Sunday, October 24, 2010

Quattro Pazzi on Bedford: Very Good!

A friend posted on my wall yesterday that he saw me and my husband on a rerun Kitchen Nightmares, Stamford edition. That episode was filmed over two and half years ago at the since bankrupted Sabatiello’s on Bedford… geez, time flies!

When the husband and I were brainstorming places to eat dinner tonight, and he suggested “the place that used to be Sabatiello’s,” I said sure, even though I had no idea what restaurant it now was. “Whatever it is, I can blog about it,” I said.

We tossed the kid in the car and parked behind Bedford Street. We strolled up and I said, “Oh! Quattro Pazzi! This should be good.” We’d been to the Quattro Pazzi in Fairfield a few years ago, and it was a nice, simple Italian place with quality food.
“Are you sure?” the husband said. “This place looks kind of nice. You sure he (the kid) will be ok?”
“Yeah! If he’s terrible, we’ll leave.”

The Stamford branch of Quattro Pazzi lived up to my expectations from the very beginning, when the host and hostess didn’t look pissed that we were bringing a toddler into the restaurant. Actually, several people greeted us enthusiastically, which made me feel kind of like a celebrity, but I think I’m used to mediocre service. So many restaurants almost seem annoyed that you’re there (even if you’re not toting a toddler/baby). We truly had excellent service all evening. The downstairs was full by 6:45, and there was a big birthday party upstairs. It seems that Quattro Pazzi might be a great place for that big corner building on Bedford.

We placed our order right away, just in case the kid went crazy. Our salads were delish- Caesar for the husband, arugula with roasted beets and a goat cheese croquette for me- and the entrees were good as well. The husband got steak with gnocchi in a gorgonzola cream sauce. I got orechiette with meatballs, mostly so I could share with the kid. He devoured the meatballs. The food came out at perfect intervals: not too fast, not too slow.

While we were eating our salads, a lady who was leaving stopped by our table to compliment us on how cute and well-mannered our kid was. That made me feel good, because we always make an enormous effort to keep our kid happy and therefore quiet. The fact that others notice makes me realize that all of my frantic entertaining and redirecting is worth the effort.

Related Posts:

--February 20, 2008-- Gordon Ramsey, Cleavage, Me, and a Kitchen Nightmare in Stamford

--November 16, 2008-- Sabatiello's Kitchen Nightmares DeBriefing

--December 10, 2008--Sabatiello's is Closed: What Should Replace It?

4 comments:

kristine gigliotti said...

Restaurants are so smart to welcome parents with children. We have several who have welcomed us with open arms since my kdis were born and they have earned so much repeat business because of that. We take our kids everywhere! We do, however, always go early (before 7) so people who hired babysitters do not have to look at our kids. Other places that regularly welcome us include- Tengda (Greenwich), Rowayton Seafood (Rowayton), Elm Street Oyster Bar (Greenwich.

Anonymous said...

wow we had the exact opposite greeting when we walked in one night...NO ONE greeted us - so we ate at Telluride instead!

Anonymous said...

I live DT and was so frustrated all summer bc they were not open during the day, even on Sat. They missed a great summer of beautiful weather! Haven't been yet but loved it on Hope St. in the day. Hope they are more plugged into what is happening on Bedford St. next summer. So glad they are welcoming to the kids! Dining on Bedford St. has become a family affair.

Anonymous said...

I would go back just for the bread. I took out dinner from their a couple of weeks ago and along with my dinner came the most fabulous crusty bread. They seemed like very nice people. The food was very good also - not just the bread.