Patois

Having worked behind the scenes at a fancy restaurant I was immediately interested in examining the reviews of Restaurant Patois, which seemed to hold a standard and price point that reminded me of the River Cafe.  As I began reading and trying to analyze the reviews in terms of the role it plays in the community I noticed a number of things. 

First off, Patois is predominantly given a four and five star rating, asides from a few concise reviews every now and again that criticized it with misspelled words.  Secondly, I began to notice the types of people who ate at and reviewed Patois seemed to be predominantly either foodie tourists or people who weren’t concerned about the cost of the meal as much as they did of the alcohol: “The only aspect of the meal that I did not enjoy was the wine service” (Susan W.).  In terms of the audience indicated by the reviews the that Patois plays in creating a community is minimal compared to the New Orleans institution type restaurants I’ve attended.   Not only is Patois’ primary target group not the residents of the city, but it sometimes plays a negative role in the community, like harboring enmity between it and less wealthy or educated people: “The worst dinner ever .The ribs were burned and tasteless(Burn taste)” (Deniz S.).  Nonetheless Patois does seem to have one redeeming aspect in terms of its role within the social and food communities of New Orleans, that being its Sunday brunch.  Patois’ Sunday brunch attracts a lot of locals, who praise it highly as well.  One local reviewer cited it as a favorite place to bring guests of the city, saying of the brunch, “what better way to break someone into New Orleans then forcing them to eat rabbit while washing it down with a mimosa or a French 75” (Whitney J.).  Ultimately what seems to hold Patois back the most is its service, which causes most of its three star ratings.  One customer complained that “I asked the waiter to describe one of the dishes and the response was: ‘what do you mean’ followed by him taking the menu from my hand and reading me the description” (Katherine S.).

Ultimately Patois fails to live up to its reputation and the standard of a New Orleans institution because the role it plays in the community and its culture is an estranged one.  Not only does Patois seem to fail to make itself a place in the community by catering to tourists, but it abandons the food’s integrity by abandoning the people of the city that pioneered the very same cuisine and style of dining it claims.