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| - We tried CDT on Sat. Opening a restaurant in what used to be a single-family home is interesting but impractical. Having several "cozy" (small) dining rooms scattered throughout a building isn't great: the tables are too close together so no conversation is private. It's tough for servers to adequately keep track of their tables as they end up with tables in different rooms. It's always harder to serve a section where you can't see all your tables at once. Ours was a friendly gal who was really nice and chatty, though a bit scattered. She seemed to be playing catch up on her tables. She apparently got several tables seated in her section at once and I know what a nightmare this is. All your tables need you there at the same time for every stage of service for the duration. It's impossible to give thoughtful, efficient service if they get more than 2 tables at once without at least a 5-10 min spacer. That way their tables would be at different stages and everyone gets good service. There is skill to timing seating. We got seated in a small room near a window and were sharing it with a table of 4 other guests. Originally likely a bedroom, it felt as though we were part of each others conversations which I find distracting.
Our server brought us water and explained the menu. Strange: they offer Moules Frites which in Belgium and France is Muscles (Moules) and fries (Frites), but they don't actually serve fries in this place we were told, so the Moules Frites are just Moules. I speak French and this is absurd. Call it something else like Moules Traditionelles but don't mislabel the dish. Imagine trying to order the Steak and Eggs and being told they don't serve eggs in the place?
We ordered a bottle of Zin off their eclectic, interesting and well-priced wine list. I won't go on about the BYOB, wine club, corking fee biz. When I'm out to dinner, exploring the wine list and choosing from what the owners deem suitable to accompany their food is part of the dining experience. What's next? Bring your own Amuse Bouche? "Yes I believe we will start with this can of sardines and Ritz crackers I got at Safeway." It's make-work.
I wondered if they had sent someone to Sonoma California to pick up the wine we'd ordered, as after 10 mins it still had yet to arrive at the table. Our server returned, sans wine, to take our food order, which in good service is bad.
We decided to share the Caesar salad and Pate Campagne to start followed by the Short Rib Pappardelle pour elle and the Crispy Maple Duck Breast pour moi. Our sever said that they could split the salad onto two plates. She also suggested we course it: start with the pate, then the salad, then the mains. Perfect!
A few mins later, our server, sans wine, brought out a Caesar salad (not split. not the pate) and plopped it down in front of my wife and left. Then a guy FINALLY appeared with the wine we ordered. Imagine we're in a "high-end" restaurant and the first incorrect course has arrived at the table, inaccurately presented and before the wine. Straight up bad service timing. Someone then appeared with the pate and placed it in front of me. I guess we weren't coursing the appies. Wine guy opens and pours. He seemed uncomfortable and nervous pouring and spilled some on the tablecloth. I guess in the old place the guests brought their wines and poured it. Perhaps some of the staff aren't yet comfortable opening and pouring wine. I could do a training session and have them up to par and confident in no time. I poured the wine hence forth, as no one else was ever around to do it. We clumsily scraped some of the salad onto my side plate which I hate doing because then it looked like a goat's breakfast. The salad had a nice delicate dressing that was perfect. The lettuce was crunchy and had a mouth-feel more akin to Kale. The pate was okay. It had an interesting flavor and was served with delightfully hot mustard and some mini cornichons.
The Crispy Maple Duck wasn't crispy at all. It was smothered in a maple cream sauce that soaked any crispiness out of it; disappointing, as I love crispy duck. The breast was perfectly medium and the sauce was exquisite. It came with some very creamy mashed potatoes so I had a deliciously creamy experience.
My wife said the Short Rib Pappardelle was excellent. The pasta was perfect and the meat very tender. She said the sauce was amazing. No one ever appeared at the table to do a quality check on our mains. We had long finished eating before our server came back. Don't get me wrong, we liked her, she made up for it in personality. BTW, we never once saw or interacted with a Manager. I tipped well.
We MIGHT try this place again. In fine dinning it's great food and great execution by the establishment as a team that make the dining experience wonderful. It's a dance that needs to be practiced and timed from back of house to front and this place isn't quite ready to Dance With The Stars just yet.
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