Walla Walla hosts quite a few options for going out to eat. While they may not cater to the largest variety of cuisines, the restaurants near the College are generally pretty solid, if not just a nice place to eat. However, in a recent outing to one of these eateries, I was a bit unpleasantly surprised to find that my initial expectations were not fulfilled.

The first location is a classic for fancy dinners, and parents taking their college students out for a treat — Brasserie Four. For an establishment that costs this much, there were a few key areas I think they could have stepped it up a notch.

Before we get to the food, I want to talk a little bit about the decor, because I think that is almost as important a part of the dining experience as the food itself. The space is very nice but feels weirdly cramped, despite having high ceilings and not a ton of people. Also, they could really step up their lighting, maybe add some little candles at the tables or even some tasteful wall sconces, because at present, and I hate to say it, Brasserie Four is a bit gloomy.

While there I (with some friends) ordered drinks, an appetizer, dinner and dessert. The drinks were very nice, tasted fresh, and mine warmed me nicely after being out in the cold.

The appetizer was a bread plate which I was very excited for, but was thoroughly disappointed by. The $1 per guest (there were three of us) baguette consisted of four of the thinnest slices of bread I have ever seen. I thought at least they would provide two slices for each of us, but alas. The plate also came with a very small container with two tiny pats of butter. Overall, not impressed with the apps.

Next came the dinner. We ordered winter squash soup, beef bourguignon and duck confit pizza. The soup was light, lovely and warm, with a mild nutty flavor. The beef was also delicious, but was a shockingly tiny portion for being $30. Despite this, I was pleased that I could request the end of a chunk of baguette for dipping in the sauce. Now let’s talk about the pizza. I love duck confit. My mom likes to tell the story of how, when I was about five or six, we were at a restaurant and I ate all of my dad’s portion of duck confit, leaving him to nibble on my kids’ menu spaghetti and meatballs.

With this pizza, I was expecting a winner. It was certainly not.

It was very underseasoned, which in itself is a heinous offense, but to top it off I stumbled into multiple pieces of gristle in the two slices I purloined from my friend. A mistake at any restaurant, but at Brasserie Four? On a $23 pizza? Absolutely not. Obviously I said nothing at the time because I am very conflict averse but it is definitely worth knowing about.

Lastly, dessert. We ordered the crème brûlée and I think this is where Brasserie Four excels. One of my friends suggested that they may have started as a french pastry and dessert restaurant and this is them playing to their strengths, and based off of their performance, I would believe it. The top of the crème brûlée was beautifully caramelized, not too thick, not too thin and just the right hardness to be cracked with a spoon. The custard was just the right consistency, light and sweet, and it was the perfect size to share between the three of us. A very welcome change of pace from the disappointment of the pizza.