Bebo Trattoria, Chef Claudio Sandri in Crystal City - Closed.

[Jonathan]

semper fi.

[hm212]

From a Marylander - Does anyone know how far Bebo is from the metro?

[treznor]

From a Marylander - Does anyone know how far Bebo is from the metro?

2-3 blocks or so, maybe closer.

[DanielK]

2-3 blocks or so, maybe closer.

Can anyone confirm this? The WMATA website says it's a half mile, which is more like a 15-20 minute walk. That will be a big surprise if I'm coming from work in DC, lugging my laptop on my shoulder...

[MeMc]

Is the pizza oven up and running yet? I've been fantasizing about a pizza I've never had. . . mmm. pizza.

[mdt]

Is the pizza oven up and running yet? I've been fantasizing about a pizza I've never had. . . mmm. pizza.

The oven has not moved from near the front door so you will have to keep fantasizing.

[JimRice]

I've walked from the metro to Bebo several times. Through the underground mall, then out onto the street, probably a 10 minute walk if you're brisk. I don't know if it would be better to walk aboveground or not. Here's the map from Stationmasters.

http://www.stationmasters.com/System_Map/C...C/crystalc.html

[flygirl]

isn't it next to Jaleo's? if so, it's ridiculously close. you barely have to go outdoors.

any meet 'n greets there planned soon?

[hillvalley]

Yes Wednesday night there is a DonRockwell.com dinner. PM if you would like to join in the fun!

[mxyzptlk]

It's right next door to Jaleo and isn't more than a 10-minute walk from the Crystal City Metro stop.

[DonRocks]

On a semi-related, but totally unhelpful, note -- Roberto Donna was telling us at the DR.com Bebo dinner that someone has been stealing the wood he bought for his pizza oven (which is still awaiting permit approval). Whoever is taking the wood is very sly... a little bit from one end of the pile, a little bit from the other end, a little bit from the middle, but it is definitely disappearing.

They've gotten the culprit on film, and have asked me to post this picture in hopes that someone can identify him.

[edenman]

Just got back from a thoroughly disappointing dinner at Bebo. I went in expecting the service to be bad, so I wasn't terribly surprised when it was, but I was expecting better food. The run down:

Fried Veal Sweetbreads ($9) - the breading was like something you'd find at a long john silver's. the sweetbreads were quite thin and were flavorless against the onslaught of the fry. I may have been spoiled by the sweetbreads at Eve, but still, very disappointed.

Fried Mozzarella ($7) - a HUGE chunk of mozz fried. a bit over-salty on the crust, but otherwise quite good, especially for the pricetag.

Seafood risotto ($16ish) - good, but nothing special. there was a decent amount of seafood, but the risotto lacked coherency...i was expecting creamier and more tender.

Meringue with chocolate and vanilla ice cream ($6) - again, good, but the meringue looked and tasted like it had come out of a plastic vacuum-packed container. just average.

The prices were all very reasonable (with wine, i got out for under 60 before tip), but I just can't imagine making the trip out to CC again considering the disappointments with the food. And yea, the service was pretty miserable. Waiter didn't know (or couldn't communicate) anything about the menu specifics, we got charged for an extra bottle of wine, and getting a new check took forever (as did many things, water refills, etc). Oh well. I'll still be there when Roberto comes back into the city.

[Joe H]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?n...ies=Restaurants is the rave from Tom Sietsema.

[Poivrot Farci]

...thanks to deft grilling and seasoning...

Mr. Sietsema's despertate Mad-Lib Bebo flattery is a scribbled blight in the year's final WashPoMag.

Perhaps he should review how inconspicuous dining stealth ensures most of the vapid flavors we anonymous peasants are served, or reveal the secret fraternal ritual of arbitrary ratings. "Home cooking" does not validate mediocrity nor justify sloth and should reach further into a talented repertoire than making chicken stock & tube steak.

[Heather]

At least he had the common decency to deservedly blast their poor service.

