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Came here for brunch on a Sunday afternoon with three other
Came here for brunch on a Sunday afternoon with three other people - we put our name down for a table and they told us it would be an hour wait, so we walked down to Bread Alone to get a coffee and pastry whilst we waited. We browsed some shops and headed back after an hour. The seating hostess told us the table would not be ready for another hour - we looked outside and there were three empty clean tables - she told us they were for people who had made reservations, even though we technically had put our name down and "made a reservation" an hour ago. We watched for 30 minutes and no one showed up to those three empty tables - finally she seated us at one of those tables. It made absolutely no sense. In addition to this extremely rude and illogical behavior, the food was bad.
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It truly upsets me to leave a three star review for this
It truly upsets me to leave a three star review for this place, but our visit on Sunday evening was a serious disappointment.We had reservations for 5:45, and arrived a few minutes early. It wasn't very crowded, yet they started seating us in the middle of two very closely spaced, crowded tables. They agreed it was too close, and seated us in the other section that wasn't yet crowded.We asked for the wine list, as we always order a reasonably priced bottle of wine with dinner.We looked at the menu on our phone and decided on a bottle of Syrah. A few minutes later, we were told they might not have the wine. They came back and said they sold out the day before. We again looked at the wine list, and decided on another wine, a 2015 Pinot Noir for $55. The original Syrah was $45, so we already upped our normal $50 limit. We decided on our food, and ordered. He ordered potato leek soup, and we each ordered an appetizer and an entree. Since he was the only one having soup, he asked her to bring his soup first, and then bring our appetizers, so we could have our apps at the same time.They brought the wine, we saw it was the Pinot Noir, he (the wine steward, we assume) poured it and my partner approved. He then poured a little in each glass, saying that the wine cellar is a bit colder than he liked, so give the bottle time to come to temperature. (Huh? We expect $50 bottles of wine to be served at the proper temperature, but we let it go.)A bit of time passes, and our waitress comes over with my partner's potato leek soup, and french onion soup. What??? We definitely didn't order french onion soup. The waitress seemed confused when we told her I didn't order any soup. She took them BOTH back.A little while later, when she didn't come back, we asked where his soup was, and she said they were keeping it hot. What???? Why???? (While we were waiting for her to bring his soup back out, we saw her bring the same soup to someone two tables away.) We said she should bring it. A little while later, she said it was going to be crowded on the (tiny) table. Apparently, she was keeping the soup hot so she could bring everything out together. What???? First of all, we explicitly asked for his soup to come out first, and then bring the appetizers so we could eat them while they are hot. She said of course we want them hot, and she offered to SELL our mussels so we could eat them after his soup and my appetizer as another course so they'd be hot. What??? (Around this time, we saw her bring another bowl of soup to the same person two tables away, and he looked up at her and clearly it was another screw up.)Whatever. We agreed to bringing things her way just so we could enjoy what was already on the table while it was still hot! If the service thus far hadn't been a pathetic comedy of errors, we would simply have been raving about the food. The food, as usual, was incredible. My crispy fried oysters were as amazing as ever. His soup was fantastic, and his mussels were tender, flavorful and perfect along with the frites and dunked bread!A short time later, our entrees arrived. My lamb chops were perfectly medium rare, and just about the best I have ever had. His duck was just ducky...lol. Actually he was extremely happy with it. The Pinot Noir we ordered was a perfect accompaniment to our meal.We barely had room for dessert, so we decided to have coffee, and share the profiteroles. It was the end to a delicious meal. It was a genuine shame that service was such a disaster. Maybe it was her first day, maybe she was overwhelmed, maybe she was having a bad day, or maybe it was all of the above. Who knows. So we asked for our check, and the service mistakes just kept coming. The bottle of wine we ordered was supposed to be $55. (This was already after we couldn't get the original $45 bottle.). We were charged $85 for the wine!!!!! WTF??? My partner actually went to get the wine list to double check the price. Apparently, they brought us the 2018 even though we CLEARLY ordered the 2015. I decided that since it was my partner's birthday, and I was paying for it, I didn't want to argue about it. We never thought that we should have stopped the wine steward before he opened it so we could check the entire wine label against the wine list. Pulling the wrong vintage and then charging us double what we originally wanted to pay (had they not run out of the wine we really wanted), just added insult to injury for the night.Normally, we would not think twice about coming back here again, or recommending it to friends, but it seriously makes us reconsider. Spending over $270 for two people for dinner, and getting the service we did, just makes us reconsider returning or recommending this place. The food was 5 stars. The service was zero stars.I am hoping that whatever happened with the service on Sunday night is rectified. Quickly.
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I want to love this place based on the atmosphere and
I want to love this place based on the atmosphere and service... the food left me wanting something more. Onion soup, blazing hot, in a crock, tasted good, personally like mine with more of a peppery taste as opposed to sweet. But it hit the spot for a cold dayBeet salad was fire, size was great, the orange and pickled onion made a nice contrast to the normal. Pork schnitzel was amazing, only ate half and can't wait to dive back in later tonight with the leftovers. The beef bourguignon was unfortunately pasty and dry, took a few bites and then stole my partners schnitzel. Dessert trio was good, they had to sub one of the items but it happens.
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Where do I begin? While strolling through the quaint town
Where do I begin? While strolling through the quaint town of Rhinebeck you stumble upon the four corners, the staple of the town. Nestled in the corner is Le Petit Bistro, a restaurant that at first glance, invites you with its beautiful brick and big open windows. Upon entering, the intimate ambiance paired with the dim lighting presents itself as cozy and friendly. This is the only the beginning. The whole experience is the trip. The servers are well knowledgeable about the menu, offering wine pairings and engaging in friendly conversation. The food is exceptional, specifically the french onion soup and pork mignon. Cooked to perfection. The wines that are paired to the meal are a melody flavors that's compliment each other with each bite and sip. I could go on and on about this place but I will keep it short and sweet. Le Petit Bistro is a staple of Rhinebeck. There is a reason that so many high figures come to dine here. It's not just about the food, it's about the experience and love that the staff puts into their work.