PABLO'S DINING LOUNGE
Address: 255 Quebec St.
Tel: 250-388-4255
Hours: Open nightly from 5 p.m.
Major credit cards accepted. Rating 2
When I called to book a table at Pablo's, the gentleman who answered politely inquired if we were celebrating a special occasion. "How nice," I thought to myself as I hung up.
It was nice while it lasted.
Pablo's claims 34 years on the local scene, which is not entirely accurate since it recently spent a couple of years having an early midlife crisis when it called itself Niche. It does, however, charge up to $55 for a main course and consistently represents itself as a fine dining establishment, so it deserves to be assessed as one.
Greeted, I was directed to a table where I met my beaming friend Angela, who had the place to herself. With no offer to take my coat, I hung it on back of my chair, where it remained.
Returning with cocktails and menus, our server advised lamb and rabbit were unavailable -not what you expect to hear as the first customers of the evening in a fine dining establishment. Angela, who wanted lamb, wasn't beaming anymore.
I had noticed ads for a three-course menu for Dine Around, so when our server returned to take our order, I asked if there were any specials. "No," he said. "No?" I replied. "Well, there's an entrée special . well, just let me go check," he said, darting toward the kitchen.
He returned with the news of a three-course meal. We stared at each other, until I broke the silence to ask what it was.
"The soup is crème de choisis. Do you know what that is?" he asked, obviously thinking I did not.
"Well, you just said cream of choice, so does that mean whatever I want?" I asked.
"No. It's like vichyssoise, but it's warm and has cabbage in it," came the reply.
"Like vegetarian caldo verde?" I ventured. "No. It has lettuce in it."
I gave up and asked about the other courses -a "salmon pinwheel" and crème caramel. When I asked what the salmon was stuffed with, he looked a little taken aback before replying, "Oh. Spinach, I think."
We ordered appetizers from the regular menu and waited. And waited. Other people arrived, and we listened as they were fawned over. In fact, sound carries so well that we even heard one table ordering the Dine Around steak special from the other server.
I called him over and asked if there was a steak special. He looked startled and said he would get my server. When our server appeared with bread, we asked him. "I don't know," he replied with a straight face and then avoided us for 15 minutes. We both felt we were now categorized as "cheap-people-who-wantthe-special," and nothing that occurred after this point of the meal did anything to dispel this view.
Appetizers arrived with no answer regarding the steak special. The crab cakes were excellent, but spinach salad with mushroom vinaigrette and three slightly overcooked prawns was merely adequate. We asked for more bread.
Twenty minutes later, our server advised that it was coming, as they prepare bread "a la minute," which usually means "to order," but in this instance likely meant "I forgot your bread." When he returned with it, he asked if we wanted anything else.
"We're still waiting to hear about the steak," I said.
"Well, the thing is, the special is the salmon." I simply stared in response. "But there was an ad in the paper today, but since you've heard about it, you can have it."
My steak was fine, but a little boring. So was Angela's choice, medallions of beef with a Madeira and mushroom sauce. We both enjoyed the vegetables more.
I don't like crème caramel, so Angela had that and I had truffles, four of which arrived on layers of caramel that may have been inspired by a Mardi Gras float.
We all pretended not to notice when one rolled off as he put it down. I wondered if it might be trying to escape, as I watched with empathy.
To sum up the evening, nothing about it made either of us want to return.
Although the food was adequate, it wasn't memorable and was frankly expensive for what it was. At these prices, you don't get a second chance. Service was indifferent, to say the least. When we left, Angela asked for her coat. Our server replied that she didn't have one. It was now dark and raining outside, and he will never know the lucky escape he had when she simply replied she was sure she did. He found it.
A quick glance through the paper later confirmed an ad for a three-course steak dinner, although it was $10 less than I was charged. The ad that ran that day, March 4, no longer used the words "Dine Around," either, which is a good thing as Pablo's were not participants in this annual promotion. The ad changed again the following week to include the words "must mention newspaper ad." To be safe, I suggest you take the newspaper with you.
RATINGS
Rating 1 Below bad
Rating 2 Below average
Rating 3 Average
Rating 4 Above average
Rating 5 Excellent
