slkinsey
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Posts posted by slkinsey
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So either tell me I'm wrong in my conclusion about the thrust of recent posts here, or else agree with me that there are indications that Babbo's service has been going downhill.
Oh, you very well may be right. All I was doing originally was speculating about reasons why the volume of complaints might be increasing. Then I got hijacked by people who took offense at my use of the word "midwestern" to make an example. Frankly, I rather imagine that Mario pulled all his really good people over to Otto to get it going well and that he doesn't have his head in the game over at Babbo the way he used to. AND, the influx of out-of-towners may be adding their reactions to NYC "rudeness" to the mix of complaints.
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I'm waiting to hear an explanation of how and why a restaurant of the pretension, standing and price-point of Babbo might deliberately or inadvertently "cater for" a "New York crowd" and not be able to provide high quality service to the "non New York crowd".
I certainly wouldn't say that Mario's places do anything like this "deliberately." Let me make an example: Po, Mario's first restaurant, is down in the Village. Like most restaurants of its kind, there is always some kind of "downtown music" blaring over the sound system at a very loud level. This is something that is absulutely de rigeur for these restaurants of that kind in that neighborhood (or, at least it was 5+ years ago when I ate there last).
Now, sound levels like this could (and did) impact the experience of Po customers who did not have the cultural expectation of loud downtown music accompanying their dinners. In the case of customers who had a pre-existing cultural expectation that restaurants are quiet, this could be a real problem and create a real negative experience. It could result in a number of complaints where customers not used to that kind of experience ask to have the sound turned down and are rebuffed by the staff at Po. At some point, if enough people with different expectations come to the restaurant, the question is whether or not Po decides to lower the music for these people or to stay the same.
Now, with Babbo, there is some question in my mind (and if you go back to my original post, it is one thing that I threw out as a possibility among several) as to whether the huge influx of people with different cultural expectations (i.e., people from out of town who don't eat at a lot of high end NYC restaurants) might have contributed to the observed growth in complaints about the restaurant. For sure it is not the only factor, but it might be a contributing factor.
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I'm not really pissed, just more annoyed that there is the sense that Midwestern=Rube.
For fuck's sake, people. Get a grip.
If you want to interpret what I wrote as saying that "Midwestern = Rube" then you're on your own there. That's your own interpretation. Nothing I have said in this thread necessarily lends itself to such an interpretation... unless you are highly invested in taking offense at my suggestion that the "restaurant experience" paradigm of most visitors from the Midwest is not the same as thhe "high end NYC restaurant experience" paradigm of most New Yorkers who patronize such establishments. And, frankly, I think one would have to be completely oblivious to such differences to suppose this were not the case, which of course runs in the opposite direction as well.
And that's all I have to say about that. Back to the topic.
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i just don't buy that
1) NY'rs can be characterized as *anything*, even within the borders of NYC. it's a freakin melting pot, made up of people from all over the world with all types of backgrounds and divergently different thoughts on what is "appropriate" or correct.
I don't think it is inappropriate or inaccurate to suggest that the New Yorkers who go to high-end restaurants in Manhattan tend to share a certain cultural paradigm as it relates to dining in these establishments, by and large.
and 2) NY'rs can be characterized as "cosmopolitan". some, sure. the majority? not sure. the majority of those who go to Babbo? not buying it. .Where did I say that New Yorkers were cosmopolitan? You reached that conclusion all on your own.
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It seems to me that "Midwestern" is being used as a synonym for "unmannered."
Interesting.
Why would one use "Midwestern" when they could simply write "unmannered"?
old sammy picked a really inappropriate and unfortunate way of explaining his point. and now, rather than explaining his point, he's been forced to explain why he explained his point in the way that he did. although i don't know if he's realized that yet.
As I think you can see from my earlier post, I never intended to make the implication that "midwestern" and "unmannered" were the same thing. And I don't think such a reaction particularly reflects what I wrote.
