Remembrance of Things Pabst

We tried to salvage the night after spending so many hours at the Apple store so we decided to go to one of our favorite restaurants that I have mentioned before: Incognito.

It is a funny thing about restaurants. Sometimes you go to a joint and everything is perfect. You have a great meal and a lot of fun and you mark it as a place you want to go to all the time. So you go a couple of times and it is good but it is never as good as your first time there. I don't know if the people get used to you and complacent or the staff changes or you are just unlucky. But some of the things you like just don't happen on subsequent visits so you are kinda disappointed.

Now the first time we came here it was great. One of the co-owners (the guy in the tie in the photo) was very helpful and we met the chef and it was all great. Only the chef was there as the other dude was off. We wanted to go back for the wife's birthday but it was right after the storm and nobody was going to Manhattan if they didn't have to do it. So we finally made a month or so later.

As soon as we walk in the chef/owner Paola comes running over to say hello. What was funny was when we walked in the hostess asks if we have a reservation. We go no....we just wandered in. So they take us to our favorite table which must be the one they put people without a reservation. It is in the corner right next to the bar so you get you drinks quicker. What's not to like? Anyway Paola rushes over to tell us what is happening and tells us how he was shut for two weeks and had to throw away a ton of food because of losing power. He was upset because he said he had momentum and he lost it because of the storm. So he was trying to get it back. He brought us over an amuse bouche of  a couple of pieces of thin crust pizza with sausage and broccoli rabe. It was very nice. Then he left us to the tender mercies of his waiter.

Now it was funny but it was the guy in this photo which is on their website. So he must be one of the main guys. What was funny was he didn't know what he was doing. I mean he was competent but he had no style. Now we ordered a cocktail to start like we always do but I was thinking about getting a bottle of wine. But he never gave me the list. So we talked about it and decided to just go with cocktails because we want to cut back a little. Two cocktails is much better than two cocktails and a bottle of wine.But the joint lost out because if he gave me the wine list like he was supposed to I would most likely order a bottle so the house lost out. Then he recited the specials. I asked for the goat cheese ravioli which is my favorite. Now this should have told him that we were there before because it was a summer dish that was not on the current menu. He recites the specials but they seemed a little light. We put in our order and he disappears for the rest of the night. Ten  minutes later I hear another waiter at the next table recite the specials and he mentions about five of them that I guy didn't name including a couple we might have ordered. I think this waiter guy just didn't get it.  Mainly the dude didn't work with people who just wandered in and didn't have a reservation. This is a problem in most joints. They don't maximize the sales they can get because they put people in categories. The chef guy knew we were spenders but his waiter guy was oblivious. Oh well.

We decided to eat lightly. We split two appetizers. One was a dish of marinated olives and the other was a crositini (piece of toasted bread) with a manchego melt over a cannoli bean paste.  Then we went to the main courses. Lisa had artichoke ravioli in a cream sauce and I had veal medallions over tagliatelle pasta in a veal ragu. Both were very nice indeed.  Then we split a piece of Italian cheesecake for dessert. All in all it was a tasty dinner and we got away cheap as the whole bill was only $100. Pretty good but it was only because we didn't do a bottle of wine or the salad and pizza courses like we usually do when we go there. This is believe it or not a mid priced Manhattan restaurant so you can't judge it too harshly. The only thing I judge is that the waiter didn't do his job. Not that I care all that much. But I felt bad for the owner who was running around like a chicken without his head. I mean when the waiter loses out on selling a bottle of wine and an extra special he is costing him dough.

As soon as we were leaving we saw another example of what was going on. We said good by to the bus boys who had been serving us and who had been great all night. The waiter was no where to be found. The chef comes barreling out of the kitchen when he sees that we are at the door to rush and thank us for coming in and to ask how the food was and that he hoped that he would see us again. Which he will. We love his place. It was a little bit of a letdown this time but it will most likely be great the next time

The only things are places are almost never as good as the first time you go there and decide you love it.

Oh and I am making the goat cheese ravioli in the balsamic tomato sauce for our store Christmas party. If they don't have it I might as well do it myself.