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| - I've checked out Charcut several times over the years, and it's always been a solid, up(per)scale dining experience. I'm a fan of both the $15 sandwich lunch combo as well as the daily rotisserie ($25) combo. This visit however, I had the daily #15 sandwich combo, which was a philly cheese steak with shaved prime rib and caramelized onions and peppers. It was served with Parm fries, with a potato bacon soup. (Also included - a pickle and a bag of two cookies).
The Sandwich was really good - I have no complaints whatsoever and the flavor balance was spot on. The fries were really good as well, which was a nice surprise as I find most restaurants to be a bit hit and miss with the fries. The house ketchup is pretty good but I prefer the fries with mayo, which you can ask for. The mayo they served me was a blended flavoured mayo which was an excellent compliment for the fries. (As far as the fries with mayo habit I have, I blame my years living in Montreal.) The soup was also well executed.
I do, however, have to echo some of the sentiments that a few other reviewers mentioned about the service. For an "upscale establishment", I found the service to be lacking in authenticity and presence. I get the gut feeling that when they saw I looked unassuming or when I ordered the $15 lunch special, I was treated with a lower level of service that I would absolutely expect from a place as "upscale" as this one. Your mileage may vary, of course, but over the few occasions I've been here that has been a somewhat consistent thread.
Not to say the service is bad - the wait staff aren't rude or difficult. I have just come to expect more from a restaurant that wants to compete with the upscale dining scene.
But hey.... if we remember that this was a $15 dollar meal, all things considered, the experience was great.
Maybe next time I'll order the $25 dollar lunch and get better service!
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