Babbo (First 6 Years)

[Steve Plotnicki]

That word is reserved for special people.

[Nick]

That word is reserved for special people.

You mean Tommy?

[macrosan]

I want to know how to get their attention so that Mario himself hand picks my lamb chops .... I'm looking for the magic word or phrase to tell my server so they will say, yes we understand you are not the same as evey other diner.

Yeah, well that seems to be the nub of the problem. My guess is that Mario won't do that for you, even though he does it for his own selected guests, and my guess is that Mario doesn't accept you are not the same as every other diner. That happens, Steve, it's the restaurant's choice. I can quite understand that you would therefore cross Babbo off your list.

[Steve Plotnicki]

Well how do you know he does it for his own selected guests?

[Stone]

But in this long thread about Babbo, not a single person has come along and said, here is the key for eating better at Babbo.

I never realized how many secret codes you need to eat well in a restaurant.

[Steve Plotnicki]

Stone - You're too young for us to share the code(s) with you. Pay your dues son.

[Nick]

Well how do you know he does it for his own selected guests?

Think, Steve, think. Rack your brain (?) for the answer.

[Stone]

Stone - You're too young for us to share the code(s) with you. Pay your dues son.

Are these like cheat-codes on my Sony PlayStation? Or ordering codes at In-n-Out Burger?

Edited December 10, 2002 by Dstone001 (log)

[vivin]

Steve,

I think you might be out of luck at Babbo if you can't have pasta. That is there forte. That is where they show their creativity. As I said, the meat dishes are hit or miss.

On getting better treatment - I might be wrong on this but I get the feeling that everyone who works there is proud of the establishment (rightly so) and does not take criticism well (nothing justifies that). I have found that flattery works well with them at getting better treatment out of them.

I would suggest going to Lupa instead.

vivin.

[Jinmyo]

Steve,

I think you might be out of luck at Babbo if you can't have pasta. That is there forte.

I think this is true. Culinarily relevant or not, pasta does play a great role in Italian cuisines. And Batali's cuisine, while certainly not restricted to pasta, cannot really be what it is without out.

Mmm. Pasta.

[ngatti]

errr...Tommy plays drums.

Nick

[tommy]

errr...Tommy plays drums.

Nick

not with this fucking lot i don't. only with friends.

...

Edited December 11, 2002 by tommy (log)

[macrosan]

Well how do you know he does it for his own selected guests?

I 've been to Babbo five times now, and on two occasions while I was eating at the bar, I've observed him chatting to his guests at his VIP table (which is the one "next to" the end of the bar, behind the glass screen. The bartender told me they were "Mario's special guests". On one occasion, he greeted them when they arrived, and he was obviously discussing the menu/their meal with them for maybe 10 minutes. . On both occasions, he made two or three trips to the table while the food was served and while they were eating. All the signals (on both occasions) were that he was at the very least directly supervising their meal, if not actually designing it for them.

Obviously I have no idea how many people get such treatment, or how they qualify. Maybe regular eating there works, maybe being a billionaire helps, maybe it's a family thing. I would assume that as Mario seems almost always to be in the kitchen there, the "Dan and Tom" treatment must surely be feasible, but it seems from your experience that he limits it pretty tightly.

Steve, on reflection my guess is that you're right about Babbo having become so popular that it has lost a veneer of service quality, which would encompass this issue. I noted in my last review (last month) that the service at the bar had dropped a couple of notches to "casual and offhand", and others here have reported service failings.

[jaybee]

Steve, on reflection my guess is that you're right about Babbo having become so popular that it has lost a veneer of service quality, which would encompass this issue. I noted in my last review (last month) that the service at the bar had dropped a couple of notches to "casual and offhand", and others here have reported service failings.

I felt a deterioration of service intensity and focus from the last time I was there (a year ago). From the time I walked in, I never felt that anyone was "in charge" of me or cared what happened to me. The connection between diner and place was very loose. Though I did enjoy my meal.

[Fat Guy]

I think you can get a first-rate meal at Babbo without eating any pasta, and you can decide not to like Babbo without eating any pasta. You certainly limit your options by not eating pasta at Babbo or any Italian restaurant, but if the restaurant can't put out a top quality meal without serving pasta then the place is hardly deserving of serious accolades. I think the pasta issue is a red herring.

[Liza]

Dainty steps in on this one, but I'll just note what happens when I get VIP treatment from a chef (which happens at few restaurants, mind you), in the hopes of illuminating what some form of VIP treatment entails.

We usually get some form of the house cocktail or champagne upon arrival at the table. We'll order from the menu, and then are informed that the chef would like to supplement our order - a few specials, perhaps a luxury item or two (foie gras, shavings of truffles). Extra desserts or a cheese course can be proferred as well.

