194190 Wed Mar 20 13:35:59 -0800 2002 15 18 Manhattan 0 1036386 I had the singularly worst service I have ever received at a restaurant at Babbo in 1998. Without going into too many details, my waiter was horrible, I gave feedback and tried to have the situation remedied several times, and received no adequate response. The waiter was terrible, rude, unresponsive, rude, inattentive, and offensive (although he had a lot of time to titter, chatter, and pose with a table of his friends). As he was unwilling to describe the wines in the tasting menu matched with wines, I asked to speak to the sommelier, who attempted to improve the situation. Unfortunately, despite my request, the waiter was not replaced and the bad service declined. When I gave my honest opinion to the manager, all he said was, "Yes, we've had some complaints about that waiter." No apology, no remedy, only unacceptable service. I am a patient, pleasant chowhound who comes from a restaurant family and who worked in service-oriented restaurants growing up. I also spend an inordinate amount of time and money eating at restaurants. That evening represented the nadir of my dining experiences. Needless to say, and despite the quality of the food, that was my last trip to Babbo. Wed Mar 20 13:35:59 -0800 2002 0 OPJK 1 1036400 I posted my experience of having wine poured down my back. at babbo. In addition they kept my red wine at a serving table yet were so lax in refilling my glass that I had to personally get the bottle myself to pour wine. One of the waiters dropped half a wheel of cheese by our table sending cheese flying everywhere. This was followed by a busboy sweeping around us and under our table during the meal. On the plus side our table cloth was cleaned about 4 times throughout meal creating a nice one two punch incompetent service followed by overbearing service. The food was not exceptional or memorable in any way. The final blow was having half a bottle of dessert wine poured down my back, a culinary golden shower. I was so distressed that the following night we went to Peter Lugers just to get spiritually aligned. What a disappointment. Wed Mar 20 14:12:03 -0800 2002 1036386 0 Hector 2 1036424 I have been twice. I experienced sub par service the first time. The waiter had this air about him and refused to be flexible in any way with the food. He would also disappear for long periods of time. One of our dishes was too salty that he just shrugged off. The second time, it was better but just acceptable. not memorable in any way. The food, however, was killer. will keep going back. Wed Mar 20 15:31:57 -0800 2002 1036400 0 vivin 1 1036404 That sucks. If the manager was aware of the complaints, though, it's unlikely the guy will last. Is Babbo's service slipping? It's possible, but I doubt it will be a continuing trend. Wed Mar 20 14:39:31 -0800 2002 1036386 0 Dan 1 1036418 As I posted below, I've been to Babbo numerous times, and have always had a positive experience with the waitstaff. Wed Mar 20 15:09:38 -0800 2002 1036386 0 deb-in-billyburg 1 1036429 only been twice and service was neither good nor bad, but I am missing something here or has it taken you 4 years to decide to post about this terrible event? Wed Mar 20 15:41:31 -0800 2002 1036386 0 kirk wallace 2 1036455 It has been three years since I've eaten there. Nevertheless, I was just reading the posting from this morning about the service at Babbo (started by Hector) and it prompted my own memories and made me wonder if this was a common part of the Babbo experience. Aside from this, I will be having dinner at a friend's house that is to be cooked by Mario Batali, Bobby Flay, and Tom Valenti, which has also called Batali to my mind. Wed Mar 20 17:15:10 -0800 2002 1036429 0 OPJK 3 1036467 yes, now i see; i hadn't seen the prior string. i can see how that would trigger the bad memory; any chance you can raise it with Mario at dinner, for everybody's sake? Wed Mar 20 18:56:23 -0800 2002 1036455 0 kirk wallace 3 1036502 Who's your friend!!!!! Thu Mar 21 11:34:03 -0800 2002 1036455 0 danna 1 1036431 I've posted a lengthy description before, but my two experiences at Babbo: Food: Excellent both times Service: Fine the first time, mediocre the second Ambiance (noise, roominess, view, etc.) Very poor for a restaurant of this class. Overall: This is not the place for me. When I am spending big bucks on a meal, I don't just want good food, I also want quiet, an attentive waiter, a responsive management, and so on. Can Danny Meyer be cloned? Please? Peter Wed Mar 20 15:47:47 -0800 2002 1036386 0 Peter 2 1036436 This makes chowhound.com fun. I think Batali is a genius and his food makes me hungry just thinking about it. I think his restaurants have a great vibe and I have never had an issue with service (this is especially important as his menus need translation). On the other hand, I think Danny Meyer is the king of the overrated restaurant. I find USQ and Grammercy boring and unsatisfying and have had nothing at either to compare with Babbo, Esca, or even Lupa. That being said, I love BBQ and hope Blue Smoke is better than the review. Wed Mar 20 16:01:37 -0800 2002 1036431 0 df 2 1036441 Have only been to Babbo once. Food was amazing. Service was HORRIBLE. Waitress was clueless and beyond rude. Lisa P Wed Mar 20 16:44:18 -0800 2002 1036431 0 Lisa P 1 1036473 I think I have eaten at Babbo about 6 times in the last 6 months. I have never had bad service. And the food, oh the food. The best way to avoid any service issues is to eat at the bar by the way. there ano rsv policy, and the waitstaff is always competent and friendly in my experience. Wed Mar 20 20:01:02 -0800 2002 1036386 0 Mao 2 1036672 The ONLY way to eat here is at the bar. Get there at 5:15 and enjoy! Fri Apr 19 10:33:46 -0700 2002 1036473 0 dude 1 1036497 Horrible service when we were there last summer. Needless to say, haven't been back since (and no, not overly impressed with the food either) Thu Mar 21 10:40:15 -0800 2002 1036386 0 Tatyana Gourov 1 1036508 I only ate there once, in September 1999. We walked in around 6:30 w/o a reservation, and amazingly they had a table upstairs (late cancellation). We had a wonderful meal, terrific service and one of the best meals in NYC I've had. Would go back in a heartbeat. A relative bargain at $100 pp all in. Jon Thu Mar 21 12:35:09 -0800 2002 1036386 0 Jon Leventhal