Having been a huge fan of the Ducasse restaurant at The Essex House and Plaza Athenee in Paris I expected too much I guess. Although making a reservation a month in advance we were shuttled into a side room where the service was totally neglected. Bottled water was never poured. Wine, although it was nice, took more than a half hour to arrive after ordered and after the first glass, it sat neglected by the staff in a decanter. The first course took a full 45 minutes to arrive. The waiters seemed completely untrained and uninformed. And to top it off, even though we ordered some specific items included in a tasting menu, the food was mediocre. A complete disappointment.

Mildly disappointing. Maybe we'd set our sights too high? We also went in the first week after opening, so maybe they were still getting into the groove...

Three of us went to Adour on a Saturday night to celebrate a birthday. It is a lovely space in the St. Regis Hotel with an airy main dining room and several, smaller adjoining rooms. We liked being in an adjoining room since it was serene and soft and we wanted to catch up with each other. The servers were eager, but caught on to the pace of the meal we planned to eat. Amuse-Bouche (small filled pastry) was tasty. In fact, I can't fault the food. Chilled lobster with fennel salt, duck foie gras, gnocchi and a shared sweetbread with egg purse were all appropriately excellent and savory. We went on to pork tournedos (with a fabulous piece of belly), rack of lamb with a perfect degree of tang and delicious baramundi (fish from Australia) followed by a cheese course. Desserts were decadent, although no creme brulee was in sight. I had to joke with the waiter and ask how the chef could do that on a Saturday night. We all had a laugh. The chocolate dishes are wonderful. Here is the rub: The wine experience disturbed me. Upon being seated, the wait staff presented the wine list. I looked it over and with the assistance of the young lady (I refrain from using the term sommelier) decided on a French wine which we agreed would be nice with the appetizers. The lady returned in a few minutes to announce that Adour "was out of your choice." The restaurant just opened. She then presented a second wine list with much higher prices and suggested a $300 bottle. My original choice was $120. I was dining with my wife and a dear friend so I had no compunction in telling her to bring back the other list. I opted for a $140 VR Desauney 99 and later a $160 bottle of Barbaresco. We enjoyed both. However, I left the restaurant feeling that something unethical was going on at the table. If I were buying a television, baiting and switching would draw a fine from the state. The young lady apologized to me. She knew that I knew. I am sure this behavior comes from the highest level of the restaurant. Finally, the wines were presented to me for review and then taken away to be opened. The corks were not presented (we asked for one to be brought to the table) and the Barbaresco was decanted before a drop was tasted. Is this the sop? I must agree with my friends. The days of this type of dining are over. Why bother with all the fuss? From now on, give me a great bite and a good wine and I will be a happy man. I doubt Adour will be with us for long. When his brasserie opens, this will become passé as Ducasse loses interest.

Despite the favorable critics reviews, Adour is a major dissappointment. Foood is decent, and way short of 3/4 star level. Service is quite poor. Wrong starters presented at table. Poor wine service. Overall barely a "good"