点评:Valentino is in a building that has housed had a few different restaurants—most recently Harold Seltzer’s Steakhouse. Valentino has obviously pumped a lot of money into the building and it’s very beautiful inside and out.
I was dining solo and was seated in the bar area, first at a high-top. The stool and the table skirting made it very awkward to comfortably sit there. Right above me was a speaker playing recorded standards. After a while a live singer began his repertoire. The two sources turned into noise. I asked if the recorded music could be turned off and, instead, was escorted to a different table that had another speaker nearby. Furthermore, the entire bar area has marble floors and hard walls that reverberated the two sources of music and all the bar chatter into an uncomfortable din.
My server, Daniel, was very personable and friendly. Unfortunately, in the middle of my dinner, my server got a very large group of diners in another room. Around the same time the entire place got very busy and the wheels came off any organization that might have existed and everything slowed to a crawl. Even though I sat down at 6:00pm, I had to beg for a check so I could make an 8:00pm curtain at nearby Ruth Eckerd Hall.
Now to the food and drink. I started with a cocktail from their house list. Online the cocktail menu had most drinks priced in the mid-$20s—ouch! The prices on the cocktail menu at the restaurant had wisely been repriced into the mid-teens--much more reasonable. Food prices are still on the high side. Fortunately, it was all very good. My eggplant appetizer was delicious and large enough to be shared by 4 diners or it could be an entrée for one diner. The Pollo Saltimbocca entrée was also very good and, again, a large portion. I didn’t have time for dessert.
I’ll probably go back, but I’ll sit in a dining room away from the bar.
翻译:Valentino 所在的大楼里曾有几家不同的餐厅——最近一家是 Harold Seltzer’s Steakhouse。Valentino 显然为这栋楼投入了大量资金,它内外都非常漂亮。
我当时独自用餐,坐在吧台区,一开始是一张高脚凳。凳子和桌裙让我坐得非常不舒服。我的正上方有一个扬声器播放着录制的经典曲目。过了一会儿,一位现场歌手开始演唱。两个音源变成了噪音。我问是否可以关掉录制的音乐,结果被带到了另一张桌子,旁边还有另一个扬声器。此外,整个吧台区都是大理石地板和坚硬的墙壁,两个音源和酒吧里的闲聊声混杂在一起,形成了一种令人不适的喧闹。
我的服务员 Daniel 非常亲切友好。可惜的是,在我用餐过程中,服务员在另一个房间里接待了一大群客人。大约在同一时间,整个餐厅变得非常忙碌,任何可能存在的组织都瘫痪了,一切都慢了下来。尽管我下午6点就坐下了,但为了赶上晚上8点在附近的露丝·埃克德大厅举行的落幕演出,我不得不乞求账单。
现在说说餐饮。我先点了他们店内酒单上的鸡尾酒。网上的鸡尾酒菜单上大部分酒水的价格都在25美元左右——哎哟!餐厅鸡尾酒菜单上的价格明智地调整到了15美元左右——要合理得多。食物价格仍然偏高。幸运的是,一切都非常美味。我的茄子开胃菜非常美味,份量足够4个人分享,也可以作为一个人的主菜。鸡肉咸香肠开胃菜也非常美味,而且份量很大。我没有时间吃甜点。
我可能会回去,但我会坐在远离酒吧的餐厅里。