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“Ama”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	Italian	Soho	Moderate	Don't Bother

limp, but it was edible at least, unlike the bread that eventually arrived stale and hard (rock hard), though with a nice bowl of white bean puree. Soon, our wine glasses were drained and with no one in sight to refill our glasses or check on how we liked our octopus, I refilled our glasses. Our waiter did not return once the entire evening to check on our food, to pour our wine, or to offer us any sort of facial. I was amazed at the complete absence of service. It was not even bad. It just did not exist.

With our main courses things got even worse. The orecchiette salentine ($17)—a generous portion of little ear-shaped pasta flecked with crumbled bits of sweet (read: flavorless) sausage, cherry tomatoes, crispy artichokes with shaved pecorino cheese was fine, if you were eating at a chain restaurant. The pasta was perfectly cooked, but it was bland and greasy. Sadly though, this dish was a star compared to the horrific coniglio arrosto ($19)—an oddly unseasonal signature rabbit dish stuffed with chestnuts and swiss chard. The dish arrived: four hockey puck-shaped rounds of what appeared to be creamed spinach (and little else) wrapped in a thin border of pale, rubbery flesh (the rabbit). I cut myself a slice of this spinach paperweight, and noticed immediately that the rabbit had the texture of a worn out Good Year tire. I rarely want to spit out my food, but there’s always a first time. I felt quite certain that if I had thrown one of the pucks against the wall in front of me, it would have bounced right back at me, possibly injuring me. It was definitely heavy and bouncy. Michael made an attempt at it but he too was unwilling to venture past a first bite. It was awful. I don’t know what the story is with chef Turibio Girardi or his kitchen staff but someone in there is taking a nap at the stoves. Our side order of fava beans with shaved pecorno ($7) was so overly cooked and mushy that I thought it would spontaneously morph into a puree at the table. It was really sad. While our waiter had still not seen fit to visit our table and inquire about the continued presence of food on our plates despite the passage of some time, our bus boys were quite attentive, filling water glasses and eventually removing the offending (mostly uneaten) meals.

The rain was coming down in sheets when our waiter finally came over with dessert menus, but we were in need of a quick exit. I could not take five more minutes of this pathetic place. And so we ra ... [more, click below]

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Posted: June 13, 2005

Other restaurants in Soho :
+ Balthazar   + Savoy   + Blue Ribbon   + Lupa   + Public   + Kittichai   + Lure Fishbar   + Barmarche   + Porcupine-- CLOSED   + Ama   + La Esquina   + Jerry's- Closed Now   + The Tasting Room   + Papatzul   + Shorty's.32   + The Monday Room   + Ed's Lobster Bar   + Aurora   + Provence   + Tailor   + Hundred Acres   + Delicatessen, By Guest Reviewer Julie Besonen   + The Mott   + The Dutch   + Cherrywood, by Guest Reviewer Dara Pollak   

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