I could just as easily have written: "all I am saying is that Americans who go to Saudi Arabia or Bangladesh and expect their Americans behavior to be met with a response that meets their Americans expectations is a recipe for disappointment" or "all I am saying is that Martians who come to Earth and expect their Martian behavior to be met with a response that meets their Martion expectations is a recipe for disappointment."
If some people want to take that as a slam against people from the Midwest, or America or Mars... that's their own lookout.
But I will thank you kindly not to call me "Old Sammy," Tomuchkina.
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One who has a more cosmopolitan outlook is, presumably, able to modify his/her behavior and expectations accordingly.
yes yes, people who live in the metro area are certainly "cosmopolitan". and oh-so appropriate at restaurants.
Note, Tommy, that I have mentioned at least once (and several times, I believe) that New Yorkers can be just as inflexible in this regard when outside the City.
There is no need to put the word cosmopolitan in quotes, by thew way, since it has the well-established meaning of: "having worldwide rather than limited or provincial scope or bearing; having wide international sophistication."
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The classic method of dicing an onion is shown in the tutorial but the horizontal cuts have always left me uneasy. I use the technique when necessary but don’t particularly like it because of the potential for disaster.
I should point out, as I imagine both Marsha and Chad would, that the potential for disaster is greatly reduced by using a sharp knife. With a sharp steeled knife, the blade should glide through the onion with a minimum of effort. The danger comes when you have to use too much pressure because the knife is dull. What happens is that you press harder and harder and harder, and sometimes you get the pressure just right and the knife goes flying through the onion (or whatever) and into something it shouldn't be going into -- like your fingers.
Sharp knife = safe knife.
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It seems to me that "Midwestern" is being used as a synonym for "unmannered."
Interesting.
Why would one use "Midwestern" when they could simply write "unmannered"?
That is certainly not the implication I was making.
What I was saying was that behaviors and expectations that are absolutely fine and perfectly "mannered" in one cultural milieu may be less so in another. One who has a more cosmopolitan outlook is, presumably, able to modify his/her behavior and expectations accordingly.
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I agree there are bound to be some conflicts, but these conflicts should be minimized and handled graciously by the restaurant staff. It is THEIR job to please the customer, NOT the other way around! If a guest is blatantly out of line (i.e. getting wasted on Jaegermeister shots at the Babbo Bar) I wouldn't blame the staff for getting miffed and being less than hospitable. But if a guy shows up from Des Moines in funny clothes and needs help figuring out the menu, he is still deserves the best service possible...
Oh, I agree. Where I think problems come up is when one encounters situations like customers coming to a place like Babbo with an 8:00 PM Saturday reservation and getting upset if their butts aren't in seats at the crack of 8:00; or customers with an 8:00 PM Saturday reservation at Babbo calling the day before and expecting to change their reservation to 9:30 or to add 5 more people without any problems; or customers coming to a restaurant like Babbo and getting upset that they were asked to order after they sat at their table for 30 minutes waiting for one of their party to arrive; or customers coming to a restaurant like Babbo and getting upset because they were not seated for 30 minutes because one or more of their party had not yet arrived; or customers getting upset because the maitre d' asked one of the gentlemen to put on a jacket before he was seated, etc. This could extend to a lot of other things. I know out of towners who get upset when the checkout person in the grocery store doesn't smile at them and engage them in conversation (this is not the cultural norm here). I know out of towners who have become incredulous and flabbergasted to learn that a medium-range restaurant in NYC doesn't offer a bottomless glass of iced tea all year 'round.
These are all things for which the cultural expectations would be very different at a similar kind of restaurant in, say, Duluth or Memphis. I hope this clarifies somewhat my earlier remark concerning "midwesterners who go into an NYC restaurant and expect their midwestern behavior to be met with a response that meets their midwestern expectations." Understand also that I am using "midwesterners" in the "not from a big metropolitan city or a culture that is largely formed around the influence of one" sense.
