Dot's Delicatessen

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TheTripChick

Joined 9 years ago

3.5 stars, actually. And here's how I got there...

My friend insisted that Dot's warranted four stars simply on the price alone. He helpfully submitted a good argument: if we'd ordered the cassoulet & steak frites at Bastille, we'd have paid a much dearer amount for it.

I get that, but still stick with 3.5 stars, not willing to round up to four. BUT, I can definitely see a four if they are serving the pulled pork sandwich the next time I visit Dot's.

The cassoulet - actually a double-edged sword (of sorts): a grand portion, complete with a luscious duck leg sticking out the top corner. The hard part: more of a rustic presentation and preparation. It wasn't only duck, there were other meats included. Upon asking my friend to name them, he, alas, could not. He did mention that the dish seemed more rustic and "home-made" than other versions he's tried, and he love the fact that the portion was large enough to allow him to take half of it home with him for a stellar Saturday morning breakfast.

Just to give you a good giggle: he also ordered the steak tartare, not having any idea that it was essentially raw beef. He quite enjoyed the fries, but wasn't sure what to make of the raw beef. My hubs and I, however, did make short work of it as soon as we arrived. It was quite good: pre-mixed, but with a nice heat that was absent from the tartare we'd tried in Paris - do I dare say Dot's made it better? Yes, I do.

Entrees: you already know about my friend's cassoulet. The hubs ordered a Reuben sans dressing (oy!) and declared it "okay, but not Katz's caliber". Seeing as how Katz's in NYC is a HUGELY high benchmark, that's saying it must have been pretty good. I will find out when I enjoy the leftover half for breakfast (film at eleven, folks)...

I went with the steak frites, which is a standard that I use to judge the caliber of a place. For the steak frites, I give Dot's a 3. Here's why: the frites, when the plate arrived, caused the hubs to say "is there anything but fries on the plate?" and he had a point. Here's what I saw when I gazed upon my plate: fries, then Roquefort butter (yum!), then steak. Think about that for a second. The steak was noticed LAST. It was the size of a deck of cards and had a good amount of fat and gristle around the edges. So much so that I trimmed of the edges immediately and was left with a square of steak about 2.5" x 3". The steak itself was perfectly prepared, but the sheer small size (especially compared to similar steak frites offered in Seattle and beyond) kinda took the whole "neato-bandito" 4 or 5 star aspect out of the running for Dot's, for me.

Music: loved. Keep playing it always. However, might want to turn it down a notch or two when folks start sitting down at the tables.

To end on a positive: I LOVED the service. These guys rock for customer service. We were treated with warm friendliness and respect, and I loved the gentleman who asked if it was okay to call the hubs "Lar Bear" - can I just take you home with me now?

Dot's: you make me a pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw on top, and we'll talk.