点评:We returned to La Casetta for a special occasion dinner last evening. We chose Casetta's because it is one of the few restaurants in the area where they always have veal dishes on the menu. The Veal Picata and Veal Marsella in particular are always excellent. Not the case last evening.
Our most recent prior visit was a weekend evening and La Casetta's was very busy. The service and the food were excellent. Last evening, they had very few customers for our early arrival dinner (1800). It was like we were dining at a different restaurant.
First, the service was exceedingly friendly and efficient. The kitchen's performance, not so much.
Have you ever noticed that when a restaurant is not busy, the service and often the food seem to suffer - the opposite of reasoning? Perhaps because the head chef or experienced prep staff are off that night? Or, when a kitchen is slammed, they seem to get into a rhythm of consistent excellence? Well, the kitchen at La Casetta's last evening was not up to par for some reason.
I ordered the Veal Marsella and my wife, the Veal Picata. My dish arrived last but shortly after the other 3 entrees. My food was barely room temperature. The sauce was just barely warm, and the veal, strangely, was cooler - unacceptable - and it was sent back to the kitchen. When the waitress returned it, it was pretty much the same tepid temperature. Since the second couple were our guests and I was reluctant to ruin the festive mood, I ate the meal. The Marsella mushroom sauce was very tasty, albeit cool, but the veal was tough, cold and more like a chop than the usual "pounded" cutlet. Clearly, the prep was not done completely or properly. I had never experienced this here before. If my wife and I had been there alone as a sole couple, I would have refused the meal and asked for just a pasta dish. (Our sides of pasta were steaming hot and the pesto sauce, delicious) It is note-worthy that one of our guests also had the Veal Picata and he expressed satisfaction - but, he was a guest and perhaps being polite.
When my wife and I returned home, she expressed that her Veal Picata was also "cold" and the veal was tough and exceedingly thick - nearly 1 1/2 inches thick. Again, not tenderised. She confessed that she had not wanted to make a fuss in front of guests and would have also refused it if we had been alone.
I must repeat, perhaps this was on off-night in the kitchen? We will return but we will let the manager/owner know about this experience.
翻译:昨晚我们回到 La Casetta 参加一个特别的晚宴。我们之所以选择 Casetta's,是因为它是该地区为数不多的几家菜单上总是有小牛肉菜肴的餐厅之一。Veal Picata 和 Veal Marsella 尤其美味。昨晚的情况并非如此。
我们最近一次来这里是周末晚上,La Casetta's 非常繁忙。服务和食物都很棒。昨晚,我们提前到达的晚餐(18:00)几乎没有客人光顾。感觉就像我们在另一家餐厅用餐一样。
首先,服务非常友好和高效。厨房的表现就没那么好了。
您是否注意到,当餐厅不忙时,服务和食物似乎都会受到影响 - 与推理相反?也许是因为主厨或经验丰富的准备人员那天晚上不在?或者,当厨房忙得不可开交时,他们似乎进入了始终如一的卓越节奏?好吧,La Casetta's 昨晚的厨房不知为何没有达到标准。
我点了马塞拉小牛肉,妻子点了皮卡塔小牛肉。我的菜最后上来,但比另外三道主菜晚了一点。我的食物几乎是室温的。酱汁几乎是温的,奇怪的是,小牛肉更凉——不可接受——它被送回了厨房。当女服务员把它送回来时,它的温度几乎和之前一样。因为第二对夫妇是我们的客人,我不想破坏节日气氛,所以我吃了这顿饭。马塞拉蘑菇酱非常美味,虽然有点凉,但小牛肉又硬又冷,更像是排骨而不是通常的“捣碎”的肉排。显然,准备工作做得不完整或不充分。我以前从未在这里经历过这种情况。如果我和妻子是一对夫妇单独来这里,我会拒绝这顿饭,只点一份意大利面。 (我们的配菜意大利面热气腾腾,香蒜酱味道鲜美)值得注意的是,我们的一位客人也点了小牛肉皮卡塔,他表示很满意 - 但,他是客人,也许是出于礼貌。
当我和妻子回到家时,她表示她的小牛肉皮卡塔也很“冷”,小牛肉又硬又厚 - 厚度接近 1 1/2 英寸。同样,没有变嫩。她承认,她不想在客人面前大惊小怪,如果我们单独在一起,她也会拒绝。
我必须重复一遍,也许这是在厨房休息的晚上?我们会再来的,但我们会把这次经历告诉经理/老板。