SlKinsey - I hear what you are saying about all this and am somewhat sympathetic as the WHY you think this social disconnect might be happening at Babbo. I just can't agree that this should affect the service if the place were run properly.Right. I don't necessarily disagree. Except that I will say that the cultural norm in NYC, especially with respect to restaurants, is rather different from most of the rest of the country. As a result, there will always be some complaints generated by cultural dissonance.
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Sam,
Might you please spell out the ethnocentric social conventions for a NYC restaurant?
I'm curious as we may be visiting NYC soon & I'd prefer not to offend anyone whilst dining out.
Dress appropriately.
are jeans OK?
Not in my opinion, no. The possible exception would be for unfaded black jeans that were the casual portion of a "dressed up casual" celebrity look that very few people can pull off in a high end restaurant without looking like idiots (the inclusion of jeans would require a jacket, IMO, to prevent the outfit from being too informal).
It is interesting to observe just how much more NYers dress up than people in most other parts of the country. I was in a gig in the Southwest a few years ago, and one night several of us went out for dinner and drinks at what I was told would be some relatively nice places. I dressed in what I would consider casual bar scene clothes: faded blue jeans, polished black leather shoes (leather soles), an ironed white linen button-down shirt, a casual charcoal cotton vest and a casual unconstructed cotton sportcoat in grey-green. My colleagues considered this "really dressed up," and indeed it was not uncommon to run into people at the quasi-upscale bars we visited dressed in t-shirts, sweatpants and flipflops.
On preview: Bilrus, I think people are using "midwest" to signify "that big middle part of the country that is not attached to a coast."
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I think I've eaten at Babbo five times in the last two years, every time at the bar. Then only "service" contact I have are the bartenders and the busboys. On my last visit (back in May) I reported a clearly worse experience of service from the bartenders. I would call it totally uninterested and lax service. The previous four times, I found the bartender service to be exceptionally good.
Macrosan,
I think you will agree that 4 out of 5 visits to Babbo having great service, with the last visit being the only disappointment, is not necessarily an indication that the level of service is on the way down. That could have been an off night, and your next visit might be right back up at your previous level of experience.
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Just curious. Let's say these midwesterners go to a high-end NYC restaurant and behave like (gasp) midwesterners. Okay, so they don't know how to dress properly, it's true. But is it therefore permissable, acceptable, correct, understandable or whatever-able for the professional waitstaff at said restaurant to treat them rudely? And, from what I gather in this thread, is it okay that their treatment of other customers (high-end NYC customers even) then become rude in turn? Somehow these poor unsuspecting midwesterners are being blamed for what seems to be a general decline in customer service. IOW - are we playing blame the victim here? That's what it sounds like.
Cakewalk, all I am saying is that midwesterners who go into an NYC restaurant and expect their midwestern behavior to be met with a response that meets their midwestern expectations is a recipe for disappointment.
If, as I speculated -- and it is only idle speculation, as I have no idea -- the increasing presence of tourists at Babbo has engendered a change in attitude or service towards a kind of behavior that is not as good as it once was, that doesn't absolve the Babbo personnel from responsibility for their behavior. If, on the other hand -- and, again, this is only idle speculation -- the attutide and service is largely the same but the increasing number of tourists visiting the restaurant has resulted in a larger number of complaints, that is a different story. In the second case, I wouldn't necessarily say "blame the victims" but I also wouldn't say "blame the staff" either.
Again, no restaurant can satisfy 100% of its customers 100% of the time.
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Sam,
Might you please spell out the ethnocentric social conventions for a NYC restaurant?
I'm curious as we may be visiting NYC soon & I'd prefer not to offend anyone whilst dining out.
I don't think it's ethnocentrism. It's just cultural differences. Get a feel for the place and try to fit in. Understand that things won't be the way they are for you at wherever you are from. It's no different, really, than the adjustments a New Yorker would have to make coming to your town.
