Le Titi and quick question re: dress code

Hi all,

I'm finally taking my wife to Le Titi de Paris this weekend, after she's been asking for a while. I love cassoulet, venison, etc. and she loves fish, so I think we will have a delicious meal.

We don't typically spend this much on dinner, special occasion spots have been North Pond, Mon ami gabi, Frontera, Smith & Wollensky. I see reviews say "jacket preferred". Dumb question: if I do wear a jacket, can I pair it with jeans?

(I usually either wear jeans or suits, and don't have a simple blazer. Don't want to wear a suit, so thinking of buying a jacket)

Fred

I can relate because I, too, usually wear either jeans or suits. As such, I've never really developed much of a "business casual" wardrobe.

I'm not usually one to give fashion advice, but I've never considered jeans and a blazer to be an especially good look. Maybe you can pull it off, but I think you'd be better off wearing a blazer and even something like a basic pair of khakis, especially to a dressy/formal restaurant like Le Titi de Paris.

I've been to Titi a few times, and although you could probably "get away" with jeans, why dress down for what is a "special occasion"?

If you don't want to wear dress pants, khakis sound like a good option.

Hammond

I would also agree. Khakis would be the most casual that I would recommend even though it is not stuffy there at all. You will totally enjoy it - let us know what you think!!!

We were just there the other night. It was a celebratory meal and so my dad and I both put on ties and jackets and didn't feel out of place. Neither would they have been required. Khakis would be "appropriate" in the sense that you wouldn't feel out of place. And, in fact, there were certainly others without jackets as I recall. Indeed, the hostess was in a short skirt and top so low cut that we were more than a bit concerned whenever she leaned forward. Still, I'm inclined to agree that if you're going out for a special dinner at a restaurant of this caliber, why not dress up for it?

I've posted on a different thread, but I hope your waitress isn't Silviya. Our service was so bad that I wrote a long letter to Michael Maddox that very evening (though the quality of the food was excellent, without exception).

Thanks for the help!

the idea behind the jeans and blazer was that I found an awesome velvet blazer at Target (!), and it doesn't really go with slacks/khakis. Figured if I'm going to actually buy a jacket, it should be something I can wear casually.

I'll probably end up wearing a lighter color suit.

That's horrible re: your service, Gypsy Boy. I have heard good things about the service and hope our luck holds out.

You could call and tell them that you don't want this waitress, and make certain you didn't run the risk. My mom goes out a lot, and she always calls and asks for wait staff she likes, so I'm sure the reverse would be accommodated.

No offense, but I would think it a bit odd to call a restaurant in advance and specifically request not to have a particular server. They may accomodate your request, but it seems like it potentially could start things off on the wrong foot.

I guess I figured it might underscore for the restaurant the fact that their reputation could be damaged by a bad server, and might make it more likely that the issue was addressed, so that no one else had an unpleasant evening.

Fred, I wore a jean/jacket combo to Le Titi during my last visit (about a year ago) and did not encounter any difficulties. However, I remember that most diners wore business or business casual attire.

Enjoy your meal . . . the wife and I had a great experience.

As my postscript to my review indicates, I have been giving the whole situation a lot of thought. It is certainly conceivable that our server had a very bad night. It can happen to anyone. And I am somewhat uncomfortable with penalizing a restaurant on that basis. However, that said, I agree with Cynthia that calling this to their attention identifies a problem--either real or potential--and allows it to be addressed. The other option is to say nothing and, if you should get the same server, see if you have the same experience. Any single experience is suspect as a valid statistical basis, and it is unfortunate in the extreme that this "perfect storm" of major celebration and bad service came together for us.

I realize this is getting a bit off topic, but I think these are interesting posts. I don't necessarily disagree with Cynthia. However, personally, I would have a hard time calling a restaurant (any restaurant) in advance and telling them 'I don't want server X', unless I previously had had that server and they were just AWFUL (so awful that I wouldn't mind seeing them lose their job). Also, if I were going to make such a call, I probably would be prepared to explain why I don't want that particular server.

Just there last night and there was only one gentleman without a jacket in our room. Many did not have a tie, but you may feel out of place without a jacket.

Just my 2 cents...

After striking out at Bob Chinn's, Weber Grill, and maybe a couple of other places on restaurant row in Wheeling a few years back, a buddy and I who were about to go out drinking with other friends from college finally decided to skip dinner and grab some bar food. Well...on the way to Rt. 53 I said "why don't we just swing into that French restaurant with the blue roof, it doesn't look fancy."

When we walked in, I was wearing ripped cargo pants and a baggy sweater. My buddy was wearing REALLY baggy ripped jeans and a t-shirt. Seeing that the place was packed with folks who looked to be all dressed up, I was not shocked or saddened when we were poo-poo'd by the maitre d.

All was not lost, though....as soon as we turned around, another gentlemen said "excuse me sirs, I believe we can accommodate you" and sat us in a small room in the back of the restaurant. Being an inexperienced 22 year old, I suggested to my buddy that he find a cheap bottle of wine since we were in a fancy French restaurant and about to go out drinking anyway. When the server asked if we would like something to drink, my buddy mumbled something (not knowing how to pronounce anything and not wanting to look like an idiot) and the waiter perked right up and immediately disappeared after issuing a few "yes sir, right way sir" type comments. I asked my buddy what he ordered and he pointed to a $40 bottle of some Bordeaux. Well, the waiter, sommelier, and chef all came out and apologized profusely for not having the wine we ordered, but offered to substitute a "good vintage" in their words of Chateau Mouton Rothschild. Being 22, we had no idea what they were talking about, so we blindly accepted. They brought out a 1982, an charged us $200 for it. My eyes popped out at the bill when I saw it, but I realize now it was a terrific bargain!