21699 Fri Oct 18 12:47:38 -0700 2002 35 33 Food Media and News 0 78964 I've never been to Delfina, but until I read the article from the link below, I had never heard anything bad about it, either. Has anyone been to Delfina in the last few months? What ARE their specialties? (P.S. Even though I've taken a trip on the Concorde, I am not Jet Set material. I suspect I'll be easier to please). Link: http://www.jetsetting.net/print.php?sid=124 Fri Oct 18 12:47:38 -0700 2002 0 Paul Homchick 1 78966 It's hard to believe this review. In the last year, I've been to Delfina a few times, and I have friends who live near the restaurant and they've been there several times quite recently. All the visits have been positive. (The only knock I have on the place is the curse of its own success: crowded and noisy. But that's just me. Other people *like* noise and crowds.) It's ironic that the review writer wanted to go to Kuleto's at Union Square, which has been slipping for the last couple of years. Fri Oct 18 13:01:38 -0700 2002 78964 0 svl 1 78967 Wow ... I have never been to Delfina either, but if anything this review encourages me to go. Seems that the author's main complaints were that the ingredients weren't "exotic" and that it was "hardly a trendy spot" and that there was no "buzz". I will take the raving reviews of my fellow chowhounds any day ... Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/21317#77144 Fri Oct 18 13:05:22 -0700 2002 78964 0 jen maiser 2 2998975 And the writer's wish that she'd gone to Kuleto's! Oh, yeah! THAT'S a temple of gastronomy and a haven for hipsters. Made me want to go to Delfina, too. Tue Oct 02 22:44:59 -0700 2007 78967 10245 oakjoan 1 78968 That's the funniest review I've read in a long time! I particularly liked this comment: "On top of the sub-mediocrity of the food, the trattoria was hardly a trendy spot that I would tout to a well-traveled hipster in search of a good meal. Most occupants at the tables around were painfully uninteresting, and the buzz that Zagat had raved about simply was non-existent." Oooh -- "painfully uninteresting" -- major dis! She'd rather hang with the tourists at Kuleto's (which I guess is indicative of what she finds interesting). And apparently her "good friends" aren't interesting enough to hold her attention through dinner. All this from someone who thinks gnocchi is pasta. Fri Oct 18 13:06:57 -0700 2002 78964 0 Ruth Lafler 2 78978 I agree, a very entertaining review, but certainly not in the sense intended by the author. At first impressions, "NYCGirl" is not someone I want to meet. Fri Oct 18 14:20:50 -0700 2002 78968 0 Paul Homchick 2 78988 This is probably off-topic (my apologies to the board-minders) but the link below points to the funniest food review I have ever stumbled across. Link: http://www.igougo.com/planning/journalEntryFreeForm.asp?JournalID=7296&EntryID=6465 Fri Oct 18 14:39:31 -0700 2002 78968 0 Gary Soup 3 78990 Forgivable, I think! Hilarious... :) Fri Oct 18 14:47:47 -0700 2002 78988 0 Alexandra 3 79008 Who ever heard of anything so ridiculous as no Chop Suey in China? (The link) Fri Oct 18 16:11:11 -0700 2002 78988 0 Jim H. 4 79014 There are claims (possibly apocryphal) that there once was a restaurant in the old International Settlement in Shanghai that boasted "American Style Chop Suey". Fri Oct 18 16:35:37 -0700 2002 79008 0 Gary Soup 5 79049 I saw people in line for a Big Mac on the Champs...I guess Chinese crave American Chop Suey in Shanghai. Fri Oct 18 19:53:38 -0700 2002 79014 0 Jim H. 6 79054 More likely, it was for the expats, as well as the servicemen who were there in the 40's. Fri Oct 18 20:13:38 -0700 2002 79049 0 Gary Soup 3 79038 Hysterical -- for a while there I thought maybe it was a joke. Fri Oct 18 19:11:58 -0700 2002 78988 0 Ruth Lafler 3 79113 Gary, Didn't it occur to you that that review was a parody? It certainly reads like one, or some dialog from a Christopher Guest movie. Sun Oct 20 03:23:11 -0700 2002 78988 0 Bryan Harrell 4 79125 It occurred to me, but most parodies include some kind of direct signal to clue the reader in. I didn't see one. The more I read it, the more I was convinced this woman was genuinely writing from the point of view of someone who has only eaten Chinese American food and is not a chowhound. Remember there are still many more of them than