Isn't the service staff held over from Galileo? Did it suck so badly there? And if it did, how does a restauranteur with Donna's stature and reputation get away with having such poorly trained staff?

I'm sorry, but if this review does not, once and for all point out that Tom Sietsema is clearly a recognized individual who consistently is given experiences completely unlike the rest of us then....I'll eat my hat.

I haven't been, mostly due to the extreme inconsistency described right here on dr.com, but Tom's review seems weirdly out of the norm. So that cute fedora is safe for now.

[DanielK]

Isn't the service staff held over from Galileo? Did it suck so badly there? And if it did, how does a restauranteur with Donna's stature and reputation get away with having such poorly trained staff?

Yes, Yes, and I Don't Know.

Quality of service at Galileo was directly proportional to whether you were a VIP or recognized by the staff.

Interestingly, it seems to be the NEW staff at Bebo that are doing well. Since they didn't come with the incumbent Galileo stuffiness, they have adapted to the "trattoria" style much easier.

[mdt]

There are dishes that are done really well, and there are dishes that are done really poorly. And, frankly, you never know which dish is going to be the winner on any given day.

I was amazed to see that Bebo got 2.5 stars, not to mention the flattering write up. Of course with what passes for decent Italian in this area I guess we should not be too surprised. My meals there have been just like you describe, inconsistent. Items served cold, soup bowls served wrapped in plastic, horrendous service, bland dishes, and occasionally a very tasty dish. The worst part about this is that Donna is very talented and the place should be getting 2.5 stars, reality unfortunately is different.

Yes, Yes, and I Don't Know.

Quality of service at Galileo was directly proportional to whether you were a VIP or recognized by the staff.

Interestingly, it seems to be the NEW staff at Bebo that are doing well. Since they didn't come with the incumbent Galileo stuffiness, they have adapted to the "trattoria" style much easier.

You must have had different new staff than I.

[DanielK]

You must have had different new staff than I.

What kind of service problems do you have at Bebo? I've seen some absent-mindedness, but at Galileo servers were plain RUDE to your face, and made no apologies for it. Laboratorio excepted, of course, where the service was excellent, just as the service at the private DR.com dinner at Bebo was also very good.

[CrescentFresh]

What kind of service problems do you have at Bebo? I've seen some absent-mindedness, but at Galileo servers were plain RUDE to your face, and made no apologies for it. Laboratorio excepted, of course, where the service was excellent, just as the service at the private DR.com dinner at Bebo was also very good.

I've never had rude service at Bebo. But it goes beyond absent-mindedness. I went to brunch there with some friends on my birthday a few weeks back. There were six of us. When the family style plate of meatballs comes out, there are only 5 meatballs. Yes, that's a kitchen issue, but the servers should have caught that, too. Same meal, my wife informed the staff it was my birthday. They lit a candle and brought it to the table when it was time for dessert. There were only, maybe, five tables occupied at the time and they brought the dessert and candle to the wrong one. That's a couple degrees above absent-mindedness. More like -- just not paying any attention. Same as what happened with the 5 meatballs for 6 people.

[mdt]

What kind of service problems do you have at Bebo? I've seen some absent-mindedness, but at Galileo servers were plain RUDE to your face, and made no apologies for it. Laboratorio excepted, of course, where the service was excellent, just as the service at the private DR.com dinner at Bebo was also very good.

No rudeness, but taking forever to show up to take an order (main or dessert), delivering wine and/or drinks, having much knowledge about the menu. Granted these are all correctable, but I have not seen much change.

[silentbob]

I must have lucked out on the service lottery during our dinner two weekends ago. Nothing great, but friendly and passably competent. It also helped at we didn't mind lingering for a couple of hours because the pacing was definitely on the "leisurely" side.

Food was decent for the large part. I liked the rich lardo, but was hoping for as big a portion as the veal sausage and beef tartare (both of which were fine, nothing special). The rabbit tasted like gamey fried chicken, which could be good or bad depending on your personal tastes. Loved the orange mayo, though there was not enough for such a large plate of food. My dining companions had the mussels (standard, but well-executed) and baked pasta (not my thing, but perfect texture).

