Our French Anniversary

[davidbdesilva]

My wife and I celebrated our 22nd anniversary this weekend with an overnight stay in the city. We decided on staying at Sofitel and enjoyed the hotel very much. Modern, well appointed, and chic without being pretentious. When booking online I mentioned that it was our anniversary and when we got to our room a complimentary bottle of champagne along with a little vase of baby roses were awaiting, a very nice touch.

Well, at the last minute we also decided to get tickets to Cirque (Quidam) and the show was amazing (as usual) and my wife enjoyed it immensely. Given that we were staying at a French hotel and seeing a French circus, we decided to stay with the theme and have a French meal. Our first choice, Pif, was closed due to vacation. Le Bar Lyonnaise was booked and we wanted to stay casual. Given that, I decided to give Patou a try (over Caribou Cafe), hearing some good things from people. Well I am sorry to say that it was one of the worst meals I've ever had in Philadelphia and will never return. We found the atmosphere cheap and IKEA-ish and the service amateurish. Now onto the food: started with a lobster Mille Feuille in which the lobster was overdone and tough, moved onto horrible entrees of mushy skate wing that had quite an odd taste and flavorless halibut. The combinations that they put together in there entrees we found quite odd as well. For example, a ginger red snapper with feta cheese and the tomato, sweet potatoes, and eggplant accompanients to my wife's halibut. We ended with profiterols that were made in a thick, clumsy pastry. None of the food was good at all.

I questioned whether it could actually be Patrice Rames cooking, but on a Saturday night perhaps it was. Even if it wasn't, any sous chef should be able to cook better than that! The only saving graces were that a really good jazz quartet showed up and we had a great bottle of Sept Grains Riesling (remember how good it was when shared with Philiadining and Katie at a restaurant in Chinatown). I guess in baseball 2 outta 3 is pretty good, but on your anniversary it isn't. Luckily I have a very forgiving and beautiful wife who didn't seem to mind.

Edited July 24, 2006 by davidbdesilva (log)

[KatieLoeb]

Hi David:

So sorry to hear about your awful experience at Patou. I must confess I've never been over there (not quite sure why ) but the meal you've described sounds perfectly awful, special occasion or not!

Good thing you had the yummy wine with you. And I'm glad the hotel was so nice. You'd probably have been better off staying for dinner at Chez Colette at the Sofitel. I've had some very nice lunches there and it would have remained within your French themed anniversary. Or perhaps steak frites at Brasserie Perrier??

Happy Anniversary!! Next time let me get you a reservation at Amada...

[davidbdesilva]

Thanks Katie. Amada is our favorite place to dine in Philadelphia but we wanted to try something different. I thought about Chez Colette but for some reason I am always hesitant about hotel restaurants (not sure why). We wanted to stay casual (jeans) so we shied away from restaurant row places. I think Caribou Cafe would have been much better (then again, anything would have been). I was surprised to see the Sept Grains on their wine list and for a fairly decent price ($39). It really did not put a damper our damp but very pleasant night out. We ended with drinks and cigars in the nice hotel bar (The Bourse). Stay at the Sofitel, see Cirque many times, but stay away from Patou, oui?

[KatieLoeb]

Ah. OK. For some reason I had it in my head that Patou was BYOB and the Sept Grains is a great bring-with wine when you don't know ahead what you're ordering. That really isn't a bad markup for a wine list price at $39.

And oui. I shall heed your advice.

[Andrew Fenton]

We found the atmosphere cheap and IKEA-ish and the service amateurish.

Too bad, because I know you were looking for the real French-style service: professional, but oh, so very very disdainful. I KID, I KID.

Sorry you had a disappointing dinner, David! But I agree that the Sofitel is very nice. I like the bar there, too; it's a good place to go for a drink. (And I mean, a drink, unless you're on an expense account.)

[davidbdesilva]

Good to hear from you Dr. Fentonstein! I would have gladly taken rude and disdainful over what we got anytime!!! And yes, the drinks at the hotel bar are quite steep ($12 for a cocktail!). Are you back from your Italian stay good doctor?

[Vadouvan]

that had quite an odd taste and flavorless halibut. The combinations that they put together in there entrees we found quite odd as well. For example, a ginger red snapper with feta cheese and the tomato, sweet potatoes, and eggplant accompanients to my wife's halibut. We ended with profiterols that were made in a thick, clumsy pastry. None of the food was good at all.

I questioned whether it could actually be Patrice Rames cooking, but on a Saturday night perhaps it was. Even if it wasn't, any sous chef should be able to cook better than that!

David how are you, sorry to hear about your horrible experience.

This illustrates what we talk about in other threads regarding uncontrolled expansion. Patrice whom I know very well is a good friend. Unfortunately his talents were best exhibited when he was in St Tropez. Patou has never quite defined itself nor focused on a food concept and it really shows that intangible aspect that chefs find very difficult, the strong Sous Chef who actually knows how to cook and season food as well as the chef.

Believe it or not .........thankfully, the Sofitel's restaurant is actually worse and may be the most horrifying food in Philadelphia, great place to stay though.

Happy anniversary.

[Rich Pawlak]

Thanks Katie. Amada is our favorite place to dine in Philadelphia but we wanted to try something different. I thought about Chez Colette but for some reason I am always hesitant about hotel restaurants (not sure why). We wanted to stay casual (jeans) so we shied away from restaurant row places. I think Caribou Cafe would have been much better (then again, anything would have been). I was surprised to see the Sept Grains on their wine list and for a fairly decent price ($39). It really did not put a damper our damp but very pleasant night out. We ended with drinks and cigars in the nice hotel bar (The Bourse). Stay at the Sofitel, see Cirque many times, but stay away from Patou, oui?

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Happy Anniversary!! 22 years?!? You kids don't seem old enough for 22 yrs!

Sorry to hear about Patou, but I had a miserable meal there about a year ago and will never return either. So just remember: never pass up an opportunity to eat at Caribou Cafe, and always mention the DDC to chef/owner Olivier de St. Martin, and you will be treated like royalty. I've already had several people tell me that they dined there after our winter DDC repast, chatted with Olivier, and were just treated like the biggest VIPs in the city.

But I would also second Katie's rec of Chez Colette; never had a bad meal there and it's wonderfully romantic.

[philadining]

I actually had a decent meal at Patou shortly after it opened, but it just wasn't quite good enough to cause me to hurry back. I'd assumed I'd try it again, just haven't done so. Sorry to hear about your experience, David, but thanks for the heads-up! I totally know what you mean about the feel of the place, I'm not sure why, but the overall decor was off-putting to me too. It's potentially a dramatic space, but it comes off as kind of cheap.

And not to be all gloom and doom, but the last meal I had at Caribou Cafe didn't knock me out either... I missed the DDC dinner, which did indeed receive good reviews, but what I got on my own seemed a bit rote and plain. I can't even remember what I had, just thinking - "ehhh... " not terrible, just kind-of phoned-in. But I'd try it again.

Edited July 24, 2006 by philadining (log)