It's hard to put my finger on it. I was raised in a big East coast city by parents from the rural South (father) and all over the world (mother). I spend a lot of time far away from home growing up and have always traveled a lot, both within America and internationally. So, for whatever reason, I have always had a very easy time automatically fitting in to whatever the social norms are wherever I am -- to the extent that I often engage in what linguists call "code switching" and change my accent and mode of speech depending on where I am and who I am talking to without thinking about it.
To me, it's all about understanding where people are coming from. Like, for example, some people have a difficult time understanding why Italians would never have a cappucino after dinner. It is because they consider cappucino a breakfast drink, and having one after dinner would be like following a fine meal with a glass of orange juice. So, when in Rome... well, I think we know how the rest of that one goes. Anyway, that's enough OT wandering for me today.
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So . . . do I do it here, or get a room?
Get a room, baby.
The convention would seem to call for a thread called "Foodblog: NeroW"
Perhaps with the subtitle "Not the violin guy... the other one."
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With heat as high as one uses for grilling, there is no way you will be able to season this cast iron. You will continue to burn off the seasoning every time you crank up the heat. The same thing can happen to a decades-seasoned cast iron skillet if the heat gets too hot.
All you really want to do is prevent the iron from rusting. To accomplish this, simply oil the grates after you use them. I'd suggest scraping the grates with a wire brush and then rubbing an oil-soaked towel (keep one aside for this purpose) over the grates. If you do this after dinner, the grates should be cool enough so you aren't burning off all your arm hair.
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I know this may sound horribly City-centric and elitist, but by and large these people just don't behave the same way -- the appropriate way, IMO -- as we do in a place like Babbo.
re: glass houses
We outsiders sometimes refer to you city-folk as "212-ers". And we get that sinking feeling when approaching some of the restaurants we love in vacation spots (Cape Cod, for example) where there's an abundance of New York license plates in the parking lot -- they just don't know how to behave when they go out
. I totally agree. Many NYC people can be equally inflexible in their expectations and behavior when out of their home turf.
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I know this may sound horribly City-centric and elitist, but by and large these people just don't behave the same way -- the appropriate way, IMO -- as we do in a place like Babbo.
This is the same type of thinking as the comment in the "Rocco" thread about gays.
Do you think "these people" pay the same amount for the food and service as "we do"?
[etc.]
This is a bullshit comment. The fact of the matter is that people from different areas of the country (and world) have different modes of bahavior and different expectations. This is the same reason one often finds Americans having trouble fitting in well in Europe. This is the same reason one often finds Americans from the South complaining that they can't get a bottomless class of iced tea with every meal in NYC. This is the same reason one often finds Americans from NYC complaining that they can't get a decent bagel in Alabama This is the same reason why it is common practice to chat with the checkout person in the supermarket for a few minutes in North Carolina, but pisses everyone off when you do it in NYC. There are different cultural norms. You don't think something similar would happen (and does happen) at high-end restaurants in France?
In a situation where the restaurant has XYZ cultural expectations and customers come in operating under ABC, there are bound to be conflicts. The only kind of restaurant for which this is typically not the case -- and should not be the case -- are restaurants which specifically cater to tourists. Babbo, in my opinion, does not consider itself to be a tourist restaurant, nor does it seek to be one. All of Mario's places are decidedly New York City restaurants.
I wonder how many of the people who complain about Babbo are from the City as opposed to out of towners. I am willing to bet that most of them are from out of town, and that many of their complaints are for perceived slights that most City dwellers would hardly notice. I, personally, would be embarrassed if we were holding a table 45 minutes late because one of our party had not arrived and would think very little of it if the waitperson were to ask us to order after 15-20 minutes of waiting. Babbo is one of the most popular high-end restaurants in a city of eight million plus. There are other people waiting for that table, and it is not reasonable to hold it for 45 minutes because someone is late.
On preview: Reflecting Matthew's comment, I should modify my earlier remark to say that there are modes of behavior, etc. that are appropriate to other parts of the country that are not appropriate to an NYC restaurant
(and vice-versa, of course).