there are of us! In addition, assuming this woman was travelling with a tour group (as most people, especially people of her apparent level of sophistication do in China), then she was eating tourist/hotel food, which like tourist/ hotel food everywhere does not really showcase the local cuisine. My mother just got back from a tour of China with her choral group, and was very disappointed with the food that was served to them. Sun Oct 20 12:52:57 -0700 2002 79113 0 Ruth Lafler 5 79126 Right. If a parody is too tongue-in-cheek, folks won't know what to make of it, and will likely end up being embarrassed for the author. A parody needs some over-the-top elements, along with a tone of excessive earnestness. Sun Oct 20 13:03:26 -0700 2002 79125 0 Sharuf 6 79148 Actually, I was joking. Yes, we Chowhounds are certainly outnumbered. That's why this board is necessary. Sun Oct 20 19:21:14 -0700 2002 79126 0 Bryan Harrell 2 79088 FWIW, the link below gives the article page including author credit, date, etc (rather than just the "printer friendly" version). Link: http://www.jetsetting.net/article.php?sid=124 Sat Oct 19 16:38:12 -0700 2002 78968 2 The Chowhound Team 3 79093 Hmmm ... someone seems to think the moderators here should have protected her from vicious personal attacks. Sat Oct 19 17:49:35 -0700 2002 79088 0 Ruth Lafler 1 78975 I've never been there, and maybe never will, since my sense of value keeps me away from pricey places. (OK, I'm cheap -- but why pay for one good meal what would cover three good meals, one for each of the Soup family?) My reverse snobbery aside, the review made me feel sorry for Delfina and its customers. Talk about coming with an attitude! "American standard 8½ x 11 colored paper folded in half ....mediocre sounding food." Whatever is "mediocre-sounding food?" I think a good chef could make franks and beans a sublime experience. I consider myself fortunate that my wallet (and my wife) usually lead me to places that post menus in the windows. That way I can judge if the size and shape of the menu and the elegance of the names of the entrees are up to my standards. Fri Oct 18 14:06:18 -0700 2002 78964 0 Gary Soup 2 78976 One has to wonder -- maybe if her waiter had been given the task of writing and designing the menus, she might have had an orgasmic food experience. Fri Oct 18 14:16:08 -0700 2002 78975 0 Gary Soup 1 78977 The ridiculousness of the review aside, a friend and I went to Delfina two months ago expecting marvelousness and were greeted with a live worm wriggling around in our California King salmon. I suppose it's nice the thing was still alive - that means the salmon was very fresh! But we were still disturbed. And the waitress was so so nice about it, but only ended up taking the salmon off our bill and comping us desserts. I wonder if more compensation was in order? I'm not too experienced at sending back meals. I know the rest of the meal was tasty, but somehow it's all eclipsed by the memory of the worm. Still, I think it has to be better than Kuleto's. Fri Oct 18 14:18:19 -0700 2002 78964 0 Alexandra 1 78980 I think I read somewhere that Delfina offers Rebollita. Has anyone ever seen this on their menu? Fri Oct 18 14:22:55 -0700 2002 78964 0 Paul Homchick 2 78992 It is on their late fall-winter menu. It is excellent. As good as the best I have had in Tuscany. It is thick and crisped on the edges as it was done in little country restaurants outside of Carmignano. Fri Oct 18 15:24:38 -0700 2002 78980 0 vlibin 3 79099 Perhaps Da Delfina in Artimino? I had an outstanding lunch there about five years ago. The facility was a dream. Kitchen with a view. Olive oil tank in basement from the trees outside. Sangiovese from the vines outside. Cavolo nero from a garden outside the door. Baby goat from a nearby farm. Goat chops scottadito stuffed with bay leaves from outside. Hello. Can you beat this anywhere? Manka's in Inverness was making some attempts at truly local cuisine, but I haven't heard anything lately. Whoever these "jet set" folks are, I hope they stay the hell away from Artimino. Sat Oct 19 22:41:42 -0700 2002 78992 0 K. Gerstenberger 1 78985 Ok, that review just made me laugh. I've been to Delfina once and while I didn't dislike it to the same extent, I didn't find it particularly exciting either. I enjoyed the food, but it was simple