Saturday, April 14, 2012

REVIEW - Le P'tit Laurent

Not worth the schlepp out to Glen Park, especially as we have so many great French restaurants in the City (L'Ardoise, Chez Papa, Chez Spencer, Garcon et al).

P'tit Laurent doesn't impress with its food, ambience, or decor. It looks like it's been laid out by a decorator with Tourettes and a box of leftovers from a day trip to Paris. There's a mass-produced French poster (Lillets, Folies Bergeres, Tattinger, you know the derivatives) on every inch of wall, and where there isn't, it's filled with Pastis and Ricard ads.

Musically, the French have never led the field, and last night the owners didn't even try to set the scene. No Edith Piaf. No Yves Montand. No Maurice Chevalier. No, they had Country & Western! I'm no expert on any of these, but I'm pretty sure those last two have no place in an allegedly French restaurant.

The tables were jammed into what space is left by the intruding bar, and with that being full of eaters and drinkers it gave the impression we were eating in a French pub.

That would have been OK, if we were eating decent French food. 

We shared (correction: I ordered, and Pavey stole) the Foie Gras pate, which was OK but was accompanied by some cold, dark onions that belonged in a 2 day-old burger. For our entrees, Pavey had the halibut (again "OK" but was joined by a dollop of "too-buttery" mashed potato) and I had the Casoullet (duck, pork, and Toulouse sausage, with beans), and while it too was OK, it didn't come within a yard of the last Casoullet I had, at Bistro Jeanty in Napa.

It sounds like it deserves a RANT, but that would be putting it down too much, and ignoring the fact that I was there with my other, better, beautiful half. 

It was her choice, so I have to give it a bit of stick.

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