Coda

I work near the Pru and took a colleague here for lunch earlier this week.  I had walked by it many times and was jonesin' to check it out.

The place has a nice neighborhood feel to it.  The waiter was good - attentive but not stalky.  My friend got the grilled cheese with bacon and on the way back to the office said it was the best grilled cheese she ever had.  I had the roast beef sand with cheddar and pickles and it was delish.  I only have one complaint.  I'm sure that when they are slicing and portioning, they mound the meat up in a small heap.  They might want to flatten that heap out a bit and distribute the meat more evenly so you get meat in every bite.  The sourdough bread they use is VERY good.  (I bake my own sourdough, so I know.)  I doubt they make their own, but it is worth merit.

I'll be back.

I came here for dinner and it was absolutely awful.  The service was fine, mediocre at best.  The real problem was the food.  I read the reviews before coming so I thought it was a good bet.  We got the calamari as an appetizer, it was disgusting.  The calamari was chewy, and covered in a weird crunchy solid batter that was covered in like an sweet sauce.  They paired this sweet calamari with a side of lemon mayo that tasted like lemon souffle.  It was like eating a dessert for dinner, super sweet and disgusting.   For dinner I chose the steak frites because it had such great reviews, boy was I mistaken.  I had to send it back the first time because I ordered it medium and it came back practically bleeding on the plate.  They brought it back out and the steak was so chewy my boyfriend couldn't even eat it and I had to use my steak knife to saw it apart.  The 'hand cut' fries were clearly not and out of bag and because they are so thin they burned them to pieces.   My boyfriend got the lamb shank and it was bland, flavorless and piled on top of a burnt pile of vegetables with spinach that tasted like dirt.  

On top of all this the meal was expensive, I mean almost $100 for dinner and drinks. For that amount of money I would expect way better quality food.  I do not recommend this establishment, nor will I be coming back anytime soon.  I was really disappointed I thought this might be a hidden gem!

I stop in for lunch at odd hours (1:30-3:00) from time to time when it's almost empty.  Seated and served quickly.  Ordered from all over the menu and have never been disappointed.  Filed as an easy "go-to" when I'm in that part of town at that hour and want something familiar.  No idea what people are talking about with the "snooty service", etc. maybe the "snooty" and "obnoxious" staff come on for a later shift or something. I've had no problems.