Mike

Review of La Panetiere

Horrible service. Long waits. I had been gifted a ...

Horrible service. Long waits. I had been gifted a gift card from a friend. The restaurant then mailed me a second gift card. When we arrived, I presented both upon the host s request. Felt tacky that the moment we arrived, they wanted us to present the gift cards and talk money, before we experienced any food/service. I didn t know the value of the cards, so a gentleman arrived at our table to let us know, one card had $50 on it; the second had $0. He then asked in an accusatory tone if a friend had given me an empty gift card. I was so insulted but I bit my tongue. You sent ME the gift card. Why is it my fault that the restaurant can not execute a gift card properly. Rather than taking ownership and providing good service, it continued to go downhill quickly.

The food was okay. My wife ordered a $75 tagliaterre with truffles and it arrived looking like it had sat under a heating lamp for 5-10 minutes. The decor was tacky, like putting lipstick on a pig. Excessive ornamentation everywhere you look. Ceiling tiles look cheap, like an elementary school classroom. Tables are very close together, so you are immersed in neighboring tables conversations, just as neighboring parties are privy to your every word if they care to listen. Certainly not up to the standard of other fine dining we have experienced elsewhere around the world and we have experienced our share.

The wait between courses was extremely long and tedious; likely a ploy to sell more drinks, but could just be another symptom of their disastrous service. I had to ask for the check 3 times before finally getting up to pay the check myself. I shared my dissatisfaction with the host upon getting the check and was instructed to write down all of my info on a card, so that someone could reach out to me. I was not looking for a free meal or any consolation, so I left without leaving my contact info.

I still would not be writing this review had my wife not received a menacing call today from their GM of this terrible establishment. She got her info from the Open Table reservation. In the course of the conversation, she insulted her, denied any wrong doing, explained why they were right and why we were wrong, she expressed dread over having to call us in the first place (as if it was wasting her time). My wife was polite and professional and although the conversation was absurd, she was in the middle of saying good bye and happy new year, when the GM hung up on her abruptly without saying good bye.

Even with the $50 gift card, we spent $300+ on subpar cuisine and abysmal service. We will never eat here again. We will tell all of our friends about this horrendous experience. Do yourself a favor and avoid this restaurant at all costs. The Inn at Poind ridge and X20 Xaviar s on the Hudson, for example, are FAR BETTER restaurants and providers of customer service. I have never been so appalled by a restaurant experience as I have at La Panetiere.