And so it continues ... a brand new set of tastes for 2017 ...
here's the THIRTEENTH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA
(coming to you on sequential Thursdays. All. Year. Long.)!
Establishment: Rendez-vous Bakery and Bistro
Location: Oakland Park
Meal: Lunch
Drink: Coke (in a can) with a slice of Lemon (on the glass)
Appetizer: n/a
Main: Poulet Cordon Bleu Panini
(Breaded chicken, ham, swiss cheese, mustard a la ancienne spread)
Side(s): Bag o chips
Dessert: n/a
Server: We didn't get his name ... 'cause he kind of abandoned us (see more below)
Website: http://rdvbakery.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RDVBakery/
Counting the original 50 Tastes from 2016, in 62 meals at (mostly) SoFlo eating establishments, we've never ever eaten at a place that scored a D. Sadly, number 63 was that place -- and all because it was the worst service we experienced since this all started (in that category, we've never ever given less than a 7 ... until now). To share in our disappointment, see below for this record-breaking (in all the worst ways) Troy-score:
AMBIANCE: 10/10 (giving credit where credit is due -- the place is pretty darn cute ... from the outside where it kind of looks like a fancy barn in the countryside to the different sections inside where it seems like they might have expanded over time to a patio area for outdoor bistro-ing ... and you might be able to see it in the accompanying photo, but the pièce de résistance is the pastry bin and dessert cooler underneath the shingles that serve to transport the indoor customer to a market booth in the old country).
FOOD: 9/10 (it was lunchtime in a bistro, and I chose chips instead of salad or fries [the latter of which I could have gotten for a four dollar upcharge -- so I'm guessing that maybe they call in the night shift for extra help when that side gets chosen during the day?], so I guess I can't complain too too much about the bag of chips thrown on the plate ... but I'm still going to deduct a point for the financial disincentive regarding the "french" fries ... as for the panini, though, it was perfectly crispy on the outside and perfectly gooey on the inside, and those chicken tenders made it perfectly meaty for a healthy hearty lunch)
SERVICE: 2/10 (there was a sign on the door when we arrived that said something to the effect that the management was hiring servers, and I have to hope that the one we got on our lunch visit was either so brand new that he hadn't completed training yet OR that he was waiting to leave employment as soon as his replacement was hired ... of course, it might have been that he was just super chill and super laid back or super not into lunch shifts, but he was a super disappointment ... our order was taken and our food was delivered after a bit of a lengthy wait, so the bare minimum expectations were met [hence the 2 points in this category] -- but the food took forever to arrive and we were ignored at the end of the meal ... after saying he'd return with the check, we waited a good 15-20 minutes while he did side-work in front of us and ignored us, prompting us to get up and say how "we'd really like to leave but we'd also like to pay first" ... our "honey badger don't care" waiter was so ingrained in not caring, that it was only when we made a small scene in front of the other diners [of which there were only two or three other tables, so it wasn't that things were crazy busy or anything] that the other server on staff that day helped us get a check so we could pay and leave)
BACON: 6/10 (bacon appeared to be on the lunch menu three times in various dishes -- a hot sandwich, a panini and a pasta dish ... but can you imagine how much better my Poulet Cordon Bleu Panini would have tasted if I could have added bacon [although I probably would have been shocked at the upcharge based on how they calculated the cost of dropping some potato pieces in the fryer ...])
BONUS: 7/10 (+3 for acknowledging that maybe we should have focused on the bakery and dessert items ... or come for dinner instead of lunch, +3 for the guests with whom we shared this experience [the long lost nephew and the mother were both in town and joined in on this meal], and +1 for being a place to which we will most definitely return because surely better servers have been hired by now and this low score can be redeemed in the future)
TroyScore: 34 out of 50 -- aka 68, a D
