If my mom was writing this, she would say that she felt like all eyes were on her during our dinner the other night. That was all I kept hearing from her:
"Why won't the server look at you at all when he comes over here?"
"The manager is staring me down from where she's sitting.. over there. Why is she staring me down? This is uncomfortable. Oh.. she's coming over here now. --pause, looks to manager-- Yes! The food is good, thanks. --pause, looks back at me-- Goodness, can I just eat my meal in peace?"
We had gone to Noir for EPRW. They were serving a 3-course, $25-pp meal, which didn't include a dessert portion but was still a good deal.
Upon walking in, we were greeted with an expansive, semi-dark and largely empty bar area. We walked back to the smallish dining area and were greeted and seated at a four-top. Soon thereafter, another party of two was seated at the four-top behind me and I was successfully wedged into my little area. Thank goodness I am not claustrophobic. Saying the tables here are close together is an understatement.
We were given food and drink menus, and you have to ask about their taps if you want beer. We then ordered our meals (and this was the last time the server acknowledged that I existed, but hey -- I'm used to it by now when dining out with my mom. Clearly I have nothing to offer servers since I'm young. ..But can you imagine if I had been treating that night??)
Started off with a small loaf of bread. Pretty basic bread. I have no complaints.
Next were the salads. I chose the traditional caesar for mine. I also have no complaints. Ate every bite of that salad. My mom chose the spinach salad. She ate every bite aside from the cheese -- and really should have given me the cheese. I'll never understand how she doesn't like cheese.
After that, I had the "mozzarella sandwich," and I'm still confused as to how it was a sandwich. It appeared to be cheese inside breading with chunks of tomatoes and olive oil, which to me is a modified form of, um, mozzarella sticks. Just smaller. A slightly odd choice for a "second course," but I'm a light eater so it was filling enough for me. But for people expecting to pick it up and eat it like a sandwich... you're out of luck here. Meanwhile, my mom had the risotto balls for her second course and she really enjoyed them.
For our main and final course, I chose the chicken pot pie and really wish I had not. I think I should've opted for the Montreal Burger. It would've been better, I think, if the filling was within the pie crust, rather than having a floating biscuit-type thing on top of the mix. Additionally, the bottom of the biscuit was burnt, so I peeled it off. Plus, the biscuit itself just simply did not taste that good. Not to mention, I didn't know that the filling would have full mushrooms in it, so I picked them all out. It would've been awesome if their menu actually had detailed descriptions of their food on it rather than just saying, "chicken pot pie with roasted vegetables." Oh, well.
My mom had the penne a la vodka and said the sauce was different than she was used to, but wasn't bad. I tried a piece, and it definitely was not my thing, but hey, I'm sure some people like it.
After this meal, I think I'd only come back to Noir to sit at their bar and try a burger. I had their hot dog concoction at a hot dog festival last summer (just confirmed on my Instagram -- it was one of the first photos I ever posted!) and loved it, so I think they're more of a casual, fun place than a three-course RW type. read more