Exactly 50 years ago, I took my wife to this restaurant on our very first date, possibly called by a different name at that time. So, we decided to celebrate the occasion and go to Bastien's on the same date, half a century ago.
After parking 3 blocks away because they don't have enough parking, we arrived at Bastien's and were promptly seated. The restaurant was so noisy that we could not hear each other and carry a normal conversation, so my wife moved and sat next me.
My wife ordered the NY strip, and I went for their special, T-Bone and lobster tail. We both ordered French onion soup. We also ordered Escargot as appetizer. Here is our dinner experience:
The Escargot was excellent, as was the French onion soup, so far so good!
My wife's NY strip was a bit too tough, but manageable. Definitely not the best steak we have ever had, not even close! The very small lobster tail was done to perfection, and we shared it.
My T-Bone, which was supposed to be 16-oz was thin and looked nothing close to a pound of meat, even after allowing for cooking shrinkage. But, that was not the problem at all. The problem was that my streak was so tough and grainy that I could barely cut it with the steak knife. After about 10 minutes, I was finally able to get our server's attention and explain to her that I could not eat that wonderful "special". All she said was "sorry, I will tell them", and walked away!
Not satisfied, I went downstairs and explain the situation to the manager. She claimed that the server offered a replacement, and that I refused! If that were the case, then there would have been no need for me to go and chase the manager down. I asked for any meat that was tender, regardless of how small, and she agreed.
After waiting another 15 minutes, and eating some of my wife's steak and potatoes, my replacement dish arrived, but by then, I had lost my appetite.
When the bill arrived, I noticed that they had deducted my dish, however, we were charged for both my wife and my soup (both were supposed to be included in our orders)! Not a big deal, but a very classless act!!!
One interesting observation: when a server, who turned out to be the manager, was setting up the table next to us, she had the silverware in one hand and four cloth napkins under her left armpit - not very sanitary, is it!? After seeing that, we both put our napkins aside and used the tissues from my wife's purse.
We were really looking forward to a pleasant and memorable experience. Unfortunately, our experience was anything but pleasant and memorable! Needless to say, we will not go back. Too Bad! read more