Highlight was definitely the strawberry salad dessert, as satisfying as everyone described upthread.

We'll be back to try the bar menu.

[deangold]

Just stopped for lunch at Bebo. Ordered a glass of wine and it was corked and replaced right away. The bartender had troubles eting me the menu and specials page. He also had to be asked 3 times for water, twice in front of Chef Donna.

Food:

Hit: Fried Cauliflower. Perfectly done, very typical. From the bar menu I believe.

Good: Grilled sausage with salsa verde

Nice homemade sausage, a little bland with a little of unclean grill flavor, but nice overall.

OK: home cured prosciutto with bufala mozzarella. The prosciutto was salty and the mozz not to my taste- a little heavy and dull.

Odd: thin sliced tongue with a super thick coating of red pepper alioli. It was stated on the menu to be with green sauce. I could not taste the tongue whatsoever thru the alioli and even scraping did little good as the tongue was shaved so thin that it had absorbed the flavor of the alioli. However the alioli was superb.

Not to my taste at all: Pasta e Fagioli: had signs of being microwaved.... broth super scalding hot, pasta clumped together and a little on the cold side in the middle of the clump. Also oily and tasted of tinned tomatoes in the broth. Tinned tomatoes are OK but not when you can taste the canned nature of the product.

Chef Donna generously picked up the tab but the prices seemed pretty reasonable.

Wine list full of a large proprotion of cooperative wines from odd palces and grapes. Not super huge wine factories but not small hands on producers either. THe pricing is good for what the wines are. Several Brunello at $95. The Barbera 99 I had for $7 a glass was a nice light barbera that would have been better a year or two ago.

[DonRocks]

Chef Donna generously picked up the tab

I'll bet he doesn't next time!

[pcalexander]

I was amazed to see that Bebo got 2.5 stars, not to mention the flattering write up. Of course with what passes for decent Italian in this area I guess we should not be too surprised. My meals there have been just like you describe, inconsistent. Items served cold, soup bowls served wrapped in plastic, horrendous service, bland dishes, and occasionally a very tasty dish. The worst part about this is that Donna is very talented and the place should be getting 2.5 stars, reality unfortunately is different.

You must have had different new staff than I.

I was pleased to see that Chef Donna earned every star of Tom's review. The food is inventive with interesting choices and filled with great flavor. I have been 2 times; once when it was busy (Sat) and the other when it was typical weekday (Wed). Everyone is quick to rate the service as there must be many expecting 3.5 stars in a fine dining restaurant. Yes the service needs to improve but I have always felt welcome in knowing that it is a TRATTORIA and not the RITZ. Congratulations Chef; you deserved the review you got. Be seeing you soon.

[DonRocks]

I have been 2 times

I guess this doesn't include the times when you were working?

[treznor]

I was pleased to see that Chef Donna earned every star of Tom's review. The food is inventive with interesting choices and filled with great flavor. I have been 2 times; once when it was busy (Sat) and the other when it was typical weekday (Wed). Everyone is quick to rate the service as there must be many expecting 3.5 stars in a fine dining restaurant. Yes the service needs to improve but I have always felt welcome in knowing that it is a TRATTORIA and not the RITZ. Congratulations Chef; you deserved the review you got. Be seeing you soon.

The first time I went in (at least a couple weeks after opening I believe) I'm almost certain that I could have died and been laying on the floor and the waitstaff would have just stepped over me (or on me!). At no trattoria that I've been to or heard of would you be expected to order the same wine 6 times and then finally just go to the bar in order to actually get it (as happened to me at Bebo). I've been back and sat at the bar because I really did enjoy the food. However, glossing over the service problems that many have reports is absurd.

[Scott Johnston]

I hosted a small brunch at Bebo on Sunday the 31st. After we arrived, the waiter, Mohommed, talked to me about the options on the menu for the table. The amazing thing is that he offered to let us order for 3 persons instead of 5 on the first three courses and dessert was ordered for two. I am not sure if this was a possibility for future visits, but certainly, my entire table enjoyed being served the entire menu.

