The Old Prune

The tables are much too close together so you have no privacy I have never paid so much for so little food and waited so long to get it. Salmon was under cooked but I was so hungry I did not send it back.

Food was extremely pretty looking and extremely bland tasting. Our service (from a manager, no less) was extremely poor but his staff tried to make up for it. Not worth the money, I’m afraid

Took myself for dinner at the Prune, as I was in town alone and treating myself to a weekend of Theatre and relaxation. My dinner was very nice.
It began with a stater of garlic lentils on a little spoon that looked like caviar. Cute, but not all that enticing. The Smoked salmon with devilled quail egg was well thought out and the flavours of dill and tarragon were harmonious and refreshing against the salmon. The quail eggs were yummy and beyond adorable! The portion was very small, but I made up for it with my entrée, which was the delectable shelled lobster with beets, sugar snap peas and smoked salt. The butter drizzled atop was the perfect crowning touch and it was nice to not have to shell my own lobster for once.
I had a few glasses of bubbly from Washington, which was surprisingly good and a glass of pinot noir.
Since I am not a dessert girl, I finished with a cheese plate that was well picked and featured cheeses of nicely contrasting textures and flavours. The slightly warm walnut bread was delicious.
Overall, I’d say the experience was bang on. I might have liked to have seen some duck on the menu, or foie gras or sweetbreads, because these are things I don’t cook at home and I bet they would have done a fabulous job of any of those three items.
Service was very attentive, almost too much so, but I may have been a bit more sensitive to this since I was sitting alone. They all seemed to be stopping by asking things that other servers had previously asked me. I was also right beside the serving station and could hear all the server talk, but that didn’t bother me, since I know the lingo. All the servers were ridiculously young, but surprisingly well schooled in Food and Wine. I was impressed!
I might come back the next time I’m in Stratford, but there are so many other places to try that I’m not sure it would be a pick for my next visit. However, I would not hesitate to send anyone there or recommend it for a romantic, well presented dinner.

At a friend’s suggestion, we ate at The Prune before going to see King Lear.
I was glad the menu was online, because it gave me a chance to look at things before getting there. I was glad I did, because it was hard to choose between all the dishes — they all sounded excellent. Since it was the start of her celebration birthday week, we decided to splurge and went for four courses with accompanying wines. Wine pairings throughout the dinner were chosen by our server, and complemented the dishes well.
I’ve attached photos to the site because I don’t think I can do justice to the food with words alone. It was all delicious, and my only complaint is that I was too full to finish it all!
Between the two of us, we had the amuse of beluga lentils on tasting spoons — the beet root added a nice little layer of sweetness to the rich deep notes of the lentils, and the crème fraîche and chives rounded out the palette of tastes by adding some smoothness and bite to our palates.
Next, we experienced the smoked salmon, which is beautifully rich, moist, and aromatically smoky, and the chicken liver mousse, which has to be the lightest and most delicate mousse I’ve had — both of these dishes were memorable.
After that came the starch dishes, sweet pea risotto and polenta with mascarpone. Textures were perfect, both dishes were rich and creamy yet had countering notes so they weren’t cloying.
Standout main dishes were the hanger steak (pretty much fork-​tender, even though served with a massive steak knife) and moist and tender roast chicken. Both dishes came with mushrooms to enliven and enhance the dishes.
Desserts were the straw that broke this camel’s back. Neither is on the site’s menu, but both were delicious. Lavender panna cotta is delicate and covered in a frothy meringue; the buttery and slightly salted ice cream, however, is to die for. Served with a ribbon of thick chocolate ganache, it was a stand out dessert.
I’ll be back — the room, the service, the food — all were very satisfying.

We were going to go to Rundles for a special dinner out before the theater in Stratford. But our B&B owners thought it might be tight to get to the theater on time as Rundles is very formal/​starchy/​slow service. So, we switched it up to the Old Prune, now known as The Prune and were sooooo happy. We had a round corner table for the 5 of us (one a vegetarian). No one was disappointed by either food or service. The chicken liver mousse appetizer was incredible. Others got the beet salad, a shish kabob of a salad, a little small in size but tasty. The mid course polenta option was divine. Polenta slices sauteed with crisp exterior, mushy, melting interior, and a lovely sauce with sweet cherry tomatoes on the side. Reminded me of my childhood fried mush w/​syrup, but much more elegant.
For entrees we had the poblano pepper, the black cod, the hanger steak and the chicken. Everyone LOVED their choice. I got an extra side of spinach and greens which were sauteed in olive oil and a good compliment to the chicken. Oh there are also deliscious home made rolls and a tiny amouse bouche that come earlier.
Finally desserts were divine. the table shared 3 items, all were loved and devoured. I am blanking on what we got at present.
the only shortcoming was a dirty vodka martini up, we ordered 3, and I thought it was too dirty and we all felt it could have been colder. However, to the Prunes credit they took mine back and remade it (still a bit too salty, but I just wouldn’t order that next time) and also provided a glass of ice which I used to chill it. WIne by the glass was served and topped off so that the white wine stayed chilled, very lovely.
I can not wait for next year when we return for the theater and definitely for dinner at the Prune.

A great experience from start to finish; courteous, friendly person on the phone who helped us secure a last-​minute reservation, and excellent service in the restaurant when we arrived. The room upstairs was a bit pokey (and I could do without the slippery leatherette chairs) but we didn’t care — the food and waitstaff totally made up for it. Knowledgeable about the menu, composition of the dishes and able to make recommendations was our experience with our server, and the food was delicious and thoughtful without being too precious. I would definitely go again next time I’m in Stratford.