Vitale's

Tonight we went out to eat at Vitale's (which is the only realistically Italian place in town). We spent about $60 (with tip) for three people. Me and Teale got the Gnocchi Primavera and the Seafood Alfredo, and Yoda got the Chicken Fettucini (and a glass of Chianti). As the evening wore on, the dining experience began to seem like a little girl that tries on her mom's mink coat and pumps, and smears lipstick all over herself--she's really cute, but not ready to go out on the town. Vitale's is at first glance a very upscale place, but the closer you look the more you doubt this impression. For example, there are cloth tablecloths, but ours was extremely wrinkled. As for the rest--well, you'll see.

Coffee (me)
Gnocchi Primavera (me)
Seafood Alfredo (Teale)
Glass of Chianti (Yoda)
Chicken Fettucini (Yoda)
Clam Chowder (Teale & Yoda)
Side Salad (me)
Bread (all of us)

The Coffee

...Was pretty good. Strong, and the cream came in a cute little pitcher, but I had to ask for my first few refills (and when I asked for the first refill, she thought I wanted a whole second cup of coffee--as in a separate drink order--and ended up charging me for two coffees, which had to be taken off our bill). 7/10

The Gnocchi Primavera

Nice shape, nice texture, a bit flavorless, but the white wine sauce was good, and the chicken was good. Had to ask for Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top. 7/10

Seafood Alfredo

When it originally came out it had lots of big, beautiful shrimp in it, but no scallops or oysters (per the menu description). So we had to ask for the rest of the seafood. While they were preparing that, we enjoyed a very rich sauce, good pasta, but not a spectacularly flavored dish. However, the portions were very generous, and once the scallops arrived they were AWESOME (jumbo and perfectly cooked--soft and flavorful). The oysters were apparently little bits in the sauce, not whole oysters, but what can you do. Could have been an 8/10, but including service, a 6/10.

The Chianti

Very good. Dry, spicy, complex. The one thing that they couldn't screw up. 9.5/10

Chicken Fettucini

Came without a knife. Kind of bland, but the flavors that were there were good. The Parmesan we requested rounded it out well (as it did all three entrees). 8/10

Clam Chowder

Thick and flavorful, redolent with potato (probably too much potato--really thick with potato). Excellent flavor. Oyster crackers a plus. 7/10

Side Salad

Ordinary. Came with an edible blue cheese dressing (not great, not bad). 5/10

Bread

Crusty, hot, wonderful. European and authentic. Thin loaves/sticks that were partially cut for ease of tearing. However. We had to ask for it. And there was a bottle of olive oil on the table (in a fancy bottle etched with the restaurant logo). And I tasted it. And it was not so good. So I asked Teale to taste it. And she almost gagged. It. Was. Rancid. Oil. So I asked for a new bottle. And the second bottle was...also rancid! After that, it was butter all the way, baby. Also, they didn't bring us more bread after we polished off the first basket. Bread: 10/10, Olive oil: -10/10

Stuff We Had to Ask For

Salad and soups (she never even ordered them till we asked)
Water
Bread
Olive oil
New side plate for olive oil (never received)
Coffee
More water
Knife
Seafood
Parmesan cheese
More water
Coffee
Fixing our bill
Our time back (it took forever for them to take our payment--we were hostages)

Other notes

Our waitress cried (about a problem with another table's order and an apparent disagreement with the cook). Apparently she was somewhat new (and it showed). It was too expensive for the quality of the food. For about $20 a person, your whole dining experience should rock. We could have gone out for sushi and probably spent less money and had SUSHI. But the scallops were really good. And we stole a bunch of hard candy mints to make up for the meal when we left. Unfortunately, when we got home we realized that they were all melted. And they were hard candy.

Final Rating

Food 7.5, Service 3/10, Ambiance 5/10 (no privacy, you can hear everyone's conversation, and then they started playing Sabre Dance). Total: 6/10

Cat Munch!

Inigo loves to eat. She is a good mascot for this project.

Mario's "Mexican Restaurant"

Tonight Yoda and I went out to dinner for the second time at Mario's "Mexican Restaurant" (quotes not added). For those of you who have not been, it is a small restaurant/bar in Oshkosh with a large margarita selection and a toxic buffet (I made the mistake of trying it the first time we went). But Yoda liked the Tutti Frutti Margarita (tasted like sweet tarts), and I was willing to give it a second try, so there we were. In total we ordered:

one Original Margarita on the rocks (for me)
one Nachos el Grande (to share)
one “Wet” Chicken Burrito Dinner (for me)
one Chicken Chimichanga (for Yoda)
one Flan (to share)

Our total was about $31 (not including the tip). In summary: our food was ok, but not awesome, and not authentic. It was as if the attitude of the restaurant was, “well, if your dining experience or food is good, that's great, but we're not going to go out of our way to make it happen.” Yoda's analysis: “we don't care, and it shows.” So let's start at the beginning.

The Margarita

When first perusing the menu, I was struck by several unusual drink choices. My curiosity aroused, I asked the waitress what the El Presidente, Ultimate, Hot Tamale, and Caribbean margaritas were. Her reply was, “I don't know.” After a short, pregnant pause in which it became apparent that she wasn't going to offer to find out, I ordered an original (I like my margaritas strong, not syrupy, over ice, and with salt). Upon tasting it, I realized that it was way too sweet, but otherwise ok. I am of the opinion that if you want a fruity, sugary drink, order a fruit flavored margarita, but if you order an “original” you should be able to taste the tequila and the sweetness should enhance that flavor, not drown it out. But, it did come with salt (which was a relief to my tastebuds). Overall: 5/10

The Nachos el Grande

A generous plate of fresh corn chips covered with piles of ground beef, jalapeños, tomatoes, cheese sauce, and with a side of sour cream. Pretty good, but the jalapeños weren't that spicy. 5.5/10

The “Wet” Chicken Burrito

A largish burrito filled with shredded chicken, cheese, and refried beans, covered in salsa, accompanied by refried beans, rice, lettuce, tomato, and sour cream. Hearty, but not terribly remarkable. I'm a sucker for good beans, and these weren't that flavorful (and they were too thick). Also, the rice was bland and greasy. But the burrito itself was good. 5.5/10

The Chicken Chimichanga

A largish chimichanga filled with beans, chicken, cheese, onions, and lettuce. Not very flavorful, but not that bad. About $3 too expensive. 6/10

The Flan (aka Hobo Pudding)

An uneven, broken, ugly pile of curdled eggs flavored with cinnamon, covered with whipped cream. I have never had flan that was the consistency of this stuff—it was really firm, and the eggs had distinctively curdled (giving it an almost bread-pudding-like texture). The flavor was fine, but the whole point of flan is that it is silky smooth and delicate on your tongue. We ate it, but I decided that if I had a restaurant I wouldn't serve this as flan—it's just way too far off. Yoda suggested the name of Hobo Pudding, which seemed appropriate, and I added that it should be set on fire at the table for proper effect. Because if your dessert is flaming, it doesn't really matter what it is—you'll still feel excited to be eating it. As Flan: 2/10 As Hobo Pudding: 8/10

To summarize: if only the waitress had offered to find out what the El Presidente Margarita was. If only the jalapeños were more spicy. If only the flan was Hobo Pudding instead. I'll end it with this:

"If only, if only," the woodpecker sighs,
"The bark on the tree was as soft as the sky is."
While the wolf waits below, hungry and lonely,
He cries to the moo-oo-oon,
"If only, if only."

Overall Rating: 5.5/10

Next time: REAL Mexican food.