A couple of months ago, I had a satisfying lunch at Fleur de Sel, a well-regarded Flatiron Normandy-themed restaurant. Last weekend, our dining experience was disappointing. It wasn’t the food so much although the goat cheese & artichoke ravioli, American paddlefish caviar with beet Dijon jus did just miss the mark. While the pasta was light and airy, the filling had that strong, acrid goat cheese taste, overwhelming the delicate pasta and the sweet and tangy beet dijon juice. I do love Fleur de Sel’s crispy poussin, with its satisfying nutty crunch, and its’ the reason I go there.

So what was the problem? The service, in a word. Sullen and non-communicative, the waiter could barely bring himself to explain the specials. When it came time to order dessert, (we all chose the toothsome Granny Smith apple & caramelized Brittany crêpe, with Devonshire whipped cream), the description of the options was left to the bus boy.

I’m not giving up on Fleur de Sel, but they should plant a smile on their wait staff’s faces.

At Blue Fin, a Times Square sushi and seafood place located in the W Hotel, I got about what I expected from an eatery in that notoriously food-unfriendly neighborhood: dried out sushi and some weird combinations. In the upstairs dining room (quieter than the bar downstairs), I ordered yellow tail sashimi and a yellowtail/tobiko/tuna/tomato roll. The sashimi was bland with none of the sparkle and vibrancy that comes with really fresh fesh. As for the roll, tomatoes generally don’t work in Japanese dishes; this one tasted sharply of canned ones.

Fleur de Sel&lt
http://www.fleurdeselnyc.com/menus.html
5 East 20th Street
New York, New York 10003
Phone:212.460.9100

Blue Fin
http://www.brguestrestaurants.com/restaurants/blue_fin/index.php
1567 Broadway, New York 10036
At 47th St
Phone: 212-918-1400

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