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One of the earlest times I went there, Mario came out and hung out with us for around 45 minutes.
sounds like you probably had some connection. i find it hard to believe that mario would "hang out" with a customer for 45 minutes unless he knew that person, or knew someone who knew that person. and, if it was only because you're a regular, then it raises the question of whether regulars get good treatment, and others get spotty treatment.
Actually... this is a pretty cool story. It was a birthday dinner arranged for me by my girlfriend (bergerka). She knew I admired Mario's cooking and philosophies of approaching food and so, when she called the restaurant to make our reservation, she mentioned that it would be really cool if I could say hello to Mario. They said they'd check and that she should call back a few days later, etc. Anyway, eventually she ends up talking to Mario himself, who thinks it's cool that we're all opera singers, etc. So he came out and hung out with us towards the end of dinner (it was a late reservation, so the rush on the kitchen was largely over by this time). None of us had met him face-to-face before that moment and he has never given us special treatment since.
That saud, we have always managed to strike up a good relationship with the wine guy at Babbo, and have been comped a bottle of "something interesting" several times (they also always appreciate our interest in unusual wines, our desire to let them do their job in recommending wines for us and our willingness to allow them to steer us towards something out of the ordinary -- usually costing less than the more traditional offerings).
For the record: we don't go to Babbo often enough to be recognized by the staff there.
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This is, however, often at the expense of comfort. BTW, Chad touches on a way to modify the spine of your chef's knife to make it more comfortable in his upcoming lesson on knife sharpening and maintenance.
I'm picturing a tiny, velvet pillow with gold tassels glued to the spine of the knife...we'll have to wait and see if I'm guessing right. Heh.
Oh my God! Are you psychic?!
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Hmmm... Very odd. All I can say is that I've gone to Babbo many times, and it has never been less than a wonderfully pleasant experience. That said, I'm the dream customer for this kind of restaurant in many ways... I don't make unusual depands, I show up on time for my reservation, I don't hesitate to try new things, I always engage the waitstaff and wine people and enlist their help in making interesting selections, etc. One of the earlest times I went there, Mario came out and hung out with us for around 45 minutes.
The big difference I have noticed at Babbo, and maybe it is starting to affect the service there, is in the clientele. For the first year or two it was mostly NYC people -- with a heavy concentration of Manhattanites -- and the occasional foodie from out of town. It was easy to spot the B&T crowd, never mind the tourists from Peoria. Now it is quite common to see the place mostly filled with groups from the Midwest in their shorts, yellow polo shirts and shoes with no socks -- and Myron and Betsy Goldbaum up from their retirement community in Boca are arguing with the front of the house people because they can't walk in with no reservation and get a table at 8:30 on Friday night. I have little doubt that this trend is a direct result of TVFN's success and Mario's concomitant popularity. I know this may sound horribly City-centric and elitist, but by and large these people just don't behave the same way -- the appropriate way, IMO -- as we do in a place like Babbo. If I had reservations at Babbo and one of my party had not arrived 45 minutes after we had been seated, you had better believe I would already have ordered and started without them.
Most restaurants of which I am aware that have gone over to a mostly-tourist out-of-towner clientele have had reported problems with the service. Whether or not this is an issue of the staff getting worse, or of the staff changing attitudes as a result of the behavior of the clientele or of the out of towner clientele having different expectations and different modes of behavior remains a question.
Obviously not everyone is going to be happy 100% of the time. But all the people I know from Metropolitan New York who have gone there have had a thoroughly positive experience overall.
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I think there is some debate on the "correct" way to hold a knife. I remember asking a while ago both at school and on this board if people liked to hold the knife the way you showed, or to simply grasp the handle, and the result seemed kind of split. I instinctively grasp the handle because that's how I've been doing it since I was old enough to help mom chop vegetables in her kitchen, but I can see how you might get more control doing it the way you showed us.
Right you are, Kate - I think the fact that there's a debate about anything being covered in eGCI is more the rule than the exception.