Service: My expectations were low, given the feedback on the board. However (and in full disclosure that the room was not full), we had wonderful service, except for a long pause between the second and third course. Had the food come out 10 minutes eariler, I would have have written that the service was excellant. the staff was very attentive, drinks arrived on time, water glasses were refilled, and we were asked how each course was after the food had arrived. The only other comment was no graded cheese was offered for the pasta course (comment by my younger brother).

Food: The food was excellant and a great value. I would have nixed a couple of the items, the roasted califlower was a bit ho hum, the pasta bowl could have used some more pizazz and while we were served three meatballs with red sause and polenta for 5 of us, the table of two next to us got four meatballs. I have a feeling that another table may have gotten our order on time and we got theirs late. Highlights for me were some amazing fried eggs in a red sause, the lasagna, and the pork and brocolli rabe.

All of us were stuffed, but there were no leftovers.

[legant]

Went to the Sunday brunch. My favorites: Pasta e Fagioli and pork and brocolli rabe. I'm not a fan of fried eggs (runny yolks -- eeww!) or eggs that are cooked by the dish but Bebo's fried eggs and spaghetti carbonara have changed my mind. Both were quite good.

With the recently implemented DC smoking ban* and several great meals (Eamonn's, Talulla, that Vietnamese restaurant with the caramel fish, walking distance from the Clarendon metro -- my first DR.com $20 Tuesday -- and now Bebo) I might just make Northern Virginia a regular hangout. Might.

*Not all VA restaurants allow smoking but, given that it's a tobacco state, my odds of smoking at the bar are pretty good.

[Pat]

Have they got the pizza oven(s) up and running yet?

I found a copy of Washington Flyer on the metro yesterday and started reading it. I was surprised in reading this article to see a reference to people getting pizza there, as I didn't think they were offering it yet. I wasn't sure if I missed something or if this piece was written way in advance, with the expectation that the pizza oven(s) would be up by publication.

[bob3296]

Have they got the pizza oven(s) up and running yet?

I found a copy of Washington Flyer on the metro yesterday and started reading it. I was surprised in reading this article to see a reference to people getting pizza there, as I didn't think they were offering it yet. I wasn't sure if I missed something or if this piece was written way in advance, with the expectation that the pizza oven(s) would be up by publication.

I was in there on Tuesday and it still wasn't hooked up. They told me it would be two more weeks. (Of course I heard two weeks a couple of months ago...)

[bennybig1]

NOTE: PLEASE do NOT hate me- I was a guest at an amazing party at Bebo last night (Sat. 1/27/07) with a 7 course tasting menu. so....my review isn't entirely 'fair' b/c my friend's business acquaintance happens to write all the insurance for Chef Donna's companies so we got a very unique dinner that was not entirely representative of what a 'normal' meal would be.

having said that, however, most of the reviews seem to say the food is great while the service can be spotty.

as a private party we obviously had a designated waiter, busboy, but there WERE a few times when service dipped below what one would have hoped.

I will say there were a few tiny service issues that I can imagine would be magnified if we weren't part of a party. We came in at 10 after 7- cocktails started at 7 and asked for our party by name. The maitre'd said 'oh that's right here' and pointed to a giant empty table in the middle of the room. Odd I thought to myself- we're the 1st ones here and it's right in the middle of the floor when people were bringing birthday gifts and 'roasting' the birthday guest with speeches- it sure seemed odd to do that in the middle of the dining room.

the hostess corrected him but he insisted so we stood at the empty long table for 5 minutes until we noticed a member of the party in the back room.

drink orders took a while to come out and my Tanqueray 10 and tonic was tanquery and soda. not wanting to wait another 10 minutes I just drank it. my wife's sour apple martini looked oddly pale- normally they're a bright green. I took a sip as I carried it to her and thought 'that tastes like straight vodka'....and it was. a bright green sour apple martini soon appeared.

the sommelier was with us most of the evening as we polished off about 15 bottles of wine- I didn't have the white but loved the 2000 Barbera and the Il Tocco- I don't know much about it other than it was about 90 a bottle and thank goodness I WASN'T PAYING!! WHEW! he was very nice and explained to me and the other 'food geek' there about the wines, how he was prepping the glasses (pouring a tiny bit of the wine in each of the 20 glasses and swirling it prior to pouring the full glass), etc.

