Au Four à Bois - Trois-Rivières

"I had a great experience at this restaurant. While I was in Trois-Rivières for business and don't speak French, I found it a bit challenging to place my order. However, the waitress was extremely kind and patient, which made the experience much more enjoyable."

Four of us visited Four à Bois hoping for a pleasant evening and a good meal. We were greeted adequately. The wood-fired pizza was decent, the squid was acceptable, but the cauliflower soup was rather bland. The real disappointment was the so-called Osso Buco, which was supposedly prepared in the Milanese style. The chef really needs to reconsider the name, especially since I’ve been to Italy multiple times and have Italian friends. Genuine Milanese Osso Buco consists of veal shanks braised in white wine and served with a flavorful mix of vegetables like tomatoes, carrots, and leeks, topped with Gremolata (a mixture of parsley, anchovies, lemon, and garlic). Instead, I received a pork shank (as noted on the menu) that was overly fatty, drowned in a salty brown sauce with no vegetables in sight. Alongside it, I had just three or four carrot sticks and a couple of pieces of broccoli, completely lacking Gremolata. For sides, the menu offered options like creamy pasta, rice, baked potatoes, or fries. I chose the creamy pasta and was surprised to find I was charged $8 for a small portion of fettuccine smothered in an overly thick sauce. When I pointed out this extra charge to the waiter, he admitted that he should have informed me about the cost, which he had neglected to do. The menu itself was ambiguous regarding these charges. Only one of us ordered coffee and dessert, and the service was slow despite the restaurant not being busy. The coffee didn’t arrive until well after the dessert had been consumed. Our server, Clovis, did his best to address the ups and downs of our dinner. Overall, we do not recommend this restaurant. If you're considering a visit, take the time to read the many reviews and form your own opinion. It's surprising for a restaurant that has been in business for such a long time. P.S. I did not return the dish, as I’ve heard from reviews that the waiter may have to pay for it out of his own pocket.

The Salad Niçoise was prepared with dark canned tuna and was missing the egg and green beans that were supposed to be included according to the menu. The lettuce was cut roughly and had no flavor. The hot goat cheese salad, which was advertised as vegetarian, surprisingly contained bacon. There was only one other couple in the restaurant, and we felt completely overlooked. We requested a water refill but never received it. Ultimately, we had to leave our table to locate our waitress just to settle the bill.

We calmly pointed out all of these issues to the waitress, who then became overly sweet and accommodating, but no solutions were offered to address the problems. At one point, she took the overcooked egg directly from the plate with her bare hands to show the kitchen staff. We overheard the cook complaining about being overwhelmed with orders (bread, eggs, meat…??). Ultimately, we never received replacement eggs. Therefore, I strongly recommend finding another place for lunch.

A bit dirty , service is friendly but a bit slow.Food was ok and priced