X Vault Pub & Provisions — Restaurant in Paris

Honestly, this place has gone unbelievably downhill quickly. Had the chicken sandwich for $16, was told it came on a brioche roll, which Xvault errantly believes is french for "hannaford brand burger roll"... See picture. The roll looked like that package you forgot in your freezer last labor day and you kept piling heavy things on top of, and when you finally realise it's there, you throw the whole flattened package away like a normal person does...unless you're Xvault back of house I guess. The panko crusted chicken was overdone by about five fryolater minutes, and the sauce it was tossed in (I ordered the spicy variant) had all the flavor nuances of liquified paprika, and it was SMOTHERED in it. Like, that all you could taste. ALL this for the low low price of $16 usd? Look, I know the dollar is taking a little bit of a hit and all lately, but Cmon now... You could find a better sandwich at the Ikea cafeteria seriously. My waitress was really sympathetic and courteous, and offered me something else to sub in, which i’m normally reluctant to do, but the sheer disappointment on my face must have been…palpable. She seemed in tune…maybe she can see auras or something. Either way, she knew. I got the chili instead. It was OK. nothing more, nothing less. After that poor chicken gave its life up for a it’s humiliating end that was that sandwich, I was going to take the chili as a win.

So, my wife got a sushi roll. I didn't have the heart to take a picture of it. Whoever is working those rolls in the back... PLEASE STOP. You don’t know what you are doing. I don’t know if your sushi training credentials amounted to some 5 minute youtube video entitled “Anyone can make sushi”…but you are living proof that it’s not true if so. The rice…way too much and WAY too moist. the salmon…way too thick and mushy. The tobiko was overdone, and I love tobiko. And decently prepared sushi roll should not fall apart when you pick it up with a pair of chopsticks. Or fingers. Or just staring at it with contempt. It was a mushy mess with no taste or texture differentials, no nuance, no vision. I’m sorry, I’m sure your a nice person and all, but someone had to bring this to your attention.

But, lest ye accuse me of being a bitter curmudgeon, or some cantankerous disillusioned “foodie” snob…not all was terrible. First, our waitress was wonderful. Secondly, the beer selection was decent, I will say. They had a nice porter, and in a world of IPA dominance, that was nice to see. And they’ve a fine selection of obscure cans as well, across a thoughtful selection of styles and regions. Their fries were decent…a little soggy but they were done in beef tallow, which is nice to see, and the salt and vinegar variant was pretty good, all in all. Look, I’m a local and I’ve eaten there many times in the past. I’ve never walked out of there thinking i’ve had a truly remarkable meal, but until now (with their new menu), I’ve also never thought to myself “Shit, I could have just went to applebees instead” either. $10 for a red snapper hot dog?? The entire menu is utterly nonsensical, and the execution of the food from that menu sheds light on WHY the menu is nonsensical…because there is no skilled hands behind it anymore. And you can play it that way of you want, I suppose…but don’t you DARE think that you can charge those higher prices like other places such as Norway Brewing Co or Steammill over in bethel that actually do know what they are doing. That all being said, I do hope they get their act together there at some point again...

This restaurant kind of doesn't know what it wants to be. Is it a sports bar because it has a bunch of televisions playing sports. Is it kind of a hip eurobar with Bassy music. Is it a sushi bar. Is it a music memorabilia bar. The good. It has a varied menu with choices for everybody. It has a good selection of top-shelf booze. Most local restaurants do not have a good liquor selection. It has probably the most sophisticated Vibe for a restaurant in an area where you don't have very many sophisticated restaurants at all. Wait staff is attentive and understanding. Quality of the food was was not bad at all. The bad. Not many vegetarian options. Really just one vegetarian option and two salads and then some appetizer vegetarian options that's it. The bass in the music was inordinately loud. I first thought it was a car outside with a subwoofer and then realized it was way too much bass for the treble one could hear on the resto sound system. The first whisky I ordered was a very skimpy pour in a small glass. That being said the waitress on hearing my complaints brought me back a whiskey in a nice double old-fashioned glass with a proper pour so she made things right. We will go back again. In an area that has a very limited selection of restaurants x vault Pub is a...

Update: The staff were pretty friendly again, but it took a while for us to not only get drinks but also our food. It was at the point where two parties that came in behind us got their orders first.

They were busy, so I understand, but, still, sort of a negative experience.

The drinks and the kimchi tacos were good, but I got the steak again to see if it would be any better and it wasn't. It was cooked how I asked, but the cut was just so fatty and grisly it was hard to chew. The risotto was also a little under-cooked, but had a decent flavor.

I recommend either the prices be lowered or find a better steak-supplier.

Original: This place is really trying.

They have a great atmosphere, the staff are friendly, there's unique food, but the actual food quality just falls a little short.

It's a mediumly-priced restaurant so I was expecting to have a steak better than what I'd find at Applebees; half of it was gristle and fat. My fiancee's fries were a little soggy also.

Everything else, like I said, was great. It was our first time coming here so maybe it was just a fluke. I'll update...