Jules Bistro & Cafe
Location:
147 Spadina Avenue, Toronto
Cost: $20 for a main
[Interior: Jules]
Hi. Do you have a take-out menu?
Sure, here you go.
Thanks.
...
..
Hi there...we'll get the grilled salmon with ratatouille, salad and fries.
Will you have it for here or to go?
We'd like to take it to go, but we may eat outside on your patio.
No sorry, we don't allow that. You can eat in or take it to go but not take it to go and sit in.
Oh. So we can eat here and then pack it to go?
No.
Uh. [pause, look at each other....] Okaaaay, we'll change our order from take out to eat in then.
No, it's too late, the prices are different if you want to do that and I've already put the order in.
{But, we haven't even paid yet!}
Fine. We'll just take it to go.
..
.
...
..
.
[At the park]
Mmm.....not too bad....
Yeah. Too expensive for what it is, though...fries, salad, the smallest portion of ratatouille and that chef just fried the salmon in butter, I saw him.
Oh yeah? Tasty fries...although...they're kind of like McDonald's fries hahaha!
Yeah! I know! But Mcdonald's fries are like, two bucks!
Yeah....mm...so this is ratatouille? I'm not impressed...definitely doesn't look like in the movie!
I know. And the salad is drenched through...way too much dressing...why do they always do that?
I don't know...we should get it on the side, next time.
Nah...I don't think I'll ever go back there.
Me either.
***
Such was our experience at Jules, the fancy-schmancy place on on Spadina (north of Richmond and RIGHT BESIDE FUSARO'S!).
Two completely different eateries.
Fusaro's Kitchen always has a lunch line-up that goes out the door and practically down the street, has consistently friendly service and delicious (albeit high fat) foods...whereas Jules rarely has more than two tables filled, has terribly rude (and potentially racist) service and mediocre dishes!
The BEST thing on their take-out menu was the dish we ordered for $20...and that's not saying much at all! And they don't have such an impressive wine selection either!
Not to forget one price for eating in and another for eating out! Seriously, do they even want customers?
BUT, to each his own as they say. If you feel like eating pretentious French cuisine in a highly pompous environment, by all means, Jules is your venue. Knock yourself out! You'll need to before seeing your bill!
6 Comments | Share Article | in Brunch, Dinner, French, Lunch, Uncategorized | Thursday, April 24, 2008 at 10:49PM
Reader Comments (6)
Be glad you took it to go... it is always FREEZING in that place, summer or winter. Not my favourite place in the 'hood, that's for sure.
Hey Meredi,
I'm not surprised that you say that...the cold draft must emanate from the owners!
This is not a review.
Eric, the head chef and owner is nothing but sweet and nice to the visitors. He comes out and talks to you even when he's working - which is far from many restaurant owners in the Toronto area.
Why in the world would you take it to go and then sit there in eat it? What you're asking the waiter doesn't make sense, which is probably why you were treated the way you were. It's a restaurant, not Harvey's.
The prices are different AND the portions are different in take-out. Understandably, if you ordered take-out, they wouldn't be able to fix the order because half the food would be cold, and the addition would be warm.
"that chef just fried the salmon in butter"
I'm going to understand now, that you do not understand what food is. A lot of high-end restaurants cook things simply. Anyone who knows anything about food would tell you that. Pick up any Ramsay book and he cooks anything he makes with rarely more than ten ingredients. I suppose you 'food critics' would barely know a thing about that.
They do taste like McDonald's fries, but the difference is that McDonald's doesn't replace their oil as often AND it leaves a nasty aftertaste that isn't present in Jules' fries.
Line-ups don't say anything about good food. McDonald's always has line-ups and we all know that food is shit.
Hi Helen,
Sounds like you completely agree with me, so thanks, I guess!
Hey! I just had dinner there and I really liked it. Food was well priced and the service was good. And you can't ask for take out and eat it there... Did you just not want to tip the waitor? =[
Hi Clarissa, I think you misunderstood - we were trying to change our order so that we COULD eat in at the restaurant afterall, but the cashier rudely told us that it was too late to change the order (even though she'd hadn't even rung it in yet!), so to answer your question - no it wasn't about tipping the waiter (and are you serious about that question? lol!), it was the lack of good customer service skills of the person behind the cash register that day. I've since been BACK there, and ordered the exact same dish to go (again) and the service was fine as was the dish, although I still think it's too overpriced for what it is.