Taberna del Alabardero

God is in the Details (aka Happy Birthday to Me)

Caution: the following review contains a partial list of my pet peeves, which are legion.

So, Steve and I seem to have an unlucky streak going: we make reservations at a fancy restaurant, then we get seated in some black hole of a table in a corner, as if we’re social pariahs (I don’t want to hear it). So tonight, my lovely husband mentions that we’re celebrating, and the maitre d’ shows us several tables and invites us to take our pick.

Score 1 for TdA, zero for the others.

Steve doesn’t drink, so I frequently order wine by the glass — one for each course. Yes, the waiter usually provides assistance. At TdA, the sommelier himself comes by, and not only makes suggestions, but comes back with the bottle, then pours me a taste, with the offer to bring something else if this isn’t suitable. All for just one glass. That’s classy.

Score another for TdA, zero...oh, you get the idea.

I like my coffee hot, dammit. The only thing that peeves me more than lukewarm coffee is getting ice-cold low-fat milk with it. Why, just last week, while enduring this at Persimmon, I commented to Steve that if I ran a restaurant, I’d serve piping hot coffee with a little pitcher of warm cream. Well guess what TdA did...

I hate having a fuss made over me, but quiet recognition is nice. My dessert arrives on a plate with “happy birthday” written in chocolate, and a teeny lit candle perched inside a raspberry. Sweet. And, we get two glasses of champagne, gratis. (It might have been a Spanish sparkling wine, in the Champagne style.)

What? The food? It’s great, but nothing we had was particularly Spanish. We could have had the same appetizers and main courses in any New American or high-end Italian restaurant. But whatever. It was beautifully prepared and presented.

Yep, it’s pricey, all right. You know they didn’t take a loss on that sparkling wine. But once a year or so, I’m worth it.

Elaborate Spanish food, and good. The sommelier takes his job very seriously. Actually, everything is pretty serious here- so get dressed up, dust off your best behaviour, and prepare to drop a bundle on several hours of truly fine dining.