If this is a representation of the French doing food well, I think I'll stick to cooking until I hit Italy. I arrived on a Friday night. I thought there would be no space for me since it was the weekend and this place has such great reviews, but there were plenty of tables open (around 9:30 pm). The hostess still asked me if I had a reservation. I said no, and she looked at me like there was a problem. I said, "If it's just me, do I need one eyeing the empty tables nonchalantly. One of your former servers said I should come here to celebrate my birthday, which is today." She said, "Oh, just you? Okay. Oh, and happy birthday." And, she walked me to my table. We then quickly chatted about the recommender--a waitress I had in London who was very nice but one of the worst waitresses I have ever had--forgetting to bring things despite asking her three times, dropping things, etc. Based on the quality of her service, I should have known to steer clear of her recommendation! But, I keep trying not to let my deductions get the best of me...
Either way, she then brought me the menu, and then another person came to actually take my order. I told them I wanted something that wasn't red meat, but other than duck, it seemed they didn't have it on the menu. So, I opted for steak (€30) and a side of mashed potatoes (€3). In the short ten minutes it took them to prepare my food, I thoroughly enjoyed the bread with the most amazing butter I've eaten in a long time, along with a few cuts of some kind of salami. Then came the steak. It was huge, which made me feel a bit better about spending €30 on it. But, then came the flavor--it tasted about as bland as steak can be when it's been frozen or sitting in the refrigerator for too long, taking away all its flavor. And the sauce to top it? Well, that seemed like it was straight out of some can. I gagged down five bites, and then ate my mashed potatoes (which were fine but nothing exceptional) to fill up. At the end of those five bites, a non-English-speaking server came over to ask if I was finished; I guess they really wanted me out of that seat! With the help of my new friends at the next table, I told him no, but flagged him down a few minutes later to ask him to wrap up my steak. Meanwhile, I eyed my neighbor's food... some kind of fish, which clearly must have been a special I was never told about, but wish I had been, as it may have completely changed my experience here! Terrible error on their part not telling me the specials and terrible luck for me not knowing they had any... despite specifically asking for the optionS (plural tense emphasized) that weren't red meat.
My hostess then came back and asked me what I wanted for dessert. I told her I thought I'd skip dessert given I didn't think the steak was good and was skeptical about the quality of the dessert. She ignored my comment about the steak (which still had not been brought back to me wrapped up) and told me a bit more about the desserts. I told her I was fine and just wanted the check. She never came back.
After waiting several minutes for the check (and watching the chef speak with the table next to me but never once ask me why I barely touched my meat), I googled the etiquette in France about getting the check, and apparently they only bring it once you signal them. I had already asked the hostess for it, but maybe she was accustomed to providing the quality of service that her London friend was, so I flagged down another server. He brought my check, and I left cash for the bill, including a small tip (yes, I know they don't expect tips in Paris, and I know my service and food sucked and I didn't even get my leftovers... but it felt wrong not to leave a little something!). It turns out they took my steak and threw it out, so the 90% of the steak that I didn't eat--that perhaps I could have salvaged for a stew or something or just given to the homeless man I saw a few blocks away on my walk home--was gone.
Bottom line: You get a big portion for the high prices they charge, but the quality is terrible, the service is terrible (including me getting no response to my email to them telling them about my poor experience), and apparently they don't give you your leftovers even if you ask. Epic fail. Terrible birthday dinner that I will recelebrating in Italy. Steer clear of this place and spend your hard-earned money elsewhere! read more