This is my final part to this 3 part blog series about various experiences while eating at Italian restaurants.
A little while ago, my hubby and I went to an Italian Restaurant owned by a friend. It was beautiful inside and well decorated with the proper lighting and seating arrangements. Here’s what happened. The friend brought out some bread, told us it was all homemade right downstairs in the kitchen. Two types of bread his business partner made himself but they didn’t know which was better. So he told my husband to let him know which was better, the first bread or the second. He left and later came back and by that time my mother in law, my husband and I all agreed the first bread was better and the second bread didn’t taste Italian at all. So my mother in law bless her heart, told the friend she liked the first. That was my first clue that he didn’t really mean for us to tell him the truth. The comment went in one ear and right out the other and somewhere in between the two ears his mouth kicked in and made an excuse to leave and promised to come back. Which he did with more food.
This time it was the beef which he said had marinated for like 7 days or something. Again his partner did all this in the kitchen downstairs. Then it was the Italian wedding soup which again, was homemade in the kitchen below. My meatballs in the soup were like rubber and I know these were no homemade meatballs. I concentrated on my wine and enjoyed my caesar salad which was for whatever reason 3 times larger than anyone else’s. I’m sure the caesar dressing was also homemade right in the kitchen downstairs along with everything on the dessert tray that followed…
Here is the problem with Italian Restaurants, if they do not know you, they typically don’t give a hoot what you have to say unless it is great praise, even still they might not care. If they do know you, they still do not want to hear the truth even if it is feedback they requested. Not because they don’t care, but because sometimes the truth hurts more when it is from people you know and trying to impress. This particular friend was so eager to impress, I began to wonder what was believable and what wasn’t.
So to wrap up, I raise a glass of wine to Alfio’s in Bethesda who put on the best Italian dinner a bride to be could ask fo. I raise a glass of Italian wine to my host in upstate NY who I hope I never run across again. And finally, I raise a glass to our friend, who if not careful, may trip over himself simply by trying to put his best food forward.
Salute to the each of you!
Liz
www.simpleitaliancooking.com
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Liz,
marchoni’s typified the quintessential Italian deli and I will never forget it.
I must tell you about two special experiences that I recall growing up. First, do you remember Marchoni’s? It was this hole in the wall deli that served sandwiches and subs and salds.You may have been too young to recall this place. Dad would take David and I there on weekends to get a “sub” It was always special because it was all the way in Wheaton, MD and it took like 30 minutes to get there. Dad would swear by this place. It was the standard for judging all subsequent italian subs. I remember two very important things about those subs. The bread was very hard on the outside and soft on the inside. It was delicious! The meat and provolone cheese were so fresh, I can still remember it. Also, we were never allowed to put mayonaise on the sub. It had to be italian dressing. Anything less was, well… just not right.
The other poignant moment for me was walking past this small Italian deli, right here in Fredericksburg that stopped me dead in my tracks. It was the smell! That little crack in the wall deli had the most amazing smells of fresh bread, oregano, sauce, olive oil and something sweet all mixed together and it wafted out into the street as I passed by and nearly made me forget what I was doing. I think this is the most important aspect of real, honest and authentic Italian cooking: the smell. Does it make you stop and remember better, happier times and make you wish you had nothing else to do but pause and take in the smells forever. Well, that may be overstated a bit. Anyway, keep up the postings! I love it!
Dan
Hey there Danny! I’m glad you are enjoying my posts. I remember Marchoni’s, but not because of the subs… it is where we ordered the cannoli’s for my wedding! And if I recall correctly, Dad was the one who suggested the place. The cannoli’s were far better there than the stores up in Little Italy in Baltimore. They were great and I put Dad in charge of picking them up the morning of the wedding… 2 reasons… first, it kept him from getting nervous around the house, and secondly who else would be the most perfect candidate to pick them up? LOL!
I’ll have to try the Italian deli next time we are over in F’burg for sure.
Liz