Check back by lunchtime for Ryan Cormier's take on CW Harborside (formerly Conley Ward), and later today for other reports on Domaine Hudson wine bar & eatery, and Deep Blue Bar & Grill.
Gary Soulsman dined at the Green Room last night. (Yes, I know, Eric and I already offered our opinions on the Hotel duPont's City Restaurant Week lunch - see below - but when the Green Room, a bastion of Wilmington dining, offers discounts, we thought it was important to have someone there to check it out.
I think you'll find Gary's review very eye-opening as well as an interesting read.
By GARY SOULSMAN
It's silly to contemplate dining in the Green Room feeling less then your biggest adult self.
This vast chandeliered expanse represents grandeur from a time - 1913 - when the Du Pont Co. opened a showcase hotel. And the Green Room is thick with old warm charm while radiating empire and power.
It's like stepping into a fastidious men's club from an Edith Wharton novel and, if you're lucky enough to capture one of the high-backed chairs at the edges of the room, you've come home to a quiet refuge of privilege where movie stars and captain of industry have felt at ease.
The bothersome world is so far away, as are the other pristine tables.
On Tuesday night I entered the oak-lined walls with one of my most adult friends hoping for a meal that matched the setting's luster. So it is with sadness that I report feeling letdown by our excursion into Restaurant Week.
The regular menu has choices such pan-seared foie gras and grilled filet of beef. But there was none of that among the $35 prix-fixe offerings.
With three choices for our starter, main course and dessert, I began with beef carpaccio, a paper-thin slice of raw beef that came with capers, small slices of cheese and a lovely white sauce that made the dish. But why did the slices of bread seem tough?
My friend had a trio of greens with a fine vinaigrette (he substituted for the blue cheese dressing thanks to a delightfully helpful server).
But, as we got to talking about meals that had sent us into the stratosphere, we realized we were flying low.
Next came the main course and my friend pronounced the crab-and-shrimp mousse cakes ho-hum. I passed over the oven-roasted chicken breast in favor of the grilled pork loin. The meat was flavorful but tough, the sauce a friendly addition.
I grudingly cleaned my plate.
Dessert was the best dish my friend ordered - almond cheesecake with a cherry sauce. I lit into the vanilla-bean creme brulee. Normally it's one of my favorite desserts and I was eager.
However, I left half of it. I might think my friend and I were having an off night but we enjoyed each other's company and before we left we stopped by another table for a chat.
Seated at a corner power table were two couples. And at least two of the diners had sampled the Green Room last year for Restaurant Week. They'd been very pleased.
This year, there was a general feeling of letdown hovering over their table, though one the diners praised the crab bisque.
Still, the table reminded me of young people who'd helplessly watched a nogoodnik pop their balloons. It also made us wonder: Why would a restaurant take part in Restaurant Week this way?
Granted, a three-course meal for $35 was meant to be a bargain. And we escaped with a check of $110. But who would come back willing to pay more, if you left feeling disappointed?
Could this really be good for business? Is this why the room seemed a third full? Oh well, I can still love the grandeur of the decor....can't I?
1 comment:
My friends and I had a similar experience. Took my friend and her son there for a special breakfast about 3 weeks ago. Unfortunately, the service was so bad we swore we'd never go back. Slow and indifferent doesn't even begin to cover it. If the food had been stellar we might have overlooked the service, but, the food was indifferent as well. It was sad.
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