lesliewh's Profile
Done with Chez Henri
Last night was my fifth visit to Chez Henri, with our first about ten years ago. We have always enjoyed the atmosphere and found the food to be creative and well-prepared. Among the members of our group last night, we had been there over twenty times in total, so we have been loyal and enthusiastic patrons of the restaurant. However, after disappointing experiences the last two visits (one year apart), we are officially done with Chez Henri.
We arrived 15 minutes early for our table and were not seated for almost an hour. When we were, the excruciatingly slow service began. It took the waiter almost 30 minutes to get us our wine (a vacqueyras which arrived ice cold) and 45 minutes to take our orders. The food was slow coming out, and uneven when it arrived. The pappardelle with rabbit was delicious though underseasoned, the frogs legs very good, ceviche tasty, but bistro salad (two orders) were boring and somewhat tasteless. The main courses were well-prepared: pork chop, chicken, red snapper (special). 15 minutes after we finally were able to order dessert, the bread pudding arrived cold, the creme brulee was disappointing (well-prepared but top had gone cold due to sitting so long), and the coffee was cold as well. We didn't return any of the desserts or ask for a new coffee because at that point, we just wanted to be done with the dinner.
The final straw for the disappointing night was our server. He disappeared for long stretches, was not attentive to our table at all, and then difficult at the end. While I don't want to believe this is the case, we started to wonder whether it was because some of the people at our table had vouchers from Gilt City for a 3-course meal for $55. He asked us at the beginning whether we had any vouchers or coupons, and then told us the restrictions on the menu. We had read that the staff at Chez Henri can cop an attitude for those using coupons, so had wanted to not mention that until the end. When it came time to settle the check, it was a nightmare. It took us 15 minutes to find him, then he brought a check calculated as if we had ordered everything a la carte - we assumed this was so we would know how much tip he was due if we had not had the vouchers. Then he went back and recalculated the check with our vouchers included. I find it hard to believe that patrons who order a prix fixe menu are given a check that indicates what the meal would have cost without the pre-chosen menu, but we were. When he returned our credit cards after we paid, he turned on his heel without a word.
We all understand that in the past, wait staff at many restaurants have been undertipped by those bearing coupons, tipping only on the discounted value. We do not do that, and as repeat customers at Chez Henri, are not people who were only there for a cheap eat. But if the staff has the rude attitude our waiter had last night, they will not receive large tips, and will not get repeat customers who may be venturing in for the first time. And if they resent those with the coupons and vouchers, then don't offer them anymore. Period. I want to point out that we gave him a15% tip of the after-tax amount, which was more than he deserved based on his attitude, but less than we would have tipped had if the service had been good.
I'm sorry to give this review, but disappointed that we had last night's experience. Another good restaurant bites the dust.
so disappointed in Evangeline
Huh! Kept meaning to get back to Evangeline, but now it's too late. Perhaps we weren't the only ones with a really uneven experience in the end.
Blueberry Pie in Kittery/York area
Golden Harvest in Kittery has surprisingly good pies. In Cape Neddick, Pie in the Sky has a good selection though you have to like their crusts - incredibly thick and dense. Call ahead for choices - they do a jumbleberry that is quite delicious.
Weekday breakfast Waltham, Belmont, Lexington area?
I know its open for breakfast during the week; I'm not sure about weekends.
so disappointed in Evangeline
UPDATE:
On Tuesday, I received a very unexpected phone call from Erik Desjarlais, the chef-owner of Evangeline. He knew of our negative experience at Evangeline's and was calling to apologize, explain and make it right. What I appreciated right off is that he wanted to take responsibility for what happened, and didn't try and make excuses. He did explain some of what was happening that night, which was helpful to me, and listened to my input about what would have made the evening go more smoothly. According to him, it was one of those nightmare nights where anything that could go wrong did - "worst night ever in the restaurant" (I got the sense that they were not only short a waitress, but also someone in the kitchen?) I did ask him how he knew that it had gone so wrong for us personally, and he said he was aware during the evening, was slammed in the kitchen so couldn't come out to talk to us, and learned more from the waitress on Monday. I believe it was the curdled cream story that was the clincher.... Who knows if he reads Chowhound, but either way, I'm glad he was aware of how poorly our dinner went. We have been invited to come back to Evangeline for a complimentary dinner so that he can show us a different dining experience. Maybe I'm just a pushover, but I very much appreciated the gesture, and we will give it another try. It gave me hope that chef-owners do care in a tough market what diners want, and also confirmed to me that giving constructive criticism, rather than making a scene, can work for everyone.
Weekday breakfast Waltham, Belmont, Lexington area?
