[speedgibson] Speed Gibson: So close and yet so far

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Posted by Speed Gibson:
So close and yet so far
http://speedgibson.powerblogs.com/posts/1185768025.shtml


   We went to an Italian restaurant Sunday night, a name you'd know.
   Everything seems right. The layout and furnishings are functional and
   the seating not over-crowded, unlike some other places I won't name
   here. The service is friendly, competent, and snappy. The menu is
   interesting with many appealing choices. The prices are reasonable,
   only ... the food just isn't what it should be.
   Much of it was served lukewarm, not hot. In fact, one pocket of cheese
   in the lasagne was truly cold, somewhere between refrigerator and room
   temperature. It was obviously reheated, quite possibly by microwave.
   Another entree's penne pasta was noticeably undercooked, and way
   under-sauced. The green beans also needed another minute or two. The
   Chicken Marsala was kid's menu sweet, though the chicken itself was
   cooked perfectly. One supposedly spicy dish was spicier than other
   dishes I suppose, but not as the menu suggested. Otherwise, the
   seasoning was correct, in all the dishes.
   My point here is that these are errors in execution, the kind that
   drives Gordon Ramsay nuts. Nobody is tasting or checking the food
   going out of the chicken. Maybe their Chicken Marsala recipe is sweet
   on purpose, but more I'm inclined to think the cooks got a little
   sloppy measuring. Serving food hot is not rocket science. Checking
   pasta for doneness should be done before it leaves the boiling water,
   and by someone who knows the difference between al dente and
   underdone.
   Correcting these sorts of mistakes doesn't cost anything but a manager
   or head chef's time to set the required standards. This wasn't our
   first visit here, to which I had the same general reactions.