DoveCote, Downtown

I tried this bistro in the Bank of America building today for lunch. And while nothing they did disappointed me, I wasn't knocked of my feet. It's not that rustic French food isn't still better than most everything else or that we have such a profusion of French options, but, I just felt that I've seen this movie before. The lunch menu is composed of "schmears" and dips. Pork terrine, chicken liver pate, fish brandade, onion soup and tartare. Three prototypical French salads. Two burgers. Three typical sandwiches. An omelet. A fish and a chicken dish. The one "stretch" is a tomato water risotto. Dinner isn't much more expansive nor unusual. I had salmon with quinoa (with preserved lemon, almonds and black olives). The menu says kale. If there was, it was the fried herb I thought was a tasteless basil or mint garnish. The menu I left with listed the fish as grouper. Not sure if they go with what is fresh or they are already conceding another item (on a conceded menu) to the cookie cutter. The salmon was cooked perfectly. Two stapler (what I just stared at) sized pieces. Nice coat. Some might say not pink enough. I don't mind that if the fish stays flaky. It was. The quinoa "medley/melange" was tasty and had personality. It cost $18.50. The dinner cost was $26. Yet, that was one of the few double entries that increased in price. Either good news if you are a dinner patron or bad news if you are a lunchee. The "schmears" were cheap (depending on portion size I guess) at $7 or under. The soup is overpriced at $13 (even if they add oxtail). The tartare is $16. The burgers and sandwiches are $16 or under. The other entrees are reasonable (at $12, $13 and $16). The sides may be the most enticing things on the menu. They have a raw bar (at least shrimp and oysters). I think it is only filled at night. Another French tradition they replicate is the "tiny" soda in a bottle at an exorbitant mark up. Here they charge $3.50.

The place is tinier than I expected. Forty four in the main room. Twenty to thirty in the bank lobby. Hopefully, it never gets full enough that you are stuck in that makeshift insult. There was also a room partitioned off with curtains. A private room or extra seating. I suppose. The bathrooms were nothing special. No money spent there. And they smelled (they were airing them out). The "to go/coffee" area is also an eyesore. Makes you feel that you are in one of the cheaper dining options in an upscale hotel. The backdrop of the restaurant is kind of hard to describe with a stock word or phrase. It's a little California French (like a Thomas Keller place) with a dash of Parisian apartment salon and traditional Parisian bistro and a little shabby chic pied-a-terre thrown in. I know that means nothing to almost everyone. Let me describe elements. The walls are light blue. The trim is white. That reminds me of the salon. The main decorations are photos (some of the bigger ones look like Richard Avedons) seemingly haphazardly placed. That helps the shabby chic vibe. The bar area has an old absinthe contraption and is (in my probably faulty memory) classic with stained wood and the attached oyster "aquarium". That is the Parisian bistro element. The California vibe comes from the light stained wood tables and the lighter tones in general. I think the abstract mural (or maybe the waiters in dark jeans and collared shirts) on the higher end of the wall (cubes) also drew me to thoughts of Napa Valley, but, it could be The French Riviera as well now that I think about it. They also have three steel beams (painted white) above your head just for good measure. Find the dove. That is enough time spent on that.

There were only ten others eating at lunch. Doesn't auger well. But, I think they have deep pocket owners. I know it is a collaboration. The site is a tough one to attract non-courthouse or bank building visitors to. If it helps, they said they validate the in building parking charge. I think that the reviews have been very good. I would love to fall in love too, but, it doesn't feel like it has pizazz and the food stays to close to a worn out script. Maybe I need to analyze the menu more. Maybe these croque monsieurs and cassoulets are tuned up. Barring that, I'm not even sure it is the best bistro that opened this year. And I think there have only been two. I think I like that one on Sand Lake Rd in that Italian sounding complex past Dr. Phillips better. And it didn't mean enough to me to remember the name. However, I have to reiterate that I liked DoveCote. The execution was great. The service was great (even if it would have left a needy customer feeling a little forlorn at times). The place looks pretty great (except for the lobby and the to go area). They didn't have an attitude. And maybe that's it. They didn't have an attitude. Attitude in a good way. No real raison d'etre as they French would say. They need something that makes one NEED to go back. And the sad, paradoxical thing that they need is probably life force. They need a crowd. They need that buzz. Maybe it's there on non-Friday lunch gatherings. I know it's not there on Sunday nights either. I passed by last Sunday and it was dark. I guess that it didn't help that I watched Cafe Society last night and there was a big banging night club in the center of that. So (and this is the proper place to utter the word "so" - at the end of a a long dissertation - not at the beginning), my advice is to try it out. It may not be the end all be all, but, it is unlikely to disappoint.