Ironically I had just read a review on DR and someone mentioned the 2000 Barbera so the sommelier laughed.

so on to the menu:

passing appetizers: risotto balls- delicious, tasted like panko on the outside. just great.

mini crostini w/gorgonzola and tropea onion marmalade- also delicious though the pieces of bread were pretty large- not what i'd call 'mini' but delicious nonetheless.

mini potato and onion fritatta- also good but served slightly cool rather than warm, though the texture was wonderfully smooth and mild.

now the MENU:

sauteed scallop over braised leeks w/orange sauce. YUM. i know you're expecting something more definitive than that...but seriously...YUM. scallop cooked perfectly and the leeks were soft and mild with just the tiniest kick from a dusting of red pepper around the plate and a mild orange sauce.

poppy seed pappardelle with a lobster ragu and cauliflower. the cauliflower pieces were so small they didn't really factor in for me but the ragu was rich and hearty and wonderful with the softness of the pappardelle. probably a tiny bit past my 'al dente' meter, but still delicious

Risotto with saffron and pesto. the punch from the saffron and pesto together had all of us practically licking our plates. not everyone liked every course due to various tastes, but there were 20 shiny clean plates after this one.

roasted filet of red snapper over puree of celery root, roasted pearl onion and a red wine sauce. YUM part 2. my wife didn't seem to love the fish- she's not a huge fish person so I benefited by getting 1 1/2 servings (tasting size for each mind you). the fish was seared to a light crust and the celery root married nicely with the strength of the wine reduction. and caramelized pearl onions- what's not to love. like the scallops- the kitchen knows how to cook fish just right.

roasted veal ribe eye with dauphine potatoes and roasted hen of the woods mushrooms. The veal was perfectly cooked with just a hint of pink in the center. The crust had a moderate sear on it but it could have just been the piece I had. The dauphine potatoes were light and airy and the roasted mushroom 'stalk' was quite good. can't remember the last time I had 'hen of the woods' mushrooms but they were sliced horizontally almost looking like a cross-section of broccoli. nicely browned.

liquid tiramisu- i don't know exactly what was in this- I think I tasted Frangelico- the hazelut liqueur, and of course a dusting of cocoa on top of the espresso cup this was served in, but 3 or 4 demitasse spoonfuls later and I was floating on air.

Chef Donna came into the room at this point to bring out the final course and of course we applauded what had already been a wonderful meal.

but being a passion fruit fan (and in general any tart food-fan), the last course was the best in my opinion. Passion fruit souffle and a superbly tart but creamy homemade passion fruit ice cream. The souffle's texture was nice and smooth inside - sweeter than the ice cream due to the bottom of the souffle dish being coated in a sugar, but the punch from the ice cream was almost like a lemon intermezzo- it just woke up your tastebuds after 6 other great courses.

I felt like I needed to be rolled out to my car afterwards. I am still thinking about how great the food was and how lucky I am that I didn't have to pay the bill.

What a meal.

[laniloa]

Due to a friend's sick baby, I found myself on my own for dinner. I had to go to the airport at some point to return the rental car. This is my first really cold day of the winter (living in Florida, even northern Florida, does have some advantages) so a hearty pasta appealed to me. I started with the insalata mixta as I was very short on veggies today. This salad was everything I miss about DC area food in one bowl. It was a large bowl with a variety of dark, fresh lettuces with a very light touch of dressing. At home, I'd get wilted romaine (if lucky) and iceberg drowning in bottled dressing. I followed this with a pasta with a long simmered tomato and pork ragu. It was rich, warm and comforting but a little skimpy on the pork. Best of all it was a normal sized portion and not enough to feed a family of four like my last few pasta dishes in restaurants.

