A colleague suggested lunch out, and since I haven't tried Rue 254 yet, we ventured there.
First impression walking in: I was impressed with the renovation. The feel is very sophisticated, but not overly stuffy. It is bright, open and airy. We sat upstairs, facing Detroit Road.
The service was prompt and friendly. The menu had loads of interesting options, but not too many vegan dishes. I ended up ordering the french onion soup and the pear/salmon salad (minus the salmon). Both were tasty choices, but the kitchen forgot to hold the bacon on my salad. I spent more time than I'd have wanted digging the bacon out. Not an unforgivable sin, though :)
When the check arrived, the server mentioned that he removed $4 since I did not get the salmon on my salad. That was an unexpected and nice surprise!
While things were not exceptional, they were definitely A-OK. I'll give them a few months to work out some kinks and give them another try.