Benjamin L. Haas

I wanted to like Patois so much. Patois, the first restaurant to bring quality dining to the Smith St. frontier in the nineties. Patois, home of the $21 prix fixe menu, where no wine bottle is over $40. What's not to like? The price is right, the interior is charming, and most importantly, it's three short blocks from my apartment. Then why didn't I have a better experience last night? Because it took over two hours for the four of us to eat there last night.

It's not like we ordered anything fancy or complicated - we all ordered off the limited menu (appetizer choice of green salad, or charcuterie, main course choice of trout, chicken, or hanger steak, dessert choice of lemon or chocolate tart) - and we shared one bottle of wine. The waitress, though, disappeared for noticably long stretches, making us wait to order, wait for dessert choices, and wait for the bill (it should be noted, though, that the food came out quite promptly each time, leading me to believe that the problem isn't with the kitchen). Between the four of us we sampled everything off the prix fixe menu, and the first two courses were all very tasty and expertly prepared (and surprisingly generously portioned). The tarts were a bit of a letdown, with too dry and chunky of a crust, but I was too full at that point to be overly concerned.

I don't know why our service was so lethargic - it was a sleepy, drizzly Thursday evening, and the two-room restaurant was only about half-full. It's a shame, because it tarnished what would have been a perfect neighborhood experience.

Patois (map)
255 Smith St
Brooklyn, NY 11231