Oh Man. This is not the place I imagined I would assign my first 2-star rating. I woke up as sad and disappointed as I felt last night, leaving the legendary, old school Durant's after an evening of less than mediocre food and terrible service. Sigh.

Honey had a great lunch there a few months back and was excited to impress me with dinner. We saw Durant's listed on Restaurant week and were excited for the excuse to squeeze into one of their comfy booths amidst the bow-tie clad staff and velvet wallpaper. The instant time travel type setting usually makes for an incredible dining experience. Shall I fault the poor rating to their efforts at succumbing to a prix-fixe menu? Perhaps.

Our time at the bar proved to be the best part of the night. Watching the bartender mix the martini's the way my Pops used to was nostalgia at its best. I LOVED that they serve bottles of beer with a toothpick of meat and cheese. That is brilliant. It could transform me into a beer drinker after all. We met up with friends and continued on to the dinner portion of the evening.

Moving on to the booth, our waitress was definitely in the weeds. Having been in her shoes before, I always try and accommodate the situation. We ordered an appetizer and a few cocktails and waited to order dinner when she seemed able. Appetizer of artichoke dip was yummy. Tortillas and garlic bread and warm, cheesy dip delivered promise.

The limited menu was just that. Okay first course salad/soup options. Main course offered Pot roast, a small steak or chicken fried steak. Stewed steak, grilled steak or fried steak. Really? Your menu is impressive...if you really don't want to participate in Restaurant week, then don't. 

Honey ordered the chicken fried steak as a continuation of the old school vibe. I ordered the trout off the regular menu after C pointed out the fish option. J ordered the cfs too. 

Food took a bit, but we had good conversation flowing, so it wasn't a problem. Salads and soup were fine. Main course arrived and we were all a bit surprised by the size of the fried steak. I guess when you think of this meal from the past, it encompasses half the plate and is oozing with country gravy. This steak was the size of a burger and had a dollop of thick gravy-esque goo on the top. Garlic mashers were appropriately placed. 

My trout was supposed to be topped with a lemon caper sauce but instead it was slathered with a gravy that hinted at lemon and was all wrong for a fish. The trout was pain-fried and should there have been a light sauce, it would have been good. But the fried fish with the gravy was just so not good. 

The fried steak too, so not good. Mashers achieved an appropriate level of goodness, but you really don't want mashed potatoes to lead your dinner. 

We were devastated. 
The whole experience was so not what we came for or expected. I do want to give Durant's another chance and order a big, juicy steak and let them wow me like they do to so many, but it will be a while before our trek downtown includes a walk through their kitchen.