Back To The Kitchen…………Again

July 18, 2007

in Food & Drink Stories

Recently my friend and I visited a fairly new restaurant based on the recommendation of another friend. She stated that the mussels were the best ever. So we ordered wine, very good by the glass and affordable, and the mussels. We also ordered oysters on the half shell. The waitress said the two choices of oysters were Blue Point from Maine and “Ameripure.” Never having heard of Ameripure, I inquired of the waitress where exactly they came from. She thought Alabama, but she had never eaten an oyster and wasn’t sure. She did offer to check with the chef though. I was not too keen on the unknown oysters, so I ordered the Blue Points which were supposedly $10.00 a half dozen.

The mussels were wonderful, seared in a hot skillet with rock salt and olive oil. The oysters were large but milky; one, however, was dry and shredded. Looked like they had destroyed it trying to open it… yesterday. Oh well, one out of 6 ain’t bad. We also ordered the seafood Chioppino, and a fillet with sautéed spinach. The spinach arrived with the bottom warm and somewhat sautéed; the top was so raw the leaves were cold. When the waitress questioned my definition of sautéed, I handed her a cold spinach leaf. Back to the kitchen it went. The seafood Chioppino was so salty it was inedible. Back to the kitchen. The fillet was slightly under done and totally ordinary with no seasoning whatsoever; I think all the salt was put in the seafood dish. We didn’t send it back. By that time, we were so hungry that we ate the filet and the recooked spinach, which was prepared correctly this time. The waitress took so long to return the Chioppino that we finally asked her to put it in a to-go box. When we received the bill there was a charge for $3.00 “open food.” As it turned out, the Blue Point oysters were $3.00 more than the amount listed on the menu, which was never mentioned by the waitress at the time. I would go back, but for the mussels only.

Sign me…….exhausted from sending food back

{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }

Anonymuous April 2, 2009 at 1:44 pm

Maybe you should consider eating at home more often.

Reply

RK April 2, 2009 at 7:57 pm

Why would you go back? I don’t return to restaurants that can’t cook and don’t alert me to the price of their items.

Reply

Rob April 4, 2009 at 2:18 am

Ah, any problems properly cooking food, if you are ordering shellfish, and you should immediately complain, pay for your wine, and leave.

Or enjoy your time in the hospital while they pump your stomach.

How can you possibly know if maybe those mussels weren’t left at room temperature for too long?

Reply

Karl January 16, 2011 at 12:08 pm

My favorites are the Blue Points.

Reply

Shucker January 17, 2011 at 7:28 pm

I dont recommend eating oysters in months not containing the letter R…

Reply

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