text: Quiessence has been a favorite for the better part of the last year mostly supported by the superb service provided by Brook We have eaten here with both large and small parties enjoying the atmosphere and a somewhat refined attempt at farm to table dining Alas Brook has now left and we are left to the devices of the kitchen that seems off its game and a wait staff that lacks both in warmth and proficiency That said I will speak for myself for the remainder of this post and let the remainder of my party vote on their ownnnOur most recent dinner was the worst meal we have eaten here and seems to be part of a continuing decline of the establishment While the food has always veered to the side of too salty the whole meal lacked proper seasoning either too heavy or too light to be enjoyablennWe started with the charcuterie which was very nice The chicken pate was excellent and the headcheese was a delightful surprise The aged gouda was also delightful with a nice bit of bite The downfall was a set of crostini that were so heavy in salt and garlic that they overwhelmed the items placed on top of themnnDrinks arrived at this time and the manhattan was very nice That said the house specialties were a huckleberry highball that lacked flavor and a take on a French that was so bitter it could not be consumed Honestly aside from the champagne I am not sure how the drink even qualified as a French I will take a moment however to note that the wine selection here is excellent The staff knows their bottles and we are always pleasednnNext came a kabocha squash soup course that was truly underwhelming The soup itself was the consistency and flavoring of a prepacked Trader Joes product Being a fan of the Japanese pumpkin I was hoping for something really special here and it failed The one highlight was the inclusion of a razz cherry that proposed a nice complement nnMoving on we had a round of appetizers The smoked duck breast with brussel sprout has and poached duck egg was over salted and the overwhelmed by the duck egg A highlight was the lobster mushroom pasta which had a delightful flavor I would suggest it The more traditional salads were very nicennOn to entrees I cannot lie this entire course was a terrible miss I ordered some goat that was entirely inedible I have only had goat in more ethnic preparations and was interested to see what was going to be plated It was salty stringy fatty and I could not eat it The white beans served on the side were nice and the mash next to it was unremarkable nnThe opah that was plated was also a serious miss It was salted to the point of being inedible and the texture was off I have known this to be a more delicate flavor that I experienced last night and I question the freshness of the product nnWe also tried a gnocchi as part of this course which was on par with something i would expect from an Olive Garden The flavors were terribly heavy and the texture of the sauce was goopey nnWe finished with a desert course Honestly at this point the table was so exhausted that we were not sure we even wanted to sit for the course It was a delightful surprise The bread pudding was exceptional The deconstructed smore was fun and delightful This was the highlight of the meal and we closed on a light note nnIn short for the price I expect more and am disappointed by the trend I am seeing I hope to see the service warm again and the kitchen come back to what we initially experienced For the money I would send you to Kai