Bistro SK

BSK is magical. The food is as good as any top shelf Bistro along any boulevard in Paris.

Very nice staff. Food was great! Especially loved the shrimp salad appetizer.

Aside from my love for photography, I also love food. I have the love handles and the cholesterol levels to prove it. I've also been a big fan of cuisine diversity for the Bronx and there are very few, if any, French bistros in this borough, so I was excited to try Bistro SK in City Island, write a glowing review and deposit my two cents into the ether.

Everything about this bistro was gearing up to be a positive experience: the food was good, the reviews were uniformly 4 and 5 stars, and the owner nailed the decor perfectly. I've never been to France, but this is what I would envision a small French bistro to look and feel like. Unfortunately, my Yelp review was less kind, and all because they committed the one unforgivable sin of poor customer service. It's a fundamental core of the restaurant experience and if you forget this, then who cares if your meal was 5 stars, or even 3, in this case? I can forgive a lot, but this one I didn't let pass.

The Brunch menu was advertised with two price points: $10.95 with unlimited coffee or tea or $15.95 with unlimited mimosa. As long as you order from the brief list of Brunch menu items, you would be charged one or the other per person.

My stepfather, mother and I proceeded to order coffee and orange juice, anticipating that the OJ might cost a bit extra. (The OJ, by the way, was not fresh squeezed - it was made from concentrate). The Brunch items ranged from 3 varieties of omelettes, Eggs Benedict, French Toast, Croque Monsieur, Croque Madame and ham and cheese crepes. Ordering within the menu, I had the Croque Monsieur which was solid, very tasty. The omelettes ordered by my family were good, but certainly nothing to rave about - their words more or less.

We also decided on a dessert, which we also expected to pay extra since it wasn't on the menu. ($9 for a tiny ramekin of chocolate mousse, by the way). Throughout all of this, the restaurant was crowded and noisy - always a good sign. The service suffered a bit as it felt a little rushed and brusque. There was a decidedly clipped, impatient manner in which the waiter answered my stepfather's question. I didn't know it at the time, but I just discovered in my research that our waiter was the owner, Stephane Kane. Our request for a second round of coffee was ignored and we had to repeat the order. Not ideal, but forgivable - they're having a hectic day.

Unfortunately, when we received the bill, we were charged $15.95 a person. Calling over Stephane to question the bill, he became surly and defensive. "You all had orange juice, didn't you?", he scowled.

"Well, yeah, but it wasn't mimosa", I replied, trying not to adopt a confrontational tone, "so I was just wondering why we were charged extra for this".

"Well, you want me to charge you $6 for each of the orange juices you ordered?", he countered with a snap.

$6 for a glass of orange juice from concentrate? This isn't Manhattan. But more to the point, he handled the situation poorly. Even if we were in the wrong, he should have adopted a diplomatic tone and explain that it was just easier to charge us each the $15.95 than separately charge us for the OJ, however overpriced it was. I was willing to amicably concede with just a simple explanation and polite attitude.

Instead, he felt the need to shut me up - and for the time being, he did.

...Until now that I'm writing about it. Adieu Bistro SK, je ne vais pas revenir.

The decor is unique and thoughtful. The owners are wonderful!

Excellent food, very attentive staff, super delicious desserts. Make a reservation before going.