IT IS OK TO WINE!






...I will be honest...there are few things better than sitting down with a bottle of wine! I literally have never met a wine I didn't like! I enjoy every aspect of wine...tasting, smelling, swirling...uncorking, pouring, sipping, pairing, loving, laughing, smiling, conversing...you get the idea!!

Monday, February 15, 2010

Valentine's Day Dinner

My first dining experience at Trattoria San Pietro....earns the grade B+. Per usual in my life we were running late due to Shane's basketball game so I made a phone call to the restaurant to let them know that we would be arriving 10 minutes past our reservation time. Well that ten minutes was actually 20 (of course!). But the hostesses although not doing so while smiling, told me nicely to go up to the bar and have a drink and they would come get us when our table was ready. Which was fine because that is the way I like to start my evenings anyways!! The bar was full as was the seats around the bar so we stood for a moment deciding on what we were drinking when a waitress/bartender came up to us and asked us what we would like to drink...I thought this a good idea and asked to see the wine list which she promptly brought over. I glanced quickly because their wine by the glass section had minimal variety so I chose quickly. But then we stood there waiting for her to come back for a good 5 minutes...needless to say, she forgot about us and although she was indeed busy, she should have been aware of the time frame that she had given me the wine list and been back over to us within 2 minutes. My husband then went to the bar himself and ordered our drinks. He was promptly waited on and as soon as he returned with our beverages, the hostess came over to let us know our table was ready. Fantastic...not a long wait at all for being 20 minutes late for our reservation..especially on a busy night like V Day! We were promptly greeted by a water/bread girl...who was pleasant enough and then shortly after, our waitress greeted us, and told us the specials for the evening.
We then looked over our menus, decided on our appetizer/salad selections and waited for her return. Only a few minutes passed...she returned to take our appetizer order, I had a question about the salad special, which she answered to my liking, we told her our selections and she whisked away quickly. The salad special came out first...it was delicious. We did at one point wait a bit too long for another beer for my husband but not long enough for me to be overly irritated...our stuffed shrimp appetizer came out next...that also was wonderful. She took our dinner orders after our salad came out which was perfect timing so that our entrees wouldn't follow too closely to our appetizer. After each course, our empty plates were whisked away quickly and we were given a new set of silverware each time. All of the wait staff seem to be on each others page which is a great communications skill to have during a busy night like this. They were all looking out for each other and instructing the runners to fill water, clear plates, etc at each others tables. It was a smoothly run establishment so far into this evening. At this point, our beverages were replenished as needed and we were enjoying ourselves. Only waiting about 5 - 7 minutes after our shrimp app came out our entrees. My husband got the lobster ravioli special...he enjoyed it immensely. I got the swordfish special...at first bite, it was delicious...at second bite I realized it was raw in the middle! This was something I was not expecting at a restaurant like this but I realized two things. One, they were extremely busy and two the swordfish fillet was extremely thick. I did have to wait for my server to appear for a bit before I could bring the issue with my dish to her attention. She immediately apologized and took my plate away to be corrected. I insisted that my husband continue eating, so he was actually finished long before my swordfish returned. Also, when my entree did reappear, the plate was extremely hot which lead me to believe that my vegetables were reheated and not replaced with fresh new ones, which is what should absolutely happen with a recook. They were also burnt and soggy which also lead to my suspicion of this. The swordfish itself though, after its return was as delicious as it was during my first bite. I enjoyed the fish but stayed away from the potatoes and vegetables on my plate. We opted to look at the dessert table..all looked amazing. We agreed to try the strawberry shortcake. My husband is not a chocolate fan (WHAT?) so we had to stay away from the chocolate cake! I only thought the shortcake was marginal....my husband enjoyed it more than I. When we finally received our bill, I was glad to see that my entree was not included. That showed me that this establishment sets high standards for its food preparation and takes responsibility for when it doesn't live up to those standards. I would gladly return to Trattoria San Pietro.

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