Yes, Via Lago does breakfast but no one really seems to know about it. The menu is not extensive but good, and its a great place to have a breakfast meeting where you need to spread out a bit and not be bothered by either loud conversation or a waiter trying to move you along.
so disappointed in Evangeline
Sounds like one of those places that works well when you can go often enough to forgive the bumps in the road. With all the good choices in Portland though, we sadly won't be giving it another shot. And honestly, in this instance it was all the attitude, which is a shame for the people in the kitchen who are doing their best to turn out great meals.
so disappointed in Evangeline
I get the whole bad night thing, but the service was bad from start to finish, in a restaurant that was 1/3 full. As no one said anything to try and explain why things were screwed up, we had no way of knowing, and as I said, we were pretty patient throughout. We thought about asking for the owner/manager/somebody at the end of the night, but at that point, it just felt better to be done with it all. Its amazing what a smile and an explanation will do, even when the night is going badly, and it would have gone a long way with everyone. I have since read other posts about bad experiences there with service, so I don't think this was a one-off, but appreciate the encouragement to contact the owner. I never like to leave on a bad note.
so disappointed in Evangeline
We went to Evangeline in Portland on Saturday, August 7. We had read some very positive reviews and were deeply disappointed in both the food and service. First, the food. While it was good for the most part, the menu was limited and didn't reflect at all summer tastes, and some items were just off-base. Appetizers were average to good, including overbreaded goat cheese on a beet salad, and a strange chopped salad that was just shredded beyond recognition. The vegetable chowder was delicious, but rich. For entrees, some options were blanquette de veau, lamb navarin, roast pork with white beans.....not very light and summery. It was actually hard to decide what to order because not that much jumped out at us.
However, what really made the evening a bust was the absolutely terrible service. To start, the waitress brought the wrong bottle of wine twice; when my husband noted that the second bottle was the wrong year and clearly wanted to look at the wine list again, she continued to open the bottle. When he stopped her after she had started to cut the top away, she actually said to him, "You seriously don't want this bottle?" Her dirty look pretty much set the tone for the night. She never came over to ask how our courses were, the service was spotty and cursory and generally a noticeable disaster. At the end of the meal, we ordered three desserts; when two of the three came, the pot de chocolate was an empty plate, and we waited ten minutes for the final dessert to arrive. The crowning glory was when our friend ordered coffee with cream and not once but twice, the cream she was given was sour and curdled in her coffee. At this point, my friend said forget it, but they proceeded to bring her a third cup at which point we asked where the rest of the pot de chocolat was. Finally, the original waitress came over and said the woman who brought the coffee wasn't actually a waitress but was helping out because the other waitress had phoned in sick. She then plopped a big dollop of chocolate (don't know where the "pot" was) on my friend's plate, and after waiting ten minutes, the last dessert finally arrived and we could finish the meal.
After all that went wrong, we were disappointed to see no acknowledgement in the bill, including a charge for the coffee we had not wanted after the curdled cream experience. It was bad form and really unfortunate to not have recognized a simple gesture that could have set things a little bit right. I also want to note that we did not hound the waitress, were pretty patient and friendly considering how badly the meal was going, and expected more. At a bare minimum, she could have told us at the beginning of the evening that they were short staffed, instead of copping an attitude and providing uneven and rude service. The restaurant was 1/3 full, so its not as if they were slammed with a busy summer night.
We go out every August with these friends when they visit, and have had consistently wonderful meals at many great Portland restaurants, including Bresca, Fore Street, Hugo's, 555 and more. Evangeline is our first bad choice. Next time, we will start with a drink at Local 188 across the street and stay for dinner.....
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Fore Street
288 Fore Street, Portland, ME 04101
Bresca
111 Middle Street, Portland, ME 04101
Local 188
685 Congress St, Portland, ME 04102
Evangeline
190 State St, Portland, ME 04101
where can I buy fresh fish in ogunquit?
Sounds counterintuitive, but you can't buy fresh fish in Ogunquit. You can get lobsters and steamers fresh at Beach Plum Farm north of town on Route 1, but that's as close as it gets.
The Meat House, Arlington
We have been longtime fans of the Meat House in York and Wells, and am so happy that they are open in Arlington. We went in today, and were really pleased by the selection. I wasn't accosted by anyone, or offered a tour, but was served very quickly by a helpful employee. One of the things I love about the Meat House is that they are well-trained, know their meat and are very professional. There really are no good butchers around the area, unless you want to go to Whole Foods, where I have had some uneven experiences and feel like I need to sell the family jewels to pay for my purchase. The staff at the Meat House know their product, aim to please, confirm what kind of cut you want, and basically want to keep the customer coming back. I was also happy to see that they are carrying some of the same prepared foods (salsas, artichoke dip) etc from the Maine stores which are made in NH and very good and fresh. I had a chance to talk to the manager and he couldn't have been nicer and more responsive to being part of the community. Anyone who had a weird experience - go back and see it again once the opening jitters have settled down. Its a real addition to the area.
