Eye on...Food: Forbidden City Bistro

We introduce Eye on...Food, a monthly column by an average Joe turned critic.  The monthly column will put the microscope on local establishments, providing a unique take on food and other experiences in Middletown and surrounding areas.
Year of the Dragon Shines; Service “A Hot Mess”

It’s a good thing that Forbidden City makes a great entree.  Sure, there is the beautiful lighted bar area and the brick-lined main dining room.  Yes, the wine and martini selections are excellent.  And I need to mention the bathroom...man, I had to make excuses for multiple visits to the sleek, tile-covered bathroom.  But the frustratingly inconsistent service almost overshadows all of it.

Forbidden City Bistro recently featured a special “Year of the Dragon” menu headlined with its Year of the Dragon Dish.  A wok-flashed lobster was presented beautifully in dragon-like fashion with ginger and scallion seasoning, and it tasted as good as it looks.  For a restaurant with a largely static menu of favorites, the special menu brought some flair to the already creative cuisine.  From the looks of the number of similar crustaceans consumed by my fellow diners, this was truly was the start of the Year of the Dragon at Forbidden City.

The Peking Duck Confit “sandwich” represented a different take on the classic Peking Duck, with slow roasted duck combined with shiitake mushrooms on top of pillow buns.  Don’t know what a pillow bun is?  Sounds good though, huh?  The pillow buns were doughy pastries of goodness, the highlight of the meal, and the dish was served as a make-your-own-sandwich, accompanied by a soy-based sauce.  The dish was accompanied perfectly by a Chateau Ste. Michelle Indian Wells Cabernet Savignon, a reasonable value on the extensive wine list.

Although the entrees soared, the other dishes of the night were largely forgettable.  A crab cake was plain, filler-filled. The crab cake was served with the same sauce as the spring rolls, which still remains a favorites.  And the recommendation would be to skip dessert and just make the drive to DQ after enjoying your wonderful entrees.  The Bourbon Pecan Tart was a pile of sweetened pecans in a flaky crust.  Good, but it was missing the creativity of their entrees.  And the “flourless” chocolate cake should have been described as the “tasteless” chocolate cake, a cold, flavorless brownie on a plate with a squirt of whipped cream.  Had me thinking that they perhaps should have added the flour after all.

And the service....oh, the service....was scattered and disorganized at best.  My dinner companion eloquently referred to it as a “hot mess.”  Even though we made reservations, we were offered a nice table behind a column and next to the kitchen and a door with a metal placard saying “Employees Only” and another ripped paper sign saying “Employees Only” in case you didn’t get it the first time.  Refusing that table, we were offered a table in the bar area.  The inattentive service and lack of open tables was blamed on a backup on the Arrigoni bridge, which compressed the reservations that evening.  However, that fact does not excuse being greeted with an “Are you ready to order?” which made me think I was dining at Applebee’s, not at an upscale Chinese restaurant with the best-looking bathrooms in Connecticut.

Most frustratingly, the Forbidden City seems to use a “team” approach to serving, meaning that you are not quite sure who your server is....or when your wine will be served....or when you will have bread....or if you need more water....you get the idea.  A basketball fan might liken it to a zone defense when a man-to-man might be more appropriate.  In particular, I like having someone looking after me when I dine, say, if I need to have chocolate cake taken off my bill.

So the Year of the Dragon roared in with mixed success at Forbidden City.  When you next make your reservations there, I strongly suggest focusing on the creative entrees and breathtaking bathrooms, but be ready to flag down a server, any server, to get attention.  For me, the food will keep bringing me back, but the service will keep me shaking my head.

Forbidden City Bistro is located at 335 Main Street in Middletown near Court Street.  Open for lunch and dinner daily (until 9:30 Sunday-Thursday; 10:30 on Friday and Saturday).  Dress is upscale casual and reservations are recommended (available online at opentable.com).  Bathrooms are available for patrons only...sorry.