Batifol — Restaurant in Cambridge

We came here because of the unlimited steak frites and $1 oysters. The restaurant layout and design was alright. The tables are pretty crammed together. First off, I didn't like the waitress because she always had a force smile and wasn't very attentive. Let's just say that we told the waitress we wanted the unlimited steak and frites and we ordered about 20 $1 raw oysters and some cocktails. The oysters came out quick and they were delicious and the drinks were also delicious. They did give us a basket of some bread and butter. The issue is it took us almost 1.5 - 2 hours to get our steak (1st round). We also realized that the tables all around us, who came after us, received their steaks first so we were annoyed and angry. The waitress did come over and gave us more bread and apologized for the wait but after that we still waited about 30 min before one of us told the waitress that everyone else who came after us received their steaks and we asked her why ours haven't come out yet? She just said she will ask the kitchen and walked away. Sorry but we are here to eat steaks, not stuff our selves with more bread. I'm not sure if that is a tactic to get us to eat less steak but whatever. During the time we were eating our steaks (after it finally came out), she doesn't come over to ask us how is our food or if we need anything. Other staff has filled our water and brought out the steaks and frites (2nd round and so forth). Don't get me wrong, the other staff were great, especially the one serving the steak. He was very friendly and very nice.

After we were done with our food, we've asked the waitress for the check. She came over and gave us the check then walked away but within about 5 minutes, she came over with the credit card machine but didn't even ask if we wanted to pay our check with cash or credit card. She just came over and stood there ninja style while we were trying to figure out the cost for each individual since we are splitting the bill. I don't like how she just stood there and watched us calculate our bill with my phone, that was a bit rude. Once we were able to figure out the amount we each pay, we placed the money together and gave her the money and check. She just took it with this forced smile again and didn't even say "thank you" or "have a great night" nothing. Very rude and unprofessional.

The food was very delicious. Steak was great and the famous sauce was excellent on the steak. Steak was cooked perfectly. 1st round you get a whole steak cut into slices. 2nd round you get 4 pieces and then the rest of the rounds you get 2 slices. The steak server was nice enough to give us more than just 2 slices after our 2nd round, so that is very nice of him.

The only thing I don't like about this place is the terribly long wait and the waitress. Other than that, the restaurant was good in terms of their food. Unfortunately the waitress overshadowed their good food with her rudeness and lack of professionalism.

Hate to say it, as good as the food and drinks were, I would not come back here again. Would not recommend this...

Before I go into detail, I just wanted to say that I myself love to be out engaged with a lot of different food with amazing atmosphere. Prior to choosing this location, We did made a lot of planning because it was our ladies' galentine and wanted it to be our very best experience. Knowing we're all busy with our business and family. Taking the time and being able to enjoy ourselves is one of the best feelings. Upon arrival, we were greeted by one of the hosts there. The gentleman was tall and little on a pale side but not very welcoming. We were on schedule. So, I mentioned the name that was under reservation. He did reply that it was a party of 4, and he had the menu ready for us and was about to guide us to our seats, I did mention to him. I'm so sorry that we had a party of 5. It was a very innocent mistake that we made on our behalf. He kept on repeating himself that i made a reservation for 4, and I kindly mentioned to him, I said, is there any way that you could just pull a chair? So instead of him replying in such a manner, he slammed the menu that was in his hand to the front table, rolling his eyes, and he departed. I felt very disrespected, embarrassed, and pulled back. There were people there looking at us. I understand that it's busy, which, for myself, that's a good problem to have, but that's no excuse to treat your customers that way. Especially dealing with hospitality. You need to be a little bit more patient if you don't understand the job.I would suggest that you would take more training. After he slammed the menu.. i turned and looked at the ladies that were behind me just to see if they had engaged what just happened. At that point, i had lost my appetite, and we didn't deserve to be treated that way. He came back with a very demeaning attitude. So i address his rudeness. His response, what menu!? he acts like he doesn't remember what he just done. So I informed him of our departure. His response was WHATEVER, his dismissive response highlights a significant lack of professionalism. I find it very unprofessional, such behavior is not tolerated, unacceptable, and requires immediate attention. I recommend either mandatory training or, if the behavior persists, reassignment to a role where such interactions are less frequent. He shouldn't be in an environment that it would be okay for him to treat people that way. Im most certain that the food is delightful, but the service significantly detracts from the overall experience. Without appropriate hospitality standards, customer satisfaction will...

tl;dr: Our group of 5 noticed a surprising lack of consistency across the same dishes. While I personally enjoyed my first two courses, others in our party weren’t nearly as impressed. The quality wasn’t uniform, which left the experience feeling a bit hit-or-miss.

I visited during Dine Out Boston and overall, the experience was fine. The ambiance definitely leans upscale, with romantic lighting, stylish bar, and outdoor space. There's also no obvious host stand (how European!).

Dine Out Boston dinner was $38 per person, covering an appetizer, entrée, and dessert. I ordered the assiette de saumon fumé (smoked salmon plate for a $3 surcharge), cabillaud rôtis & légumes de saison (roasted cod fish with seasonal veggies), and riz au lait (rice pudding). I skipped the fromage course for an extra $6 for two cheeses. With all the upcharges, it felt like the value of the prix fixe menu was undermined - but compared to their regular pricing, still seemed like a deal.

What kept surprising me was the inconsistency. Two people ordered the pâté de campagne and ended up with dishes that looked nothing alike. The side salads didn't even have the same ingredients - one came with radishes and tomatoes, the other greens only. The mains had the same issue, this time with the cod - mine was thoughtfully arranged, while the other was thrown together haphazardly, with different veggies and a less refined appearance overall.

On the flip side though, portion sizes were unexpectedly generous! I felt full after the starter and stuffed after the main. By the time dessert came around, I could barely manage a few bites of the riz au lait (which wasn't that good, so fine by me).

The salmon itself was decent, though the white bread was a bit sad. It almost looked like there was caviar on top, but I was perfectly happy with the blackberries that it turned out to be. The roasted cod was also excellent, and the vegetables were exceptional for hanging perfectly in that "just right" spot.

On a side note, the bathroom didn’t live up to expectations. While not terrible, it was noticeably dirtier and smellier than the rest of the restaurant's interior would lead...