madbaker | Not bad by any stretch. Just warning signs. (Reply)

We took my dad out for a birthday dinner last Saturday. He really wanted to go to a local French restaurant in Fremont (despite my hinting that he could come into San Francisco), and well - his birthday means he calls it. It's been around for quite a few years and the place is old-school Fronch/Continental. Tin ceiling, heavy drapes, crepes Suzette and baked Alaska. No sole meuniere, though.

Anyway: the meal was good. I didn't feel we overpaid. My dad really liked it, and that's the main thing.

However... little things that might not get consciously noticed that detract from the experience, and make you not put it on the list of places to which you want to return. The wife and I came up with a short list while dissecting the meal during the drive home.

The bread was a commercial dutch crunch-type, not heated, tasted like it had just come out of the bag. Not stale, just not fresh.
My duck breast was served well-done rather than rare. I didn't send it back, and it wasn't bad. Just not as good as it could have been. Also, the peaches underneath were canned. It's stone fruit season! There's no excuse for a fine dining place to use canned peaches.
The wife's "Kobe beef" entree was essentially a beef daube. Tasty. But a braised beef dish means that they are using the tough, cheap parts and trying to trade on the Kobe name.

Warning signs that point to a restaurant in decline. Either the kitchen doesn't care, or - more likely - they are trying to scrimp because they aren't getting enough customers and hoping that it doesn't get noticed. The trouble is that it usually does. If this place was in San Francisco, it probably would have gone under by now.