[Ilaine]

Ate there twice so far, both events related to picking up/dropping off people at Reagan National, at odd daytime hours, too late for lunch so ate at the bar.

Just excellent. I had heard that real Italian food has great vegetables but never experienced before.

"Fried" cauliflower a revelation if you like cauliflower. A very light outer coating, not thick like breading, crisped by heat, the inside tender but not sulphurous.

"Wedding" soup mostly cooked down escarole, yummy yummy escarole, broth and potherbs, with a few ethereal pork meatballs (yes, ethereal pork!).

Polenta. Well, to me, this is grits, fine textured grits from yellow corn, and like any good Southerner, I adore grits. Nothing like the instant grits and other gluey abominations served in roadhouses, these are celestial, platonic grits, enhanced with parmesan cheese and lots of butter.

Cheeseboard. Why have I never tasted parmesan from red cows before? Even better than reserve quality Reggiano from ordinary, non-red cows. Good quality Stilton, no ammonia whatsoever, not even the rind.

Prices very reasonable. OTOH, Crystal City is not exactly K Street.

Free parking in the adjacent underground garage nights and weekends, metro accessible, good bookstore (Olssons) a few doors up the street.

Service highish up on the attentive scale, solicitous. Wait staff very cheerful. Everything immaculate, including restrooms.

[DLB]

I have not been here in about a month, however they really should have resolved all their service issues by now. Here is what Todd Kilman had to say about this today:

Bebo Trattoria continues to be an uneven ride. And service has little improved since the place opened in Crystal City a couple of months ago. The pacing is either clipped and efficient -- perfectly suited to helping diners who want to catch a movie, but incongruous with the notion of lingering over your meal and enjoying a bottle of one of the excellent and affordable Italian wines -- or nonexistent. And the staff's arrogance tends to magnify the problems created by its ignorance. Not long ago, a waiter spilled an anchovy sauce on one of the cushions of our booth. A manager appeared, wiped the cushion off, and declaimed, "Perfect." The fishy smell did not go away, however. And one of my guests was forced to throw a napkin over the cushion to exit the seat. The same manager appeared, later, to troubleshoot a problem at dessert. The affogato we'd ordered was incomplete; the dish of vanilla ice cream, though wonderful, was missing its crowning pour of espresso. The machine, the manager said, was not working -- information we might have liked to have had before placing our order. "It's half an affogato," he said, cheerily, attempting to turn a serious problem into an easy solution. Half an affogato? I remembered thinking. So, what is that? An "affo." Which also pretty much describes the service.

[Ilaine]

I have not been here in about a month, however they really should have resolved all their service issues by now. Here is what Todd Kilman had to say about this today:

Very unhappy with the service tonight. We did not have a reservation, hoping that 7:00 was early enough to get a seat, and were promised a seat in five minutes, so we sat at the bar. Nobody took our names down, and after 15 minutes we figured they'd forgotten about us so ordered at the bar.

Should have asked for Stephanie, the one with the long dark hair. She wound up taking care of us anyway. But the first person to bring us drinks wound up, by default, as the waiter, and he was totally spaced out. Only took half the order, then wandered off. Never offered refills on drinks, never asked how our food was. Did not offer dessert. Couldn't even catch his eye to get the check. Stephanie did it all. I asked her, at least you split tips? No. So I split the tip myself, giving her cash (8%) and the other guy 12% on the card.

Not a satisfactory solution but the best I could think of. Giving him 10% or less would have been an insult, tipping more than 20% just because he's a jerk seemed crazy.

The food was, as always, excellent, but not quite as excellent as it is when they are not so busy. Full house. Everybody looked very happy to me, and we were happy, too, for the most part. Next time we will insist on Stephanie. Oh, they did come back and offer us a table after we'd been there for 55 minutes and were almost done with our dinner.

[mdt]

So I split the tip myself, giving her cash (8%) and the other guy 12% on the card.

Not a satisfactory solution but the best I could think of. Giving him 10% or less would have been an insult, tipping more than 20% just because he's a jerk seemed crazy.

