FOOD, NO! CHARMING, YES!
	Reviewed By gadaboutdiner	Aug 16, 2008

I have a new RESTAURANT RULE #1: If, at the end of a meal, patrons return their plates to the kitchen with half or more of their contents intact AND the management does not question the reason, I won't be back. Because, obviously, no one cares about patron satisfaction!

I unwittingly made a serious error when I ordered the luncheon special, sea bass sauteed with mushrooms. It gave new meaning to the term "smothered in mushrooms" because the 2 generous pieces of fish were totally invisible beneath them.

The broccoli-summer squash vegetables were mushy, soggy, tasteless. And, for the very first time, I was served mashed potatoes in an Italian restaurant. They looked and tasted like instant mashed potatoes. I did not, however, see the box, so I may be very wrong! My better half says: "Don't count on it!"

The sea bass cum mushroom presentation curiously included a good heaping tablespoonful of fresh rosemary in 1 inch lengths. When I saw that, I assumed the fish was not fresh and someone was trying to fool me with the overwhelming and culinarily incongruous scent and taste of rosemary.

That was not the case, though. Fish okay! Everything else not okay! After five minutes of picking out the inedible rosemary, I noticed my fish was STILL swimming: in the generous amount of liquid given up by the soggy vegetables and the mushrooms.

I'm sure there are "specialty items" in which the kitchen excels! There must be because half of the tables were occupied and there was a pleasantly soft hum of conversation surrounding us.

We were not, however, aware of the "specialty items."

The charmingly-outfitted restaurant is in a residential/commercial area where repeat business would be crucial. (Chopahn, the wonderful afghani restaurant now in The Gaslamp, was previously in this space.)

My better half loves linguine with clams. He never leaves a morsel behind. This time, though, he ate only half his modest portion. I ate much less than half. No one questioned that.

My new rule applies to Barolo Ristorante!!