Bar Stuzzichini

Occasion: Casual catch-up dinner with Catherine
Location: Bar Stuzzichini on B'way between 21st and 22nd (barstuzzichini.com)
Edibles: 3 small plates - meatballs; grilled eggplant with buffalo ricotta; grilled octopus

Musings: When the line at Shake Shack looked to be 1-hour plus, we detoured over to Bar Stuzzichini. I'd been a few times before and had found it solid enough for repeat patronage.

Yikes. TERRIBLE service today. We started at the bar for a drink, in hopes of scoring an outside table. When an outside table opened up, we asked the bartender (at the host dude's request) for the tab. The bartender was totally spaced out and either mentally decided to transfer our tab and forgot to tell us, or forgot about us altogether and tried to cover. Once we got that settled (tab would be transferred, we were told), we sat down at our table. No menu for ages. Luckily, we'd already decided what we wanted at the bar and flagged our waiter down to give him our order. At the end of the meal, when the bill came, they left off our drinks. Being honest citizens, we pointed this out. Bill comes back, now charging me for two pinot grigios when I'd only had one. On the third try, they finally get the bill right.

And the food? Meatballs were tasty, but one of mine was cold in the middle. Eggplant tasted okay but it consisted of one measly roll, about the size of a roll of pennies, for us to share. Octopus - all two pieces of it - was fantastic, tender and flavorful. So for 5 meatballs, 1 eggplant roll and 2 pieces of octopus tentacle, we were charged $18. On previous visits, I swear the servings were much more generous. Perhaps the recession has resulted in some cutbacks.

All told, the bad service plus the reduced serving sizes mean I'm likely not going back.