![]() It was a lovely outing and I know our friends will want to return given how close they live.I will try hard to resist the urge to put French words into this review. The four adults enjoyed lovely cocktails (the wife and I had French 75 cocktails, I can't recall what the men ordered). Either way, I hope it was an oversight that won't happen to anyone else. My husband can't recall if we were still charged for both cheese plates or just one, so it's possible they credited it. They brought a new slice of that cheese, but the discovery of the moldy cheese cast a pall over the rest of the meal. ![]() It was just dime-sized fuzzy mold on the gooey interior. But upon closer examination, I saw that it wasn't veined throughout the cheese. At first, I was in disbelief and asked to see the slice up close, as I was certain they wouldn't serve moldy cheese. Of course, the moldy cheese was given to the young tween who is germaphobic so he then declined to try the other cheeses on his plate. ![]() Someone still sliced it (and the mold was dime sized, so difficult to miss!) and served it to us. The one drawback, and hence the deduction of stars for service, is that no one on the staff noticed one of the cheeses had grown an unnatural green/black fuzzy mold on its gooey interior (not the rind). I thought the items I tried were all well executed. We also had 2 orders of the cheese plate, an order of mussels, 3 orders of the salmon tournedos, an order of grilled chicken, and several kids' meals of pasta with tomato sauce. Sadly, they didn't have any foie gras that day so we couldn't introduce their kids to that. We indulged in a wide variety of items that normally aren't perceived as "kid-friendly" including the escargot (the kids were fascinated and yet grossed out!), two orders of the bone marrow (they inhaled the first order so we got another one), pate, and steamed artichoke (our friends' kids had never tried it before). I would not have brought so many kids to a dinner here, though, as I would feel terrible about ruining the ambience of such a cozy bistro for a romantic date night. Yet the staff was incredibly friendly and patient, so I didn't feel like we were totally awkward and out of place. Our party of 10 dominated the intimate dining room, and I'm sure the noise level was higher than usual due to having 4 kids under 9. The ten of us (with 6 kids) enjoyed a lovely lunch at Encore Bistro Francais. This was their first time dining here, too. We visited our friends who live nearby and discovered this place together. All I can say is "I hope that we'll see you there, soon!" I asked for an espresso "short and strong": that is exactly what I got! Service is quick and attentive. A textbook example of a French Crepe, with gently sauteed diced mango inside, folded, sauced with a bit of raspberry puree and dusted with a touch of powdered sugar. My Mango Crepe was simplicity itsely, in a wonderful way. Four cheeses, each one perfectly ripe and absolutely delicious! Raspberry Sorbet tasted on nothing but beautifully ripe raspberries. Since we still had some wine left, we shared a cheese board. We enjoyed a decent Burgundy, priced at $40 ($50 in most other nearby restaurants). the wine! The wine list is small and well-chosen with plenty of moderately (and very fairly!) priced bottles. The roasted Hanger Steak was served at a perfect medium rare, perfectly seasoned. Crust baguette put to good use sopping up every drop! Tournedo of Salmon was picture perfect, napped with just enough sauce. The Mussels were plump and tender, the sauce rich and delicious. A chilled Artichoke Soup was silky smooth, subtle on the palate, and delicious. either in the US or in Paris! Luchtime special menus are a bargain at $16.50, and we ordered from them. We started with a dozen Escargots, served in a still-bubbling butter-garlic-herb sauce, and they were simply excellent! Among the best we've ever eaten. What an all-around wonderful meal! Our first time here, and we are already talking about how soon we'll be back.
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