Good morning! So remember a few weeks ago when I went to Café Eau for Week 2 of the Bread Pudding Challenge? I know it’s been a while, so I’ll refresh your memory:
Bread pudding. Looks decent. Tasted awful.
Anyway, I had a lot more than just bread pudding at Café Eau, so it’s only right that I give them a proper review.
Café Eau is located in the Chase Park Plaza Hotel, which is in the Central West End neighborhood of St. Louis. It’s a pretty fancy schmancy place.
I visited on a weekday night, so it wasn’t super crowded like I imagine it must be on the weekends. I was seated right away by the polite (yet aloof) waitress.
I was hungry, so I started with an appetizer of House Made Toasted Ravioli. You can’t go wrong with a St. Louis classic, right?
These were stuffed with beef and italian sausage, and were served on top of sauce pomodoro. They were topped with basil pesto and parmesan cheese.
I loved these. The beef and sausage were juicy and super flavorful, and the combination of flavors from the sauce, pesto, and cheese worked together wonderfully. I had no problem finishing these on my own!
Next up? I decided to keep it simple with a Grilled Cheese Sandwich. It was served with pepperjack, brimstone, and tomato garlic cheddar cheese, and topped with applewood smoked bacon. It was served alongside a fire roasted tomato dipping sauce and french fries.
Let’s talk about the fries first.
They look tasty enough, right? Too bad they were pretty bad. They tasted like they came straight out of the freezer. Call me a french fry snob, but if I’m eating out and I order french fries, I expect them to be house-made.
On to the grilled cheese sandwich. This honestly wasn’t much better. There was something about it that was just…off. The bread tasted stale, the cheese wasn’t gooey and melty like I was expecting, and the flavors just fell flat. Even bacon couldn’t save this!
So it’s clear that I wasn’t a fan of the food. But what about the service? Like the food, it was disappointing. I don’t know if the waitress was having an off night or what, but she was dismissive, short, and almost rude to me at times! It was odd. I certainly didn’t feel welcome at Café Eau. I definitely understand that people have bad days, but a little friendliness goes a long way.
Oh, and the prices were on the expensive side. My toasted ravioli? $12. My grilled cheese? $11. The bread pudding? $10. For those prices, I expect amazing food and amazing service. Too bad I didn’t receive either.
Sorry, Café Eau…You’re a Café NO in my book. I can’t recommend this place at all.
See you next week
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