Béarnaise sauce but in 2023 we use entrecôte; THANKS. The steak should be able to stand alone on its flavor; period.
Send it back you say? To do what? To magically produce a better raw ingredient, you don't have? I'm not going to wait over 20 minutes for a re-fire when my guests are plowing through under seasoned flounder. I'm going to cut the steak into small pieces, take the L, and just power through. Yep, the fish sucked too. All the dishes photographed well but there was an astonishing lack of seasoning.
*** Dessert *** 4 Stars
The Profiteroles with chocolate sauce helped to rescue the night. They were delicious and we wiped that plate clean too.
When you combine the Profiteroles with A+ service, good wine, and an amazing CHARCUTERIE you end up with 3 stars instead of 1. Overall, we had a wonderful experience celebrating the birthday of our good friend.