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| - Two friends (first-timers here) and I booked a table online to try their Winterlicious menu. Good food was overshadowed by very questionable service.
The most serious issue was a major billing error. We three friends asked for the bill to be split 3 ways, and we paid by credit card. We were just about to leave the restaurant when I re-checked my bill. It seemed a little high for lunch, even with wine. I thought maybe I had double-tipped, but it was still much too high. When I compared bills, I realized each of our 3 bills represented half the total, rather than a third. With tip, this amounts to a $75 collective discrepancy that we almost missed. Our original bills were voided, and we were charged the correct amounts - all OK in the end on that front.
Smaller issues:
1) Received the wrong entrees - there was a mix-up of tables at pick-up.
2) Surcharge for croissants, which I had assumed was bread service. Delicious, but not worth the surprise $10. Such charges are the norm in Europe, but not here.
3) Service by committee - 3 different servers. Our original server later left work (fine, these things happen), but no one informed us that he had left.
4) The replacement waiter who screwed up the bills is actually a co-owner. He replied to my e-mail very promptly. But whether via e-mail or in person, he offered little more than a well-meaning apology. I have to wonder how innocent and exceptional these billing errors are.
Food was good:
1) Appetizers: The beet and goat cheese salad is a far better choice than the bland, boring mussels.
2) Mains: Roast hen is generous portion, a little salty. Stuffed sea bass is petite, seafood filling has meatball-like consistency. Nice side dishes.
3) Desserts: Pleasant flourless chocolate cake w/ caramel ice cream, crème brulée.
4) Croissants: Buttery, flaky, excellent.
All in all, we have given up on Celestin. You can accept multiple service issues at a noodle bar, but not at a French fine dining restaurant. There are plenty of alternatives in the neighborhood for a nice meal.
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