and standard enough that I probably could have done nearly as well for half the price at home. The food wasn't bad, but it didn't make up for the waaay too crowded and noisy atmosphere and difficulty in getting a reservation. Still, what a snob this woman sounds like! I bet she'd have loved Eos. (Also a good food bad noise experience, and waay pretentious, which sounds like her style.) Fri Oct 18 14:26:49 -0700 2002 78964 0 autumn 1 79017 It hurts to know that I am "painfully uninteresting". Fri Oct 18 16:49:55 -0700 2002 78964 0 musigny 2 79100 Ah, Musigny, I too started to bristle at that comment, as Delfina is one of my favorite places to head when I have some time to eat out. And then I thought about all the wonderful meals I've had there. Food that soothed and nourished me that this reviewer hated. And it hit me... .this chick didn't know quality in food (allegedly her job); I doubt if she'd recognize it in people. So I was comforted. And looking forward to my next visit to Delfina. By the way, does anybody know what JetSet magazine is anyway? (I'd never heard of it before.) Sun Oct 20 00:04:22 -0700 2002 79017 0 Shy Chef 1 79023 Personally, I have never been disappointed in anything I've eaten at Delfina. We live nearby and eat out at neighborhood restaurants weekly -- Alma, Andalu, Watergate, Picaro, Bangkok 16, Ti Couz, Gordon's, places up on Market, Noe Valley, Castro -- we'll try, and have tried, anything. It is always a relief to go back to Delfina. The menu may be short, but it's all good. This is an important point. Too many times we've gone to eat (Maya most recently) and the menu sounds great and the food just isn't. Maybe at places like Maya we're ordering the wrong thing, not their "specialties". It's easy to order at Delfina because they don't make food just to fill the menu. (Sometimes, they don't have a chicken dish!!! Actually, I don't remember ever seeing chicken on the menu...) It sounds terrible, but I don't mind a review like this every once in a while, because then (possibly?) I won't have so much competiton to get a table. And I can do without eating next to the person who wrote that review. (She was probably pissed off 'cause she couldn't find a place to park -- go back downtown!). Cheers to Anne and Craig for wanting a nice, neighborhood place and sticking to that idea even after getting the write-ups in the Times, etc. Fri Oct 18 17:26:49 -0700 2002 78964 0 bubbles 2 79046 "(Sometimes, they don't have a chicken dish!!! Actually, I don't remember ever seeing chicken on the menu...)" Well, I remember seeing chicken on the menu... in fact, I remember eating it... a delicious roast chicken with yukon mashed potatoes and a lovely, thin wine/mushroom sauce to be precise. Fri Oct 18 19:47:15 -0700 2002 79023 0 JohnnyP 3 79112 My wife and I had the same dish when we ate at Delfina's in July. Richly flavored chicken meat, expertly grilled, and thankfully not too lean. Of all the restaurants we tried when we were in SF for two months, Delfina's was the most memorable. Sun Oct 20 03:17:35 -0700 2002 79046 0 Bryan Harrell 1 79036 that is by far the dumbest review I have ever read. way worse than even most of the chronicle rev. Delfina is an excellent, real neighborhood restaurant. the hype is caused by the people that (mostly used to) eat there. part of the reason they're open 7 nights a week is to serve the neighborhood. the people that own and operate the restaurant concentrate and excellent food and service. that's what you'll get if you go eat there. Fri Oct 18 18:48:29 -0700 2002 78964 0 baker 1 79047 Thank the lord she was only here one night! Fri Oct 18 19:49:53 -0700 2002 78964 0 Fatemeh 1 81253 I couldn't agree less. This reviewer has gotten it completely, even laughably wrong. Delfina's is a great restaurant by any measure, a true gem. Mon Mar 31 15:55:26 -0800 2003 78964 0 guy275 1 2998356 I suspect she never actually went- when was the last time there was a waiter (as in male waitstaff) working at Delfina? All the other intel she could have gotten just by looking in the window. Hope I never meet her- what a sourpuss. NYCChick gets a minus one star Tue Oct 02 18:43:07 -0700 2007 78964 131731 RoccoPizzoferrato 2 2999520 The thread is 5 years old, so there may have been a male server then.... Wed Oct 03 07:25:25 -0700 2007 2998356 131118 Xiao Yang