My fiance and I went to eat at Poole’s on a Friday night. We got their at 6h30 and took stools at the bar.

The atmosphere was really retro and unique, very cool and pleasant…. By 7h15 though, masses of people came in and crowded the bar section to discomfort. As diners, it was not ideal. Especially where mid-way through our meal we were interrupted by a request to move over stools to accomodate another party. Of course, there’s little management can do about other impolite diners; however, I would imagine they would be concerned about the building being over capacity.

The food selection is not what you would expect from a “diner.” Indeed, it was gourmet food. We ordered the duck and chicken liver pate ($9) and the baguette ($3) for starters - delish! My fiance ordered the “special,” of bone in NY strip with an au poivre sauce and fries. After seeing the bill (they charged $36 for the steak) it was highly disappointing as the steak was unevenly cooked (medium on the outside, rare in the bone nook..) one would expect a $36 steak to be cooked perfectly throughout. I had the roasted beet and avocado salad ($9) which was divine! We also ordered a side of the Macaroni au Gratin ($9) which was very tastey, too.

Overall, I really loved the meal and the service was great.

With the gourmet food and price tags, I would expect a little more in terms of seating comfort, but I guess that is why it carries the name of “diner.”

on Poole's Downtown Diner 01/27/09