[geargrrl]

ok,maybe not the worst, since we didn't get sick. We thought we'd try the "other" Italian place downtown.

I should have left when the salad and soup was brought out before the appetizer. The calamari appetizer was a doughy, oil soaked pile of goo. Two of us had sauteed chicken dishes - can you say "shoe leather"? I swear the "portobello" mushrooms on my "stuffed" chicken breat looked like sliced button to me, and since when is laying things on top "stuffed"?The sausage in the ravioli was so salty as to be nearly inedible, according to our taste. The server was one notch above McDonald's "would you like fries with that?", and never came back to see how everything was.

There was that concious decision to just eat it and get out of there, as compared to sending everything back. Either way the nice dinner out with the kid who's home for the weekend from college is kind of ruined.

I did call and ask for the manager today. I sure didn't see one last night. I carefully explained how terrible our meal was, and that the service was sub par, at least for a place with cloth napkins and tablecloths. And for $20+ a plate, I sure expected a whole lot better. I wasn't a bitch - I do understand that places need feedback once in a while, as compared to just not coming back. So he's sending us a gift certificate, but I am really not sure that I want to ever go back.

and this place supposedly got the "best in town" rating last year, you've got to be kidding. I'll stick with Luigi's from now on, never had a bad time there.

gg

 

[SkaredShtles]

Wow - $20 a plate is pretty pricey. Even by "big" city standards.

When you come to Denver go here for Italian:

Campo de Fiori

Everything about this place is top notch. Warning: including the price. But worth it.

 

[OGRipper]

Wow - $20 a plate is pretty pricey. Even by "big" city standards.

Too bad about the experience. But $15 is a bargain in this "big city" (SF) if it includes soup and salad...expect at least $15 for a plate of pasta, often more, another $7-8 for a decent salad, and $5 or more for soup.

 

[sanjuro]

What's the name of the place?

 

[narlus]

yeah, in a 'above average' restaurant in boston, entrees will easily average over $20...that may get you the chicken or vegetarian dish.

 

[sanjuro]

btw, i would complain right away next time, but not to vent, but to at least get a discount of sometype.

 

[H8R]

What's the name of the place?

Name and location please, save us from this dive.

 

[geargrrl]

The Italian Kitchen, Spokane, WA

Now, I used to live in SF so I know enough about really fine restaurants to know that even the very best my small city has to offer, is, with a very few exceptions, "pretty good" but not "outstanding". But even in a town known for mediorcre restaurants, this was ridiculous - this place is priced at the second to top tier in town. That is, NICE but not the super special occasion place.

Normally, I will stop send an individual dish back politely, or if the service is bad I'll say something to the mgr on the way out. I put in my share of food service years both in the kitchen and waiting tables, and I do know that any number of things can go wrong, which is why I try and be polite about it. I looked around for someone managerial, but I swear it looked like the high school kids were running the joint.

This was sort of like being in a bad movie, and we had been at an all day event on our feet, had to get the kid on an early plane, and we just wanted to eat and go home, ya know?


I'll let you know what I get for a gift certificate.

 

[sanjuro]

I might be a philistine for suggesting this, but I think most Italian food is not rocket science to make, and at any price level to screw it up is unforgivable.

On a related note, I have not seen it but I enjoy reading the recaps of "Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares". I can't find the complete recaps, but it was very interesting to see what and what did not make a restaurant work...

 

[geargrrl]

no kidding.

I just this summer got some good lessons on how to cook chicken to tender perfection, and not overcook it into dry stringy toughness. You just have to be watchful, is all.

oh well. I made myself a wonderful Thai green curry tonight. Who needs restaurants?

 

[SkaredShtles]

<snip>
oh well. I made myself a wonderful Thai green curry tonight. Who needs restaurants?

This is the problem - once you start to get used to good home cooking restaurants often don't measure up. It's always a bummer to come out of a restaurant $100 lighter and saying "I could've done better in my own kitchen."

 

[SkaredShtles]

Too bad about the experience. But $15 is a bargain in this "big city" (SF) if it includes soup and salad...expect at least $15 for a plate of pasta, often more, another $7-8 for a decent salad, and $5 or more for soup.

