Seamless service hightlights our experience here
R and I visited Bistro Francais for brunch last Sunday; this was his second visit, my first.

The atmosphere was slightly offbeat -- bright lighting, a mix of Art Deco and bland decor features and a relatively high, but not annoying, noise level. Tables are somewhat crowded together, at least in the side of the restaurant where we were seated (the restaurant is divided into two large rooms, with the entry hall in the middle).

In an exception to our usual dining habits, R and I ordered the same entree: Eggs Benedict, which was served with a house salad, fries and unlimited champange.

The food was OK -- nothing remarkable, but nothing unpleasant, either. The eggs were poached well, the hollandaise was average and the muffins were...well, they tasted a bit old. The fries were thin and slightly crispy, although a bit too well salted for my taste. R asked that his fries be very well done; he didn't notice much of a difference between his and mine, but he was satisfied with the results anyway.

The salad was nice -- I was pleasantly surprised that the dressing didn't have vinegar in it, yet it also didn't have the taste of mayo. It went well with the champange, which was another pleasant surprise. It wasn't Crystal, but it was a better-than-expected French wine. We had coffee before we left -- again, it was ok...maybe a bit on the weak side for most folks, though.

Our service was excellent and seamless -- so much so that I felt compelled to speak to the manager after we ate (and that's a very unusual occurance for me). Our server, Andy, was unobtrusive yet attentive enough that we didn't have to ask for anything except napkins when we first sat down. He looked rather shocked when he realized there weren't any on our table.

There was one service touch that had us biting our lips so as not to laugh aloud: when Andy brought our entrees, a man in a business suit followed him to the table to offer us ketchup. We declined, politelyand giggled about it thoughout the meal, wondering if he was the official ketchup manager or if we'd have been ejected if we had said that of course we wanted ketchup. I found out later that he was the restaurant manager...it's nice to know that a "suit" actually pitches in and helps the wait staff even when the restaurant is not horribly busy.

Smoking is not permitted in Bistro Francais, which is good news for non-smokers, but smokers find it somewhat off-putting, given that the two rooms are solidly set apart in the building.

Sunday brunch, if you like unlimited champange, is a good value at Bistro Francais. It could be great if the kitchen were on the same par as the service.    [09 Sep 2003 09:48:12]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 

     ­Deborah Rosen