Last night, i went out to dinner with a couple of friends. After voicing each one of our thoughts, the final consensus was Italian Food- one of our friend's recommended a less expensive Italian place that he said made good calzones. Being a big food connoisure, especially Italian being my favourite, we decided to hit the place located in the small and nice downtown near our neighbourhood.
Before i describe the evening, i have to mention a few sticklers about myself- I am quite picky when it comes to food, the taste, ambience, table setting, how hot the food is served, service provided at the restaurant are some of the long list of things that i use to evaluate the quality of food. There are a few really favourite eat-outs where at the end of a good sumptuous meal i feel really happy from within. I am at my element's best after those kind of meals and if the dessert happens to be something chocolatey, then my day is made. Also, i usually judge the food when the appetizer and soup comes- if those taste good, then i will tune my expectations for a good main course.
Now, that i have written about what good food does to me, i need to also touch upon what poor food does to me. When the service, ambience, food etc aren't good and i end up paying $20 or so without any satisfaction, i become upset. I feel like one precious vacation day has been stolen from me and i get unpaid for a week's labor of tasty home cooking. Afterwards, no amount of anything will cheer up my evening- it was one of those evenings that marked my dinner last night.
The place had a bar cum grill and being vegetarian, the aroma, as some would call it, from the grill hit me like a blast as soon as i entered the place. Since, it was a sports place, there were baseball photos everywhere and the air inside was musty and made me feel congested. I excused myself from the group and went outside for a whiff of fresh air. After a few minutes, when i thought, i could handle it, i went in again, only to find the nausea rising to my throat and rushed to the restroom for my first disappearing act. By the time, i came out, my friends had already ordered and i was the last one to add a Vege Calzone to the list and some lemonade to soothe my stomach.
The 10 minutes of waiting time passed with everyone talking about work and stuff and me just adding in with hmm, hmm and saying that i was ok when an alternative place was suggested for dinner. It was 9.30 pm and i was famished. When the calzones came, and i took my first bite of the outer shell, i knew that this wasn't for me. I tried to be polite and pushed the calzone pieces around my plate until everyone knew that i wasn't happy with the calzone and the place. I couldn't wait to pay the bill and walk out into the cool night air.
Moral: No more Calzones for me!!!
2 comments:
Nice and honest post. I agree, at the end, the bottom line at every restaurant is the food. That is why we go there. Of course, the company is also important. Nevertheless, I, being a veggie (too) have experienced these kind of things where I am required to do some forced socializing (although I don't drink), and we end up going to "exotic" restaurants. Onnum saapda mudiyaadhu..
Incidentally, my latest post is also about my experience in an eatery, albeit, a humurous one.
Sorry that you had to throw up. "aiiiiyye, signorina, u-a throw-a up eh?"
Except some Pizza, I hate Italian food.. Damn heavy..
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