Well, I put it in quotes because ours is not really so much of a "big" city. More like a large cow town.

 

[BikeMike]

I might be a philistine for suggesting this, but I think most Italian food is not rocket science to make, and at any price level to screw it up is unforgivable.

I'll pull out the Italian card and agree. MOST Italian food is pretty simple. There are some things that can get pretty involved, like fancier versions of zuppa di pesce (fish soup), but great gnocchi isn't really all that complex, and yet very few places manage to do it decently. Frankly, it baffles me.

In my experience, the best Italian food is found at home (and in Italy away from the touristy areas). The best you can find in a restaurant virtually always comes from restaurants run by an Italian family that hasn't farmed out the work. Pretty much everything else is a waste of money and a great disappointment.

 

[trailblazer]

was the chef italian?...and the manager?
srry about the dud

 

[BMXman]

was the chef italian?...and the manager?
srry about the dud

I don't think that matters as much...when I was in cooking school there were people of all races specializing in different foods...I think it has a lot more to do with skill and pride in ones work....D

 

[Nobody]

I thoroughly applaud you making your concerns known to management. I would have gone one step further and would have written [as simply and as politely as possible] the whole story out.

A lot of restaurants don't know what the customer is getting - especially when 'managers' are not 'about the food' but 'about the scheduling' - something I've seen all too often.

Great gnocchi is one of the simplest and easiest dishes I do - If i take the extra step of making fresh dumplings, it's only a little bit more effort - and so totally worth it if it's for a family or guests or whatever.

It's also pretty cheap to do.

Bad Italian food = signs of total phuckupery.

 

[Toshi]

i had a pretty poor meal just now, but i don't blame the restaurant. instead, i figure that persian food (like korean food apart from kimchee) is just bad.

 

[Nobody]

i had a pretty poor meal just now, but i don't blame the restaurant. instead, i figure that persian food (like korean food apart from kimchee) is just bad.

I've had some pretty fantastic Persian food. And, occasionally, amazing Korean food.

Ditto that for Ethiopian. [try to put that into perspective!]

The thing is - 'innovative' first mover restaurants are often lax in quality because they can get away with it.

Once you have healthy competition, the weeds get whacked.

But it takes a long time.

Here in Greektown/Danforth - 20 years ago [when i left] it was impossible to get a decent slouvaki. Now, it's all over town.

 

[Toshi]

hmm. it seems that a large component of both persian and korean dishes seems to be a stick of meat (more or less) along with rice. not much there to work with.

seattle has several excellent ethiopian restaurants, on the other hand.

 

[geargrrl]

update,
They sent us a $50 gift certificate. But, I'm not sure I'd want to go back a second time. Or give the GC to someone else ( unless I didn't like them...)

gg

 

[noname]

I'd give them one more chance, on a night when you have'nt got anything else going on anyway. having managed a small italian joint I have to agree that it's incredibly simple. There is always the possibility that they had some noobs cooking or something. Ultimately it shouldn't have happened but I can recall a few nights where things seemed to just never go right. Maybe you can call ahead and let the manager know your coming, if the food still sucks, make a web page about how horrible the food and service are.

 

[Nobody]

hmm. it seems that a large component of both persian and korean dishes seems to be a stick of meat (more or less) along with rice. not much there to work with.

seattle has several excellent ethiopian restaurants, on the other hand.

Didn't have any meat in the Persian restaurant, that i recall. There may have been a lamb stew that I didn't try, tho.

Korean - i forget what and how - it was a long time ago, but beef seems common.

 

[Toshi]

Didn't have any meat in the Persian restaurant, that i recall. There may have been a lamb stew that I didn't try, tho.

Korean - i forget what and how - it was a long time ago, but beef seems common.

first result on google images for "persian food", note "sticks of beef" heh:

first non-sucky photo of korean food:

maybe i just made bad choices, but at the persian restaurant i ordered up the house entrée sample platter so should have gotten a taste of both good and bad.