This is not even getting into whether the chef is in the kitchen or not, which we've found doesn't make a difference. I'm not trying to brag here, but just illuminate what happens at certain high end restaurants for 'friends of the chef'.

[Ron Johnson]

There have been a few articles recently on Mario. One, I cant recall which, mentioned his treatment of VIPs. Mario stated that schmoozing VIPs was very important to him and he would chew out any employee who failed to recognize a VIP. Apparently, unlike GT, VIPs at Babbo get markedly upgraded treatment, at least acoording to Mario in this article. It might have been the Gourmet or the New Yorker article.

[vivin]

I have never felt that I was getting less than very good service at Babbo (and I have a large sample size). Not when compared with any of the other usual suspects. I am not a VIP and my treatment at Babbo vs. other good places in NYC is similar. Having said that, I still consider the experiences there to be very very good. Maybe I do not know what I am missing (in terms of special treatment). However, I am pretty sure that I am not missing good food.

Others, who might be addicted to special treatment at other places might feel they are getting shortchanged at Babbo. But then this will apply to any place they are not instantly recognised as VIPs. Why single out Babbo?

In the end, it seems to me the question being asked is the following - How do you attain VIP status at a place like Babbo without being a celebrity/billionaire/family etc. I think the question should be whether you can get really good food at Babbo or any other place without being a VIP.

[macrosan]

Liza, I note what you said and I can see that as a reflection of VIP treatment. In essence, that's a few extra freebies which are always nice to receive as a gesture. I think the discussion here has been more targetted toward the extra quality of the meal that you can get when the chef takes a bit of additional, personalized trouble. That, I think, is a whole new level of VIP treatment, and it's a level which not all restaurants are capable of achieving.

[Liza]

Without getting into it too many specifics, these are occasions when I know the chef, he comes to the table, ascertains my satisfaction, let's me know why we're getting these dishes, etc.

[Charles Smith]

In the end, it seems to me the question being asked is the following - How do you attain VIP status at a place like Babbo without being a celebrity/billionaire/family etc. I think the question should be whether you can get really good food at Babbo or any other place without being a VIP.

Many restaurants will "reward" a serious or special interest in food with VIP status for a night, and then reward it again in subsequent visits. In my expereince, it often starts with the wine service when you order a gem that gets the sommelier excitied- about 2 years ago at San Domenico I ordered a bottle which thrilled the sommelier (who told me he had hidden that bottle on the list) , who then sat with us for 10 minutes or so discussing Italian wine, and our desserts were comped- I've had similar experiences when ordering offal, or recognizing a unique fish at a sushi bar. - It is a matter of upping the level of response when a particular interest is shown. Not everyone does it, but it makes a huge difference when it happens.

[vivin]

Charles,

That has happened with me at Babbo a bunch of times. The last time, my wife ordered the white truffle special and the sommelier picked out a special wine (not offered by the glass) and poured us a glass anyway. He then came over a bunch of times, steered us toward the cheese plate and the coach farm cheese in particular. These little touches are there at Babbo if you show interest in food. No less than any other good restaurant in NYC.

[Charles Smith]

Vivin-

I had a similar experience (recounted earlier in this thread) at babbo three years ago, but in my most recent visit, my inquiries were met with deaf ears- good to hear that it still happens to some diners.

Best,

Charles

[Mao]

I have eaten at Babbo a decent amount in the last year (at least ten times) and agree generally with Vivin that the pasta is their forte, or certainly the area where the kitchen performs with the most consistent excellence. Their meat dishes can be much more of a lottery (albeit with a higher probability of pay out), BUT you can lose. And I have never been moved by the fish preparations. When I go there I almost always order the specials, in large part because I have tried most of the items from the regular menu at this point, and also because Batali is a spontaneous whacko I have learnt from someone who used to be in his kitchen, and the most interesting dishes tend to be the specials that he dreamt up/created in a fit from a recent trip to market. I am not a VIP there, though the bartenders know me at this point, but I have never gotten anything but first rate service there when I have eaten in the main dining area (obviously I haunt the bar). That said, I have heard enough stories from people I know to believe the nightmare service stories (same with Bouley). And I concur that my last two trips to the place have been subpar. In both trips, I recommended some of the standard menu items--mint love letters and goose liver ravioli--to my novice to Babbo dining guest and found them lacking versus my memory of the same dishes at the restaurant in meals past. But the one area that I have found the place always impresses is in the wine dept. The quarter litres (?) are always interesting and great. But I guess its possible the place is indeed slipping.

[jaybee]

Without getting into it too many specifics, these are occasions when I know the chef, he comes to the table, ascertains my satisfaction, let's me know why we're getting these dishes, etc.

When're we going?