Friday, February 22, 2008

Antipasti, White Plains, NY

A consumer could be forgiven for having high expectations of a restaurant with entrees priced above $40 and wines costing four figures. But at Antipasti, the experience didn’t add up to the price tag.

Service was so-so from the get-go. Four members of our party of seven entered from the plaza side and wandered through the restaurant looking for the rest of the group. No one approached to ask if they could help us. Once we found our table in the chilly dining room, we sat for a long time without menus. Though there were dishes of olive oil on the table (one of them surrounded by drips on the tablecloth) it took several requests before we got any bread to go with it.

The size of the table presented a problem for the servers. One guy jostled between the chairs to deliver slices of bread from a massive basket, straining to reach the far side. Another dragged his sleeve through the cheese garnishing a salad while stretching to refill water glasses.

Two of us ordered the daily special. Ten minutes later the waitress came back to say she’d forgotten that they were out of it. When the food arrived it was barely warm and not particularly flavorful.

Antipasti even had a problem getting a simple cup of tea right. The tea selection was presented in a wooden box that was far more attractive then the mundane types of teabags it contained. The half-full cup of tepid water arrived with a nice-looking chocolate biscotti on the side. When I requested hotter water, the dish was returned biscotti-less. Eventually I was able to get the server’s attention to ask for a replacement. She brought two, but by the time they arrived the tea was cold again.

It’s a gorgeous space, with soaring ceilings and an abundance of stone, wood and marble. It would make a fabulous gallery or designer’s atelier, but the so-so food and service keep it from being much of a restaurant.

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