Petaluma on First Avenue: Thumbs Down

Ate dinner last night at Petaluma on the Upper East Side. The service was amazingly, appallingly bad.

First, we were seated at a table with just napkins, no silverware, nothing else on the tablecloth.

Next, after we'd unfolded our napkins, we were offerred more napkins.

Not once, but three more times.

We asked for menus multiple times.

When we were ready to order, a waiter approached and then, psych, went to the table behind us to take their order first.

Then we waited.

And waited.

And...oh screw it, the service was horrible. The food was, well, edible but barely.

Dessert wasn't even an option. I mean, it was an option but I don't think we could have waited any longer to leave.

The only thing they were quick about was getting us the check.

The restaurant was maybe 50% full, and there were plenty of waiters and bus-people scurrying about. Perhaps the kitchen staff quit.

My new tagline for the year

This just popped into my head:

2004 seems to be an exercise in all the different ways things can go bad.

And no, nothing has happened in the last 24 hours to make me think that. Just realizing it's been and continues to be a rather glum year all around.