As you know, we are well travelled. We will try food in any restaurant anywhere. Often, it is 3 hours drive from the nearest town. I am convinced I ate monkey in a small Liberian village. The soda was warm, but the meat was tender, the peas cooked to perfection, and the rice was delicious.
Wife got dressed up today. She put on a very sexy number. Certainly lit up the restaurant.
The hostess at the bar was polite, ish. My accent clearly threw her. But then, I am sure not many Europeans visit Germano’s. She recommended the Chianti Straccali, half price of course. Half price? Well, only if a $9 bottle is worth $36. Which, it isn’t.
We waited, waited a bit longer and then waited more. Eventually, we decided we were hungry and couldn’t wait longer. Ordered the calamari fritti. It was bland, to put it mildly. It came with a tomato based sauce. Actually, I think it was water based. It may have seen a tomato, once. Not that night though.
We ate the entire appetizer. We had waited a long time, and by that time had drank most of the wine.
Taken upstairs, we could not understand why we had been waiting for so long. The place wasn’t packed out, even though the queue outside the door suggested so. In fact, upstairs the place was HALF EMPTY. This was not looking good. Either they were trying to create an ambience in the tired main dinning room. Or the chef wasn’t up to the task.
We sat next to a group of young kids celebrating someone's birthday. They struggled to sing happy birthday and were given some free profiteroles for the birthday girl. They didn't eat them. This should have rang alarm bells, who leaves free profiteroles?
The décor is what you would expect for an Italian restaurant trying too hard. Terracotta walls. Old posters. Sponge worked stencils and the obligatory grimy, dirty carpet.
The décor is what you would expect for an Italian restaurant trying too hard. Terracotta walls. Old posters. Sponge worked stencils and the obligatory grimy, dirty carpet.
Reviewing the menu (again), we chose the Seafood Risotto (Wife) and Beef Shank (mine). What we didn’t expect was the bagged salad, with plastic tomatoes, ground pepper and what I am convinced was giant brand parmesan. Wife says it wasn’t even that good.
Finally, the food. I ate half, the wife ate less. Bland. Don’t bother going. We have the left over’s in the fridge. We both said, we don’t think we can face them. I wish we had a dog.
The Wife’s Rating
No Stars
My Rating
* But only for the ‘Half Price’ wine
No Stars: Who do you think you are?
* Really? That's it?
** No Grazie.
*** The Mafia eats here.
**** Luigi and Mario own this place.
***** Si, Si, Si, SI!
Finally, the food. I ate half, the wife ate less. Bland. Don’t bother going. We have the left over’s in the fridge. We both said, we don’t think we can face them. I wish we had a dog.
The Wife’s Rating
No Stars
My Rating
* But only for the ‘Half Price’ wine
No Stars: Who do you think you are?
* Really? That's it?
** No Grazie.
*** The Mafia eats here.
**** Luigi and Mario own this place.
***** Si, Si, Si, SI!
