Can Can Brasserie has been one of my favorite Richmond restaurants since it opened about 7-8 years ago. It has been almost a sacred place for me. I've been there for many a birthday celebration, including several of my own. I've been there with local friends and brought lots of out-of-town friends. I've treated myself by going there alone to write; I've literally got the tote bag and given it as gifts. I've been there for brunch, lunch, and dinner and even met friends there for coffee and a pastry. If I'm passing by, I at least pop in a get a baguette. It was the first place where Daddy Mac and I went out by ourselves after having Sam. When Sam was three, we went there for brunch so many times he started to call it Candy Can. You got it, right? We loved the place! Daddy Mac and I have both lived in France for a bit and are big Francophiles. Heck, I was even a French major. It was no wonder that my sister in Boston gave us a gift certificate there for Christmas.
So, on with the story. Yesterday we went to the Mummy Exhibit at the VMFA which was neat. Then we headed to Can Can for lunch. Still thinking of the fresh new year, Daddy Mac and I both decided to order something on the healthy side. He got the salmon salad, and I got one of the "plats to de la semaine" (plates of the week). It was lobster with leeks, bok choy, and a side salad. My salad arrived which consisted of only lettuce. That's OK -- I knew that when ordering. I absolutely love their traditional greens and house dressing! Well, the problem was there was hardly any lettuce in my lettuce-only salad. That was a bit odd. Underneath that lettuce lay a small piece of toast, which was even more odd. Was that supposed to be an enormous crouton? Was it there to make it seem as if there was more lettuce than there actually was? I have no idea.
The entrees came, and I quickly realized the three or four tiny pieces of lobster could not have weighed more than an ounce. There wasn't a whole lot of the bok choy/leek combo either. Daddy Mac took one look at it and said that I could have some of his greens. I figured that it would probably be more filling than it looked. Well, his entree looked just about as paltry. Once again his salad had barely any lettuce and a tiny piece of salmon. Is there a lettuce shortage in the kitchen? For the first time since I've known Daddy Mac, he ate everything on his plate, including all the greens. Well, that's because there really wasn't much on his plate at the start. Our waiter was very good and very busy, so we left him a nice tip. It wasn't his fault after all.
After leaving, the whole situation just didn't sit right with me. Besides the fact that we were still pretty hungry was one thing, but there was the distinct feeling of having been ripped off. After a $50 lunch, you should not be just as hungry as when you walked in, if not more so. We literally went to the McDonald's drive-thru, and I devoured my hamburger in no time flat. It was yummy.
When we got home, I wanted to say or do something. I found Can Can's Facebook page and left a post on their wall. It said, "We just had lunch there. I know French portions are small; I lived there for a year. This was ridiculous! We literally went to the McDonald's drive-thru afterwards. Boy, did that hamburger taste good!" I figured I would get some sort of response like, "We are sorry you feel that way. We certainly don't want our customers to be so dissatisfied. Blah, blah, blah."
Well, I checked back two hours later to see if there was any response from the restaurant. Not only was there no response whatsoever, but my post was GONE! POOF! There was rien, nada, nothing, no sign of it. It had been deleted. I couldn't believe it - I even tried to give them the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps they would send a follow-up email back to me personally. Nope.
C'est vrai? That's how they treat customers with a complaint? They just delete them? Besides the fact that I'm on the hunt for a new favorite restaurant in Richmond, I'm very disappointed and sad. It's like losing a good friend. Ah, quel dommage, Can Can. What a pity.
LibbY
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