Lesley Chesterman Destroys Decca 77

Lesley Chesterman has filed three zero-star reviews in over a decade and a half on the job. Two came in 2013, for La Société Bistro and Icône.

The Gazette critic's most recent pan, however, is singularly unambiguous. On every possible level, Chesterman's time at Decca 77, the flagship restaurant, arguably, of the Tom Nacos Group (Atelier Argentine, Wienstein & Gavino's, Newtown, Guido & Angelina), was a complete disaster, from rude and sexist service to the final bill.

To the lowlights:

· Messy menus— The second I was presented with the menu, I knew something was off. Not only were the yellow covers dirty, the dish descriptions were riddled with ridiculous translation errors in both languages.

· Unruly upsells— When I requested wines in a certain price range, [the waiter] suggested far more expensive bottles, knocking down any of the suggestions I made for cheaper selections. When I asked to speak to a sommelier, he said he was the sommelier tonight.

· Plongeur at the pass?— Despite the jumble of ingredients, the end result was tasteless, making this, hands down, the worst restaurant dish that has ever passed my lips. Peering into the semi-open kitchen in the back of the room, I started to wonder whether the dishwasher was doing the cooking that night.

· Disaster desserts— When I asked our waiter about the butterscotch ice cream, he looked confused and headed to the kitchen to inquire before coming back with a bowl of it. You can't make up incompetence like this.

· The damage— But here's the clincher, dear readers: The bill, with wine, tax and tip for this culinary cauchemar came to $387 for three.

This week's review. Decca 77 (no stars). When a once good restaurant goes bad. http://t.co/it0l4wFVIM

— Lesley Chesterman (@lesleychestrman) April 25, 2014

· Decca 77 Review [The Gazette]
· All Week in Reviews Coverage [-EMTL-]