Small Plates in Cambridge
Thanks for the feedback, all. We did end up going last Friday night (party of 5) with a little trepidation and were pleasantly surprised, particularly after reading the disappointed reviews. We ordered two tapas platters (one hot, one cold) which had a nice mix of items, including a brie with poached fruit on the warm platter, and several spiced dips (hummous, goat cheese) on the cold platter. We had three tapas as well: pissaladiere, duck, japanese eggplant - all were well-spiced and worked well together. For the main courses, two had paella (has to be ordered by two), one had the petit filet, and two had the sun and sea: scallops with black sticky rice and baby lamb chops with demi-glace. Everyone was happy with their food - it was well-prepared, cooked as requested and very good quality. Desserts were also very good: pear frangipane tart, creme caramel, and coconut rice pudding. They were probably the weakest link in the evening.
Our server was very good and informed, though she had an amusing habit of mispronouncing things she clearly had never heard of before she worked there - pissaladiere was "pizza-ladiere", for example. The restaurant was lively (read noisy), which is heightened by the fact its a converted house with smallish rooms. I wouldn't go with more than 6 people on a busy night. However, the noise wasn't overwhelming and just gave the restaurant a good energy. As for the menu in general, there were enough choices that we all could find something that made us happy. I will note that the food options and menu were a little bit confused, as if the owners didn't quite know which culinary tradition they were trying to reflect. So the afore-mentioned pissaladiere, a traditional french tart with olives, tomatoes and anchovies, had blue cheese, proscuitto and various other things that had nothing to do with the original. They offer things "a partager", but then have tapas...and to get the American feel in there, they offer mini-burgers. The mixed metaphors and multiple food personalities, however, did not detract from a surprisingly excellent meal. I would go back, as would all of my foodie tablemates - even the picky one!
Last minute weekend visit to Boston...where to eat? help!
It will be next to impossible to get a last-minute reservation at Oleana unless you want to eat at 5:30 or 9:30. As for the don't miss: Harvest would be a definite for a an excellent seasonal-menu restaurant, Neptune for the seafood, Hammersly's in the South End (also a lively area to walk around), also in the South End B & G Oysters (with Butcher Shop right across the side street for a great drink while you wait for your table), Hungry Mother is great and innovative, southern twist on the food and a little funky if you like that, Helmand for Afghan cuisine and a real Cambridge feel. I haven't been to EVOO in a few years but it is always good; across the street is Dali which is spanish. Best bets for New England spin on the food would be Hammersly's, B & G Oysters and Harvest. Best for casual seafood would be Summer Shack, but go to Alewife, as its more lively.
Small Plates in Cambridge
Has anyone eaten at Small Plates recently? We are looking to go out as a group of 6 next Friday and thought this would be good to try. Curious about atmosphere and range of food - there is one picky person amongst us who will be looking to find fault!
Recommendations near Harvard Square and Kendall Stations
We were looking at Small Plates for a 6 person dinner. Can you recommend it?
Top Foodie Destination in New England?
I've had a second home in Ogunquit for a long time so have seen lots of comings and goings. Consistently great and worth it are Provence (prix fixe menu is recommended for those who want a very good meal at a reasonable price), Joshua's in Wells which is open year round (antique home, great food, lovely setting, no pretense whatsoever even though its a special feeling place), Five-0 has become really expensive, unfortunately. Shore Cafe had a great first season post-renovation - stylish food and fun vibe. We're personally over Arrows - great marketing, but we have had some pretty uneven meals there despite the astronomical prices, and the attitudes are just too much. When the weather is good, stop at Lucia's Kitchen on Route 1 in Cape Neddick; she makes interesting food (with a cuban twist at times) which is great to take home or eat on a picnic. BTW, she used to be the pastry chef at Arrows years ago.
On the bigger debate of Portland v. Burlington, I don't know Burlington at all, but the restaurants in Portland are just phenomenal - great range of choices, style of cooking and great atmosphere. Not an attitude to be found!
Know a good breakfast place in Andover near 93?
Thanks all for the recommendations. We ended up in a Starbucks in Andover for 3 hours - no restaurant would have put up with that!
Know a good breakfast place in Andover near 93?
Thanks for the suggestion. I just read a few reviews on Yahoo though, that made it sound like the staff at Shawsheen can be really obnoxious and rush you along. I want to be able to sit for a few hours and enjoy - not the place for that?
Restaurant Supply Store in Lexington/Bedford/Arlington area?
