My dining companion and i were greeted in the outdoor dining area by a lone man mumbling "ciao ciao," accompanied by a leer. We hurried inside but immediately felt unwelcome stares from a table of older men in the front dining area. Were we in the wrong place?
The bartender did make eye contact and soon and a waitress took us to an overly bright back room to be seated. There was no wine list, so we ordered rosso. It was the worst tasting wine I've had in a long time, and certainly the worst I've ever had in italy. We ordered the lake fish appetizer, a main of buckwheat pasta, and fried fish with a side of grilled polenta. The fish appetizer and pasta dish were delivered almost immediately. The pasta was okay, but the fish appetizer was inedible. There were 2 whole fish (small ones) and a few pieces of smoked salmon. One of the fish was marinated, then coated in a light breading and fried. It was, however, served stone cold. The other was, i think, salt cured, judging from the dryness (like jerky) and extremely salty taste. Nether was edible. We waited patiently for my fried fish while my dining companion's meal got cold. When we finally asked to cancel my order, the fried fish was set on the table within minutes. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, it was terrible, too. Three small, flavorless fillets were filled with tiny bones and cooked without even a dash of salt or any other seasoning. The side of grilled polenta was so overcooked it was completely dry. What a disappointment.
When my friend got up to pay at the front bar, the cook (who wore his mask on his chin!) came to the bar to sloppily pour himself another glass of grappa. He was lit. No wonder the food was awful.
We left there and went to a nearby restaurant where we had a decent meal. Please do yourself a favor and do not eat at Trattoria del Ponte. read more