Encore Bistro Francais — Restaurant in Town of Mamaroneck

Today my wife and I took my mother-in-law who is visiting from out of town to this restaurant. We had been here many times and always had perfect five-star meals. Today for some reason everything was awful from beginning to end. First, the cheese on top of the bowl of French onion soup was very much "burnt" which made the entire soup bitter with a burnt taste and inedible. We waited for the main dishes to come before we complained to the waiter about the onion soup. He offered to bring us another onion soup or something different, and we decided we should be okay with our main dishes. My mother-in-law had the hanger steak. The meat was really tough for its type and not juicy even though it was medium rare. I had the regular loin steak and it wasn't as good as I had it before - the steak quality was just really awful today for some reason, perhaps not fresh. My wife had the roasted duck. The duck was dry and rubbery and didn't taste fresh. She spoke up to our waiter about all three main dishes and the waiter had the manager come by. The manager asked my wife about her dish and listened to her complaint, but he was defensive noting that no other customers had complained about the duck today. She asked if there had been a recent change in the main chef, and was told that the same chef has been with the restaurant for 18 years. We thought this is weird given the inconsistent taste and food quality compared to our last visit. He was nice enough to offer my wife something different. My mother-in-law and I held our tongues and decided not to complain to him about our dishes because of his defensiveness. My wife decided to give the lamb a try but it was a great disappointment. The lamb was tough (and nearly tasteless) even though it was cooked medium rare. It tasted like it was cooked some time ago and was re-heated in the microwave right before being served at our table. The manager came by to check in with her, and offered something different after she described the toughness to him. She explained that she didn't want to try something different any more. My mother-in-law and I quickly wrapped up eating while my wife waited with an empty stomach and kept drinking water, so that we could get the check, pay, leave and get food for my wife from somewhere else. Overall we were really disappointed with our experience. Everything was five-star when my wife and I came many times before today over the past four years. We took my mother-in-law here to experience great French cuisine and it didn't happen today. Maybe the main chef was off today or something. To be honest, everything just tasted like they were prepared by an inexperienced cook today. Hopefully it was just an off day, because we had really liked this restaurant...

Normally I go to a different French restaurant that I like - Le Provençal Bistro but I was in the mood for a new spot . Got drawn in by the bone marrow and the sweet bread entree . I ordered French onion soup , the bone marrow , the mussels white wine sauce ( they have a curry based sauce if you want to try ) and the sweet bread entree which is thymus gland . First off , the host made it seem like there weren't many tables and for a party of two gave us a four seater by the door yet people after us came in without reservation and sat further in . Waitress was a very rushed and an apathetic short Asian woman and not that pleasant . Not sure if she was having a bad day but she wasn't pleasant and came across as shrill . Barely sat done and I felt rushed to order . The crowd lacks diversity as it was full of chads and brads - if you are curious about that sort of thing. The bone marrow was very oily , almost mucus like and I needed wine to wash it down : never had it this way . Won't order again . The onion soup was below average . It needed more cheese , wasn't fluffy or cheesy on top . No crust on top . The mussels were pretty good . I wish the bread was fresher and softer to enjoy the mussels more . Should have gotten fries with the mussels. The sweet bread was interesting . I would not order it again , but I don't regret ordering it either since I have never eaten thymus . The thymus itself is like a thinner crustier liver like protein with a strong peanut buttery after taste . It is very unique . I don't think I am ever going to crave it personally but I can see people craving it . Worth a try. The vegetables were very small portions and obviously frozen not fresh as the greens were hard . For dessert ordered the lava cake which says it takes 12 minutes but it came out in 2 . One of the worst lava cakes I have had . Avoid . I would have taken pictures but the place was to dark to take them . I am sure it is not hard to find better French restaurants and better service or I should have gotten safer options like the burger or steak frites but Unsure if they are good here. Probably not going back here . We spent a total of 120 plus tip for this meal . 2 glasses of wine 2 appetizers , 1 below average soup ,1 entree , 1 bad dessert . Service...

The food was delicious if only the service would be better! We used to go here regularly but were fed up with service. You come into an almost restaurant and ask them for a table. They give you a "that's going to be very difficult' look and tell you that if you manage to finish your dinner in an hour they can give you a table because they are fully booked for later that night. By the time the hour is over the place is still half empty. This happened to us a few times. It makes you feel very unwelcome. After having avoided the place for some time we decided to go back, making a reservation well in advance to avoid the "a table will be difficult' treatment. This time the waiter didn't seem to have time for us and when he did he had difficulty remembering our order, forgot to give us bread, than forgot to give us butter with the bread and so on. The girl that was walking around serving people food didn't seem to understand any english but didn't want to admit it so plenty of misunderstandings at our table and our neighbors. Too bad. Like I said the...