My wife and I went to La Serre for dinner during a snow storm, and besides one other table we where the only people in the restaurant. Consequently, you'd expect that the kitchen could focus on the preparation of our meals in that situtation better than on any other night. We ordered baked stuffed clams, a salad, a French onion soup, and veal Picatta.
The clams were $10 for a half dozen, which would be fine if they tasted as good as something you'd buy pre-made and frozen from Price Chopper. The clams were rubbery, and an overuse of breadcrumbs made the appetizer mostly tasteless to boot.
The salad was good, but nothing special. The arichoke hearts and olives and roasted red peppers came out of a jar. The goat cheese was good, but not plentiful enough.
The veal Picatta was greasy and tough becuase (for starters) too much flower was used to coat the veal prior to sauteeing. The sauce was tasteless and overwhelmed by the cooking oil.
The French onion soup broth and onions were flavorful, but instead of a toasted slice of bread, the kitchen used salad croutons. Also there was old cheese burned onto the crock.
A very disappointing meal, especially considering that it was over $100 with 1 round of drinks.
The service and ambiance were great, as you'd expect when dining in a mostly-empty restaurant.
Dessert was the best part of the meal... the berry sauce on the deserts was the best thing prepared in the kitchen that night.
For a French restaurant, the menu seems to lack a profusion of French dishes. Though it was our first time there (and our last), the menu seems dated.
I suppose it was possible that due to the snow storm, the chef left for the night and the dishwasher was preparing our food ;-)
We considered that perhaps it was an off night, -- but later we spoke to friends who had eaten there recently as well, and they had a similar experience. It just should have been better.
