adegiulio

It was on the special menu...cause I am special...

Our meal was quite good. The atmosphere could use a little work. Service was quite good, our guy was frienldy, helpful, and confident. I had the orrechiette with sausage and escarole, then the hanger steak. Both were fabulous, though my pasta was a little overdone. Amy had the seafood salad and halibut, both of which she enjoyed a lot. The only bad part of the meal was when the hostess came by to inform the dining room that the Yankees had blown a lead in the ninth and lost the game. I'm sure we will be back... OK, after posting and seeing my avatar, I remembered the other bad part of our evening...when we returned home we found that little pup you see below my name had gotten sick in his crate. Everything, including little Frankie, was covered with poop....

Why is a small pour important? If the bottle is corked, there's no difference between a small pour and a big pour...its all getting dumped. Often when I am at a restaurant, I just tell the waiter to forget all the "pour a small taste, let the guy smell and taste and proclaim it ok, then pour for the table" BS, and just pour it. If it is corked or something is wrong, you have just as much of a chance of them replacing the bottle as you would if there was just a small tasting pour. I agree that a small TASTE would be important, as compared to a large gulp, but screw it, let the waiter pour away. I have never been served a corked bottle from a restaurant, though I have opened a few at home and brought a few to dinner (there was one at the last eGullet dinner, Curlz do you remember which one?) While I don't relish that wet cardboard aroma of a corked wine, being exposed to it doesn't lessen my enjoyment of the next, uncorked, wine. The only instance that I would want the waiter to be a little more gentle with the wine is if there is a chance of heavy sediment in the bottle. Lets be gentle here and not stir that into the rest of the bottle. To address the original question, I can see the issue both ways. As the owner and caretaker of a special bottle, I would like to open and decant the wine. However, I can certainly see how the server might be offended. Unless I knew the server well, I wouldn't trust him to care for the wine the way I would. In some places I might be correct with that judgement, in others I would be wrong, you just can't tell. If I have a precious bottle, I would rather not take the chance. Let me say that, if I were an offended server, an additional tip wouldn't make me feel better (though I would enjoy it for other reasons). My serving abilities were called into question, and no additional gratuity would change that. So, for this one, I will sit fimly on the fence. Both sides are right!

We'll be trying this place tonight...hope it isn't too busy at 6:45!

His prices were out of date the moment I got that issue. If I have one complaint about the Rosengarten Report, it is that the prices listed are ALWAYS wrong (they are always too low). From the steak at Lobel's to the caviar to the bacon, the prices are consistently wrong. On a related note, that Cowboy steak does look delicious. Tommy has agreed to buy 8 of them for a cookout at his place. Price tag: $512.98...plus shipping. But we all know dinner with tommy is Priceless

I think some things are a bit small (the filet is a good example). Other choices are quite generous, like the foie gras. I think the scallop could be bigger, but I'm satisfied with the lamb... So, I agree and disagree.... A

See pics of our lovely evening here...

Comments like this one earn you the position of "next eGullet get together organizer person"...Great review Frank/Lindsay. You captured pretty much every aspect of the evening. From Joanne's impression of Cirque du Soleil to Rosie's eGullet thong, the whole night was jam packed with fun..EAT YOUR HEART OUT TOMMY!! It was great meeting the new folks. Mark, Stacey and James, hope the long ride home was quick and uneventful. Amy, I have one word for you...BINGO!!! Fun evening all around... I only wish I knew why my bones are so brittle...

Wow, we had fun!! Dinner was great, but we ran out of wine!! I will post pics and reviews tomorrow...

Wait, so you went to Rocca instead of coming to Trattoria Fresco with us? We are all a little hurt. Just a little...

I sometimes wonder what Tommy's post count would be if EDITS were counted as additional posts... :raz: edit to add additional razzz

Mr. T., could you elaborate on this please? Is there a scoop here we should know about?

Ah, the mystery is solved...So we will be 14 for dinner...Unless Zeman shows up. Or if Tommy's other date stands him up.

Shoot, I confirmed for 16.... Zeman, you out there? Brady? Beuller?? Beuller??

Brady, are you Zeman, or are you a completely new person??

Me and Amy Evie Nj2FLA and his GF Rosie and Lowell Mike and Joanne Mark Frank n' Lindsay Phenom and Husband Sounds like 14 to me... Zeman, if you get back to me before 3:30, you're in...Thats when I am calling to confirm our number... See you all tonight! Anthony

OK, NO MORE CANCELLATIONS...! Zeman, you know if you are coming yet?

Yeah, directions are pretty tough since not everyone is coming from the same place... It's very easy to get to though... Zeman, just let me know by tomorrow morning at the last, if and how many are coming....

Sorry Tommy...just wear what you would wear to V. Green or Fascino...nothing fancy, but neat...

Phenom, I don't think its too late to join us tomorrow. If you want to come, just let me know... Welcome to eG Anthony

I have a feeling you are talking about Bindi...

I love Wine Seller. Great selection of Vintage Ports and friendly people.

Done... And yes, it will be outside unless it rains. Then it will be in their other dining room...

Honestly Tommy, I get the impression that they will do whatever it takes to make us happy. I don't say that lightly, since I typically think most restauranteurs only think about themselves. In talking to the manager and chef (and enjoying a pizza, thanks guys!) I feel comfortable in the fact that they will do a great job... Besides, I'll have a corkscrew handy. We can always get drunk and see who can stick their head furthest into the pizza oven...

OK, we have a small problem. Thanks to a well timed PM from Rosie, I discovered that we didn't have a reservation for Friday night. There was a mis-communcation between one person I spoke to a few weeks ago and the manager. I also dropped the ball by not getting there sooner with a deposit. Anyway, we need to push dinner to 8pm. I stopped by there tonight to give them a deposit and square up all the details, but unfortunately they have another large table earlier. So, its not the end of the world, just pushing things back an hour. If that creates any problems, let me know. For those who really want to start at seven, I'll tap a keg in my backseat and we will wait out front... Which reminds me, parking is a bit tough because they don't have a parking lot. Park out in front on the street, around the corner, or in the PNC Bank lot (I think it's PNC). Don't park in the lot that says "No Restaurant Parking" which is right next to the restaurant. The bank is just before the restaurant (if you are coming from the Verona side) or just past the restaurant (if you are coming from the West Caldwell direction) Confused yet?? A