Giving him less than 10% would have been an insult?! From what you wrote, he deserved to be insulted. I would have given a majority of the tips to Stephanie.

[dcs]

I'm looking to brave the service ills and head over this weekend for a try. These folks must be busy as they cannot even seem to find the 5 minutes necessary to post up their menu or much of anything else on their website.

http://www.bebotrattoria.com/

[Pat]

I'm looking to brave the service ills and head over this weekend for a try. These folks must be busy as they cannot even seem to find the 5 minutes necessary to post up their menu or much of anything else on their website.

http://www.bebotrattoria.com/

There are menus up (don't know how current they are), but they are not linked to the main page.

http://bebotrattoria.com/menus/dinner.php

http://bebotrattoria.com/menus/lunch.php

http://bebotrattoria.com/menus/dessert.php

[Ilaine]

There are menus up (don't know how current they are), but they are not linked to the main page.

There is also a bar menu with things that are not on the other menus, and a cheese selection which is also not mentioned on the other menus.

[Biscuit Girl]

I'm looking to brave the service ills and head over this weekend for a try. These folks must be busy as they cannot even seem to find the 5 minutes necessary to post up their menu or much of anything else on their website.

We usually eat at the bar. Why? The service is better, it's much quieter than in the cavernous dining room, you get the added bonus of ordering off the bar menu in addition to the dinner menu, and you can see into the kitchen.

[RaisaB]

We usually eat at the bar. Why? The service is better, it's much quieter than in the cavernous dining room, you get the added bonus of ordering off the bar menu in addition to the dinner menu, and you can see into the kitchen.

Another bonus of eating at the bar is you don't feel quite as hurried. I felt they were anxious to turn the tables last time I was there on a Saturday night. Understandibly so, but we were in and out of there in under an hour. I don't expect fine dining at a trattoria, but the speed that night was more reminiscent of fastfood, even though the food wasn't.

[bilrus]

We usually eat at the bar. Why? The service is better

Not if you go in between shifts. My only visit to Bebo was on a Saturday afternoon. We called to see if they were open and were told "certainly". When we arrived a half hour later we were told (by the same older gentelman who answered the phone) that they weren't open, but he they "could see if they could serve us at the bar". We were seated there, our orders were placed, our food was delivered and then everybody disappeared into a staff meeting in the semi private room by the bar. No one to check on our status. No one to tell about the 1/4 inch of water in jenrus' bowl of carbonara. And finally, looks of displeasure from the manager we were finally able to snag when we told them about the completely untouched pasta. If they had been gracious enough to ask to replace it or take it off the bill I might still have been OK, but the displeasure turned to downright disgust when I asked to ahve it removed from the bill.

This was back in December and I held off on posting about it, because I have a tendency to chalk up bad experiences to an off day. Maybe I was out of line to expect service from a partially opened restaurant. But sometimes disdain for the customer can only go so far.

[treznor]

Not if you go in between shifts. My only visit to Bebo was on a Saturday afternoon. We called to see if they were open and were told "certainly". When we arrived a half hour later we were told (by the same older gentelman who answered the phone) that they weren't open, but he they "could see if they could serve us at the bar". We were seated there, our orders were placed, our food was delivered and then everybody disappeared into a staff meeting in the semi private room by the bar. No one to check on our status. No one to tell about the 1/4 inch of water in jenrus' bowl of carbonara. And finally, looks of displeasure from the manager we were finally able to snag when we told them about the completely untouched pasta. If they had been gracious enough to ask to replace it or take it off the bill I might still have been OK, but the displeasure turned to downright disgust when I asked to ahve it removed from the bill.

This was back in December and I held off on posting about it, because I have a tendency to chalk up bad experiences to an off day. Maybe I was out of line to expect service from a partially opened restaurant. But sometimes disdain for the customer can only go so far.

