Let me start by saying two things: First, I hate to give bad reviews. And second, I want to apologize for giving this one in English. Frankly, it's because my written French isn't that great and I want express this precisely.
We went to the SoHo Trattoria because our son, who is visiting from University for the holidays, picked it as a new spot to try. It was to be one of our last few nights with him in town, so he got to choose.
The reviews were mixed. Some glowing, others disappointed. Mostly due to bad service, which we figured could be a fluke. But even they still liked the food.
When we went in, the waitress tried to clear a table of four for us. It had swings. Great, we thought. That will be cool. The people leaving, however, were taking a long time with the check. At that point, I felt sorry for the waitress. She looked tired and even signaled that to the table. "We'll give her a good tip," I thought.
We sat down and it did take her about 20 or so minutes to get our order. Not so bad, though. They looked busy. She came over to take the order and seemed completely disinterested. But again, we were willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. She did smile toward the end, but only to mock my 16-yr old daughter's French. (My daughter was born here and speaks it fluently.)
Our order wasn't complicated. Three pizzas and Fettucine Alfredo. Some iced teas. My wife had to practically pull teeth to get the waitress to tell us about the juices they had. But okay, still no biggie but we were beginning to worry about the waitresses attitude.
The wait started to get longer and longer for the food. While we were waiting, a couple at a table near us ordered coffee and desserts. The waitress brought them coffee but not the right ones. They very politely tried to tell her and she clearly scolded them. Next to us sat another couple. They'd each ordered a beer... and waited for it over 40 minutes.
After about 30 minutes of waiting ourselves, the waitress brought over the pasta dish. Nothing else, just that. Not even a knife, fork, or napkin. We signaled another waiter, got silverware, and told her to eat before it got cold.
Much more time passed and no pizzas. Our daughter was already close to finished. "Oh, we have no pesto" she said, "so you will have to change two of your pizzas." But she then took out her phone and walked away.
So we managed to grab a passing waiter--- the same who'd brought our wine and forgotten silverware -- and made the surprise order switch. About 20 more minutes later, our wine was half gone. Our daughter had finished her pasta (it was good), and the waitress finally came back... only to tell us the oven was broken. We were starving as it had been over an hour, so I asked for bread.
Sure, she said, and walked away again. More time on her phone. 15 min. later I asked again about the bread. "Oh, it's in the oven. It's homemade."
So the bread order was stuck behind delayed pizza. Finally, both came. Again, delicious. But now we were out of wine so I asked for some water. When she brought it, she smirked at me and said in French, "Are you annoyed, monsieur?"
I didn't want to get into it so I said no. But she pressed me again. So I said "Yes, a bit..." I thought she might try again to apologize. Maybe offer free dessert or more wine. Instead she challenged me, "Why?"
I wanted to tell her how I'd watch her ignore people and mistreat the couple at the other table. How I'd watch her forget to deliver checks or change, how she spent time on her phone, and how she'd wasted so much of the little time left we had with our son. Instead, I just told her I'd been bothered by the hour+ wait for our food. Again, she blamed it on the oven and went outside for a long smoke and call.
We signaled for the other waiter and asked for the check and tiramisu to go. We then gave him a cash tip and told him to make sure he kept it rather than give it to her.
It's a shame because it's a prime spot and the restaurant is kitschy with good food. But the service, particularly with this waitress, is a problem. My wife and I have both waited tables and know how it is. But this was inexcusable. And very unfortunate. To fire her would be to a gift, as it might give her a desperately needed wakeup call. read more