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Soured on Pot au Feu

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We went out to dinner last night at Pot au Feu here in Providence. Having previously eaten in their informal "Bistro" section, we figured we'd give the more formal "Salon" a try. Big mistake. I doubt we'll ever eat in Pot au Feu's Salon again.

Save the table by the kitchen for last

Things started out poorly as soon as we walked in the door. The salon was only about one third full, with plenty of tables available. However, despite the vast availability of tables, they decided that they would seat us at the table next to the kitchen entrance. I really dislike listening to the clank of dishes and silverware from the kitchen while trying to eat, so I asked that they reseat us at one of the tables by the windows. While they accomdated our request, they didn't seem pleased by it.

Bland, bland, bland

We both decided to go with the prix fixe option for dinner, which includes an appetizer and a salad for $10 more than the cost of your entree. It being a french restaurant, we had to get the escargot and the pâté. The escargot were served in the traditional style, in the shell. This seemed to keep them from absorbing the garlic in which they were cooked, leaving them a bit bland. We also found the house pâté (chicken liver, flavored with brandy and shallots) to be quite bland as well.

Can't screw up a salad

Next up were our salads. We both chose the Salad Verte, a basic salad of greens topped with a mustard vinagrette. Seeing as it is rather hard to botch a salad, these were fine. In fact, the mustard vinagrette made it the most flavorful dish we had.

Go easy on the heat next time

Last up were our entrees. My partner ordered the Sole au Francais and I ordered the Coquilles St. Jacques et Crevettes a la Maison. Any true seafood lover would consider both of these dishes as served to be abominations. The sole was overdone, had the general consistency of paste and was quite flavorless. My scallops and shrimp were both extremely overdone as well. When I commented to the waiter that the scallops has been overdone, he replied "The chef does them like that for liability reasons." Any chef who is so concerned with liability to abuse scallops in that manner should be taken out and flogged. Scallops should be lovingly seared on either side and just warmed in the middle, not hard as a rock. A few minutes later the waiter returned and informed me that in the future, if I would like my scallops done to a lesser degree that I should specify that when ordering. Unfortunately, there will not be a next time.

The owner's behind

Lastly, the coup de grâce for the evening was the lovely experience of having proprieteur Bob Burke's derrière at eye level, mere inches from the edge of our table, for fifteen or so minutes while he hobnobbed with his socialite friends from the Barrington Yacht Club. I understand that it is his restaurant and all, but my partner and I found it rather rude and inconsiderate of him to stand there for so long chatting up his friends.

The verdict

In all honesty, we were both underwhelmed by Pot au Feu's "Salon". We both found the food to be overpriced ($32 for three overdone scallops and shrimp), of mediocre preparation and generally lacking in lustre. The salon seems to be a place for Bob Burke's yacht club friends to come, dine and feel continental. They should do themselves a favor and go get a better meal elsewhere. While we might return to the Bistro in the future, we definitely won't be going back to the Salon.

Posted by John on March 27, 2005