There is no such thing as a "partially opened restaurant". Either they should be open or not. If they allow you in the restaurant they should have someone to make sure things are going okay. If they were closing for the afternoon, the person on the phone could have easily said "We're currently open, but will be closing in 30 minutes (or 45 or whatever) until 5pm when we reopen for dinner". It's just not that hard.

[Ilaine]

everybody disappeared into a staff meeting in the semi private room by the bar. No one to check on our status. No one to tell about the 1/4 inch of water in jenrus' bowl of carbonara.

Nobody to see you tiptoe behind the bar and pour yourself a tall glass of something tasty? Nobody to catch you rifling through the cashbox? Nobody to notice that you went out the door because you were disgusted by the service? (Not that you would, of course, I'm just sayin'.)

What were they thinking?

[bilrus]

Nobody to see you tiptoe behind the bar and pour yourself a tall glass of something tasty? Nobody to catch you rifling through the cashbox? Nobody to notice that you went out the door because you were disgusted by the service? (Not that you would, of course, I'm just sayin'.)

Actually there were two guys vacuming the dining room.

[nick]

I went for lunch one weekday with a couple of my staff a month or two ago.

I had the tube pasta with the pork rib ragu. Now here's my question for the more experienced diners out there: is it ever appropriate for the center of the pasta (when you bite into it) to still be dry and white?

When I cook pasta at home, I do what I thought was the "al dente" test. A bit before the package says it's cooked, I'll start taking little bites out of the pasta every so often until the dry-white core is gone. Dry-white core = undercooked. Too long, and overcooked. Just after core is gone=al dente.

So why the tangent?

My tube pasta had a very dry and white core. Being fundamentally insecure myself, I ate about 5-8 of these, until I could bear it no more. I asked the server, "Is this middle supposed to be dry and white?"

"Yes. It means it's al dente."

me: "Oh, but I know about al dente (I think), but is it really supposed to be dry and white in the middle?

server: "Yes."

me: [scrunches up face]

server: "If you like, I can have them make it over for you and overcook it the way you like."

me: [shocked and offended, but not sure if I'm in the right here] "Um, well, I guess so... so it's REALLY supposed to be like this?"

server: "Yes." [hiding annoyance]

The plate came back a couple minutes later. It was clearly microwaved. The core was STILL dry and white.

Then, after another couple minutes, the server returned, THIS time, with an unopened package of that same pasta (I thought it was "house made?"). Of course, everything was in Italian. He went on about the definition of "al dente." I was still befuddled, and as hungry as I was, finished my plate of 90% cooked, 10% dry-white pasta.

The End

--

So my question is, at the risk of besmirching an area celebrity chef, was the server right? I'm genuinely unsure. It's completely plausible that what I was served is the REAL "al dente" that fine-diners in Italy would appreciate... though I was in Italy last spring, and I never had dry-white cores. Can anyone illuminate me?

[dcs]

server: "If you like, I can have them make it over for you and overcook it the way you like."

omigod. really? he or she actually said that? no need to question yourself, the insecurity is clearly in the wait staff.

[Margaret Johnson]

My tube pasta had a very dry and white core. Being fundamentally insecure myself, I ate about 5-8 of these, until I could bear it no more. I asked the server, "Is this middle supposed to be dry and white?"

"Yes. It means it's al dente."

me: "Oh, but I know about al dente (I think), but is it really supposed to be dry and white in the middle?

server: "Yes."

Al Dente

[jparrott]

Whilst I believed the linked Wikipedia entry is basically correct, I think have heard Mario Batali remark that in certain parts of Italy, al dente is strangely and remarkably firmer compared to others.

But he might've been talking about Ollinger.

[mdt]

So my question is, at the risk of besmirching an area celebrity chef, was the server right? I'm genuinely unsure. It's completely plausible that what I was served is the REAL "al dente" that fine-diners in Italy would appreciate... though I was in Italy last spring, and I never had dry-white cores. Can anyone illuminate me?

Um, they cooked it incorrectly and the server is an idiot. You did not get it that way in Italy because that is not how they cook it.

Unfortunately the food at Bebo still continues to be wildly inconsistent, which is a shame.