Pot au Feu — Restaurant in Providence

I'm not sure that there have been many iterations of the menu or chefs but I have hard time understanding how this place has high reviews. I thought the food was awful. My only theory is that either prior patrons are enamored, dare I say delusioned by the reputation of yesteryear's French cuisine, or I'm completely crazy. I do accept I may be biased and it could have been an off night. I am 45 yrs old, well travel and now understand why old people complain when food isnt up to par because its hard to enjoy something distasteful when you have had good food historically. I could tell that food was prepared to specification and cooked to correct temperatures however the combination of seasonings, along with poor salting and excessive cream/butter made the food distasteful. I had the Escargo; over buttered and under seasoned; temperature was perfect but no taste. The salad was wilted and looked like someone grabbed a handful of mixed greens out a plastic square package and just laid it on a plate. Maybe spray it with a mist of water in the morning to hydrate it? The Duck Confit came in a raspberry dressing that I thought ruined it to sweet and overpowering. Same raspberry sauce was used as an optional salad dressing. I also thought the breast was overly flattened with a flattening iron and had a nice sear but was dry with respect to humidity but drenched in overly sweet raspberry sauce that was somehow overly buttered / creamed as well. My French 75 came out room temperature. Warm champagne sucks; anything fizzy should be cold....think of hot coca cola. Ambience was really nice. Waitress was attentive and nice. Tipped her well with cash. Not her fault. Seating was fast. They were at about 80% capacity and were well staffed so the flow and turn over was solid. I don't know how to help them. Again, it seems to be that the menu somewhat follows to French standards. Portions were adequately sized. I'm sorry I usually don't give negative feed back. Maybe have a few folks that have never tasted French food try it to see if they like it and provide neutral feed back in a private tasting. Good food is good food, a...

I could have sworn I reviewed this ages ago. But anyway... I revisited Pot au Feu last night to finally (after decades) try their excellent version of Pot-au-Feu. Beef, chicken, cabbage, potato, celery, carrots, onion, and broth (on the side). It is basically a peasant dish. No fancy sauces; just a mélange of meats and vegetables braised (or stewed) to a perfect consistency, to allow their natural flavors to shine. I should also mention that this venerable establishment serves French bread that is absolutely delicious: fluffy, yet substantial on the inside, with the most wonderful delicate crust I can remember having, so you must have plenty, buttered up for dipping in the broth. Classic French cuisine. In the past, I've also had the Boeuf a la Bourguignon (incredibly rich and delicious), and Tournedos Bearnaise ou Bordelaise (opting for the Bearnaise sauce), perfect beef medallions, with the perfect sauce. Being a creature of habit, I've had both of these many times. I've also had some of their savory crêpes, some years back, and they were just great. I look forward to trying the crepes that are now on the menu on my next visit. For dessert, I wanted to try the Crêpes Suzette, which is one of my favorite desserts, and it didn't disappoint. Lovely soft texture, cooked in a sweet sauce with orange tones, with a cup of good coffee making it a perfect finale. If that dessert is not to your taste, it's no exaggeration to say that Pot au Feu has, far and away, the best Crème brûlée I've found anywhere, and I've had literally hundreds. A rather simple concoction, yet usually eluding perfection, they have found it here. The owner is a very welcoming and friendly gentleman, who may just visit your table. Service, as well, was attentive, knowledgeable, and friendly. Always a pleasure. Thanks...

The food was mediocre at best. The staff were nice, the service was slow. Check Yelp.

For the person who said they understood why Julia Childs loved this restaurant so much, it's because her and the owner were good drinking buddies.

Sat down and waited 40 minutes before we were waited on and we had to reach out to let the staff know we had not been waited on. Approximately 15 mins later the table was served the bread and butter. Bread was heated up and butter was spreadable.

I tried the escargot, steak frites cooked medium rare, and the duck.

The escargot was nothing special, tasted like garlic bread.

The steak was very small and disappointing, approximately 1inch by 3inches, and some what tough. The fries were bland, no salt or flavor. And when trying to use the salt shaker, it was rock solid due to the moisture of a basement setting. The steak frites being priced at $23 I would say it's priced fairly at a "nice" restaurant, but the steak was not something you would expect from a nice restaurant. You can get more enjoyable and tender cooked steak at a chain restaurant.

The duck confit dish appeared plentiful, 2 leg quarters. But it was cooked very dry, especially for duck. Disappointed again.

I wouldn't recommend eating here unless you want to spend a minimum of 2.5 hours to finish and over pay for...