I think what Kate means is that she doesn't grip the blade between thumb and forefinger, opting instead to curl all four fingers around the handle. This grip is totally acceptable, and I'm sure many professionals use it. I find it easier to "fine-tune" control of the blade angle using the method I described. As with most techniques: if it's easier for you, if it works for you, then stick with it! My only suggestion would be to try everything at least once to ensure there's not something even easier and better for you out there.
Exactly. If I can butt in here with my relatively unexpert two cents... I have experimented with both grips and find that I have much more conrol and a much better feel of what the knife is doing using the grip Marsha describes. This is, however, often at the expense of comfort. BTW, Chad touches on a way to modify the spine of your chef's knife to make it more comfortable in his upcoming lesson on knife sharpening and maintenance.
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As further validation for your choice, how about this? Julia Child moved out to Santa Barbara, California (from Boston to retire in the warmth) and said in an interview, "I do love that In and Out burger!"
Fun OT Julia Child story:
My father is a member of the National Academy of Arts and Sciences. At one of their annual meeting/dinners Julia Child was made a member. Needless to say, the caterer (who was not told she would be in attendance) was in complete apoplexy. Personally came out to greet her, discuss the food, etc. Among the few things she said to him was something along the lines of: "what kind of meat is this we're eating?" I can only imagine he went home and slit his wrists after that night.
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FWIW, I include you, Sam, as one of my respected people. Truly.
Aw, shucks.
However, I also include people like Bruce Aidell & Judi Rodgers as some of my respected people.They're accomplished at what they do, for sure. And I respect them for that. But that doesn't mean I respect their usage/understanding of English words any more than I respect William Saffire's cooking (which is to say, not very much).
Perhaps I'm just too inclusive.
Now we're getting somewhere. You and your damn inclusiveness!
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Soba? Sam? I think it's tommy's turn.
Hah! I had been thinking that too.
Perhaps blank verse is more suitable?
I thought blank verse was iambic pentameter.
(Or is this some cruel English-major joke on tommy?)
Blank verse is unrhymed. Much easier.
Rhyming makes it a lot harder. Maggie's sonnets were damn impressive. Try writing one. It's hard. I know I couldn't approach that level of wit and poetic functionality in a sonnet. Just don't have it in me.
Babbo (First 6 Years)
in New York: Dining
Posted
Right. And you interpret this as saying that New York is better than everywhere else rather than pointing out the fact that people from everywhere need to make these kinds of adjustments? For Christ's sake, I specifically mentioned that New Yorkers would have to do the same thing in your town! How, could you please explain, does this imply that the people from your town are rubes compared to New Yorkers?
What you have to understand, Matthew, is that people like you and the other eGullet members are not typical in terms of your ability to make these kinds of adjustments. With your interest in and understanding of food, restaurant culture and high-end dining you are far better able to fit into NY high-end restaurant culture smoothly than 95% of the people from your area who visit NYC every year. The typical out of town visitor to a place like Babbo is operating with significaltly less advantages than you will be when you visit Babbo. The typical out of town visitor to Babbo watches Molto Mario on TVFN and thinks it would be really cool to bring the family to his restaurant while in town to see the Lion King, etc. The same thing works the other way around when the tyical New Yorker comes to your town.
I lived in the Midwest myself for five years. Presumably you understand that the words "Midwestern behavior" means "social interactions typical of people from those areas of the country and different from those in NYC" and not "behavoir" in the sense that one's mother uses saying "Matthew! We will have no more of that behavior!"
A few things here. As I pointed out in an earlier post, it is naive to take the position that there are no cultural differences with respect to restaurant culture between different parts of the country. It's too bad that people chose to interpret my example as badmouthing the Midwest, but I think it is only pointing out that there are cultural differences that may lead to some dissatisfaction. If I had said, "Sri Lankan" instead of "Midwestern" would you have taken offense? Somehow I rather think not. I also rather think you would not have taken offense if I had said something similar about New
Yorkers fitting in to restaurants in Grinell, Iowa or Sheboygan, Wisconsin.