As to the Penzey's versus China Merchandise debate, the spice bags at China Merchandise are really large, much more geared to the trade in terms of quantity. Penzey's ends up being inexpensive if you need just a little bit of some weird specialty spice - they'll have it and in a small container. As for the Concord Shop, its great and has every kind of specialty item. While not cheap, its pretty comprehensive, and its nice to support a local store that's been around forever rather than Williams and Sonoma. Just be sure to wander down a few storefronts to the Cheese Shop, where you'll think you've died and gone to heaven..if you like cheese, that is.
Know a good breakfast place in Andover near 93?
I'm meeting a friend on Saturday in Andover and would love to do it over breakfast. I need to stay near 93 for easy access to next engagement. Does anyone have any good suggestions? We're not picky - just a place we can hang out for awhile and catch up while eating good food, diners included.
Kaffir Lime Leaves?
Where have you found a kaffir lime tree online? I remember seeing one years ago in the White Flower Farm catalog, but haven't seen one since. I'd like to get one for me and one for a friend who I did a Thai cooking class with years ago. Thanks in advance.
Summer Winter Restaurant in Burlington
Has anyone eaten here yet? I'm very familiar with the other restaurants by the owners/chefs (Arrows and MC at Perkins Cover) and was curious how their concept has translated to a suburban hotel dining experience.
Kaffir Lime Leaves?
I don't know where you live, but there is an Asian food store in Burlington that almost always has them packaged frozen. Its called China Merchandise on Route 3 (get off 128 Route 3 towards Burlington); go about 1/2 mile and its on the right in a mini mall, right after the Hess gas station. Burlington High School football field will be on your left. This is also great for all kinds of Asian specialty foods from Indian to Japanese to Thai and more
Ok, Summer Shack didn't suck today
I missed the original thread, so here's my opinion. We go to the Summer Shack every few months or so (Cambridge location) and I'm of the "it's ordinary" school of thought. However, its easy with teenagers, and their margaritas are good (for us, not the teens...), so we don't mind. My strategy is to order several appetizers rather than a main course; I find their mains are boring, unattractive and overpriced. Appetizers tend to be fresher and more interesting; another friend who has the same opinion of it tried the appetizer strategy recently and it worked for her as well.
Pinxo vs. l'Atelier Maitre Albert - please advise
We've narrowed down our restaurant choices for our impromptu trip to Paris next week, and will be eating at 404 and Au Fil de Saisons two of our three nights. We can't find much about Pinxo and have read either raves or pans of Maitre Albert; we have dueling reservations at both.
We leave Tuesday - please help!
best panini sandwiches?
Just saw this old post and had to update the reference to Dave's - Dave's Fresh Pasta in Davis Square. He expanded into the space next door (maybe last year?) and has added an amazing panini menu, as well as wines and all kinds of cool food products, many locally made (one example would beTaza Chocolate made in Somerville - delicious). Highly recommended - and that's before you load up with ravioli, gnocchi and pasta made there.
Paris next week - restaurant decisions to make
Hi fellow gourmands:
My husband and I are going to Paris next week for 3 nights, and need to narrow down our list. The trip is somewhat impromptu, thus the last minute dash for places to eat. We're not looking for 3-star experiences, or food overload, but rather just an excellent range of places to eat. We consider the vibe and service to be as important as the food, so are looking for places that are wonderful, relaxed and can cook their brains out. We lived in Paris for two years awhile back, so are not intimidated by either food or the language. We're staying in the Marais but are not limited by location.
Here's where we are so far:
Pinxo
Le Souk (or)
404
Au Fil de Saisons (have for lunch and are trying for dinner)
L'Atelier Maitre Albert (husband's idea; I've seen some not so great reviews from Chowhounders)
Carre des Feuillants - too elaborate
I have read that Chez Denise is closed while we're there, and have heard of Chez Clovisse as a potential replacement?
Thanks in advance for your wise counsel.
Vacation Ideas
I found this on an Anguilla search, and I'm not sure why. BUT from a food and mellow standpoint, I would strongly recommend this island. While definitely not cheap, and definitely no all-inclusives in sight, its an amazing place to kick back, relax with a book and your one true love and eat the best meals you've had in the Caribbean for a long time We've enjoyed Tasty's, Hibernia, E's Oven and a few lunch joints and have been very happy with the results (as long as you have patience for the service - island time, after all). Meals to come will include Blanchards, Straw Hat and Trattoria Tramonto. We're staying at the Carimar, which is very reasonable for Anguilla and on a beautiful beach. To boot, you're right next the Malliouhana, and you can mooch off their (pricey) spa for a belatad-honeymoon treat.
Enjoy wherever you end up -
