Scoutmob coupons are so handy lately. So many people are getting out to try restaurants they might not normally visit or even know about. I hope quality places continue to offer discounts. Our most recent Scoutmob sponsored outing was to the Old Fourth Ward’s P’Cheen. P’Cheen is an “International bistro,” which gives it the freedom to serve dishes that don’t necessarily have a particular theme. The ambiance is warm and cozy–lots of dark wood and recessed booths to give you privacy if you’d like, along with open sections that allow the restaurant to still feel like a neighborhood spot.

We started out with the drunken shrooms appetizer (white wine garlic reduction, melted provolone, white truffle oil, grilled crostini):

Drunken Shrooms

It was more for me than for Mario though, as he seems to have a moral opposition to knowingly ingesting fungi, but I did get him to sop up some of the yummy garlic reduction with the accompanying crostini, which he did agree was delicious.

Next up were our entrees, the steak frites with chimichurri for Mario, and to continue the mushroom theme, the coq au vin (braised with red wine, mushrooms, onion + bacon) for me:

Steak Frites

Coq au Vin

Mario enjoyed the steak, which was cooked as he ordered it and quite juicy. He thought the fries were just ok, and he found the chimichurri sauce a little too “herby” for his taste…which was just as well, because I had to use it to make my bland chicken palatable. The coq au vin looked delicious, but it just didn’t deliver on flavor. The chicken was juicy (the white meat was slightly drier than the dark, but I pretty much expect that), but not very well seasoned, and even the braising liquid seemed to lack flavor.

I was disappointed in my main meal (the appetizer was very good), but I’m not ready to write off P’Cheen just yet. I hear so many good things about the restaurant, and especially their Monday night “Bone Lick BBQs” (now on hiatus until Spring) and Wednesday Low Country Boils that I feel like I have to try it again at least once. Service was fair and friendly, and even without our Scoutmob coupon the meal would have been reasonably priced. Any suggestions for “home run” dishes that would silence my doubt?

www.pcheen.com