As for some of the cultural differences -- keeping in mind that they do not necessarily apply to you and other people on eGullet, nor do they all necessarily apply to all people from the Midwest -- here are some examples:
- The dress in NYC tends to be much more formal than other parts of the country. The staff may feel like you aren't showing the restaurant the proper respect if you show up in the same outfit you'd wear to Bennigans. This means slacks (and not Dockers), an ironed shirt, leather shoes, perhaps a sport coat of some kind.
- Yes, it really is that expensive. 60 - 70 bucks is not considered a lot to pay for drinks and dinner at a good mid-level restaurant like @SQC. Expect to spend $150 - $200 a person. Expressions of surprise/dismay (joking or not) at the prices are not likely to be well met. Also, unless you are into this kind of thing, it may not seem like it was "worth it" to you.
- There may be a lot of things on the menu that you have never/will never eat: brains, liver, thymus, stomach, feet, intestines, etc.
- Children may not be particularly welcome. You may be asked to leave if you let your kids run around, or if they make a lot of noise. Accomodation for strollers is likely to be minimal. There is no kid's menu.
- The waiters tend towards "efficient" rather than "friendly" in demeanor. New Yorkers in general are not as demonstrative in these situations as in most other parts of the country. They are not being rude. This is the way people act here. Your waiter will not give you his/her name and may balk at giving it to you if you ask. It is not appropriate to call the waiters "honey" and other such endearments. If you flirt with the waiter or attempt to "loosen her up" by saying things like "why don't you give me just one big smile" you will not get the response you are looking for. Likewise, the waiters are not likely to respond well to comments such as, "so... I bet you're an actor or a singer or something, right?" They are there to help you select your food and to serve you your food, not to pretend be your friend, which you may be used to.
- Reservations may be very difficult to get. They only accept reservations one month in advance so people can have a chance to get a reservation -- not to make life more difficult for you. Otherwise they'd be booked solid for 5 years in advance. It may also be very difficult to change your reservation as to time and number. If it is more than 30 minutes and 1 person, you are bascally starting from scratch. They do not "owe you" the right to make changes like this just because you already have a reservation.
- Even though your reservation is for 7:00, you may not be seated until 7:30 or later. This is the reality of a busy Manhattan restaurant. It is not something to get upset about unless they are pre-theater reservations (that they know are pre-theater) or until you have been waiting 45 minutes to an hour, at which time you should reasonably expect some kind of compensation.
- If your reservation is for 7:00 or earlier (and many people from the Midwest like to eat dinner at 5:30 or 6:00), they will need to turn your table at some point. You can't hang out there all evening.
- The food is served primo/secondo. That means that there will be no pasta with your veal chop.
- According to the restaurant's philosophy, you may be corrected when you refer to Prosecco as "Champagne" or they may try to get you to change your mind about putting grated cheese on your seafood pasta or they may say things like "risotto... is a starch -- it doesn't really go with spaghetti." They are not talking down to you when they do this.
- They probably won't accept your Discover card... and they may not accept any cards at all.
- There is no smoking section. They are very serious about not allowing smoking. If you light up and resist putting it out immediately, you may be asked to leave.
- The portions may be significaltly smaller than what you are used to. You are not being stiffed or deceived. This is the way it comes.
- There is likely to be a lot less room at your table and between your table and the next table over. Again, you are not being given a "bad table." They are all like that.
- Even though you may be important and have clout with the restaurant people in your home town, you cannot bluster or bribe or ingratiate yourself into a better table or a seat with no reservation.
- There may be famous people there. Leave them alone.
- Etc.
Now... do most of these things apply to you? No. Do they apply to most eGullet readers from around the world? No. Do many of them apply to a significant percentage of the out of town visitors to a place like Babbo? Absolutely. Anyone in the business will tell you that. Do some of then apply to New Yorkers that eat at these restaurants? Sure. But not nearly so many nor so often.