Sandrine's

65. 12-1 Sandrine's 8 Holyoke Street. Summary: Lovely setting; cold but efficient service; interesting, creative, attractive, and expensive food.

Sandrine's is a beautiful restaurant, from the Art Deco molding over the entrance, reminiscent of Parisian subways, to the different levels in the main dining room and the ornate bar and the linen tablecloths. With its excellent location, and that much attention to the setting, you know it's going to be expensive. The only question is, can the food and service match the environment?

I think it does, just. I went with a friend, Michael, and we were the first to arrive for lunch, at about 11:40am. Our server was efficient and polite, but she had negative personality. Her expression never changed. No smiles, no friendly chit-chat, no anecdotes - only attention to the food we wanted. You'd think, with no one else in the restaurant, that a server would have an extra second to chat...

While the service was a bit cold, the food was excellent. I had a bowl of onion soup gratinee, which was exactly as you'd expect - nice clumps of cheese on top, and very tasty onion broth loaded with onion slices beneath. For an entre I had the Roasted Chicken Salade Roulade, which I also enjoyed. Michael had a simple salad and then the Gourmand Sirloin Burger, which comes with duck truffle Perigoudine, which I believe is a foie gras. Lots of rich food, full of flavor. We finished everything, happily.

We didn't even partake in any of the regional specialities - Alsatian, meaning the border of France and Germany near Strassbourg. Alsatian foods tend to highlight both French and German specialties.

So, a successful lunch. But for $20 each, the server could have smiled!