"What started out as an inexpensive neighborhood bistro now charges close to fine dining pricing. Bergerac is clearly a 5 star bistro, but when a full menu is currently $65 plus $35 for its wine paring, then it either has to return to lower pricing or be reviewed more critically. It still has the potential to be a 5 star as an upscale restaurant because of the chef's talent, but only if they address the following: 1) first and foremost, they must stop using paper napkins and cheap silverware glassware. If a customer can now easily spend $100 per person, paper napkins are simply unacceptable. Their presentation must evolve with their pricing. At the very least they must switch to wine specific restaurant grade crystal such as the lowest Riedel line. They should get rid of their current heavy duty stemless generic all purpose glassware, even if they hold up better under commercial use. After reviewing their menu then noticing their paper napkins and inferior wine glasses, the impression I got was that they were going to get other details wrong as well, including those related to the actual food and wine. 2) Regarding the $35 pairing for approximately 10 oz total of non luxury, improper temperature wine, I felt it was a poor value. That's why I opted for just a glass of their sauvignon blanc/semillon blend instead, but unfortunately it had a foxy fruit forward taste, and was served to me at a full chill like a sparkling wine. Acceptable for a bistro, but not for $12 for what looked like a heavy tasting pour. Proper temperature is important with wine, so I think they need to consult with a certified sommelier. They need to invest in a multi temperature wine fridge for reds and whites, and use their regular fridge for sparkling. I don't know for sure, but I am guessing they presently keep reds at room temperature (not cellar temperature which must never exceed 65 F), and whites and sparkling together in a regular fridge. 3) I was given sliced bread instead of a piece of crusty baguette with my escargot, which is a head scratcher to me. And where were the snail shells as advertised prominently on their website? I know shells add to the cost, but customers pay for presentation. My escargot meat was just lazily piled on a snail plate, disregarding the indentations designed to keep shells upright. Luckily, they used actual small French helix, not a cheaper larger Asian species. 4) My crème brûlée was dry, as if they did not add enough water to sustain a bain marie. Also, my swordfish tasted previously frozen, and it was overcooked; I think they needed a hotter searing flame over a shorter cooking cycle for my portion. 5) Finally, they should install a mirror or painting behind the bar since half the room looked spartan even with all the Christmas decorations. Overall, I thought the food was well seasoned and tasted good, but I was turned off by the establishment's general lack of ambience, paper napkins, and pricey ordinary wine served in bulky gene"
