The first time I went to Posto Pubblico it was a hit-and-miss experience, featuring small portions, average service, and while some dishes were tasty one was so heavily seasoned I couldn't eat it. My dining companion on that occasion said she would never go back. As a new opening I gave it a second try. It was an improvement on the first, the dish I found inedible was edible and the service was better. The portions were still small and the kitchen forgot our pasta, which when it did arrive was enjoyable.

This inconsistency was the reason I went back for a third time. The experience has certainly cleared things up in my mind.

Seating and Service

Putting the two previous visits to one side I had an open mind for my third visit to Posto Pubblico, which serves home-style New York-Italian cuisine. I invited a foodie friend to join me who had not tried the restaurant. 

My open-mind resolve was tested as soon as we were seated at the worst table in the restaurant, between the bathroom and the kitchen, jammed against a glass wall. Between the bright light shining in my eyes every time the kitchen door opened (a lot) and the glare of the ordering screen, not to mention the constant traffic for the bathroom the evening was not off to a good start. The manager (one of the owners) seated us and could see we were not happy with the table and said he would move us as soon as he could; we were finally moved but only after asking several more times and making it clear to our server that we would not be ordering food until we were moved as promised. Both of us did not fancy the thought of eating dinner outside the loo. 

Our server, who started out friendly and helpful explaining that all the produce, including the meat, was organic (it isn't, 90% of fruit and veg is organic or from clean sources, meat not organic but antibiotic free) and going through the dishes and specials in great detail had a personality shift. Either coming to our table every five seconds to see if we wanted to order or needed more to drink (still wine in our glass) or alternatively showed clearly their irritation that we were not ready to order. The service continued to decline inline with the rest of the evening, which did not last much longer. To be fair on this person, they are not the only one who provided hit-and-miss service with the service in general going downhill when the restaurant is busy. Something the staff can't afford to do in a restaurant without service charge.

The Antipasti

From our new table we chose three dishes from the Antipasti selection on the specials board, and from a separate specials board two "main" course options. When we gave another server the order the response was that there were no appetisers and mains that this was tapas-style eating and that our food would come in random order. While I understand that the a la carte menu is divided into vegetables ($60), pasta ($120), and meat ($180-220) and not the traditional appetiser/main format the pricing and size of the dishes clearly marks them as different and am sure it is most people's impression that the $60 dishes should be eaten before the $180 dishes or as accompaniments not as followups. As we were ordering purely from the specials board, with some choices clearly marked antipasti I was shocked. In Italy, antipasti is always eaten before the pasta course and before the meat course, perhaps this is not the case at New York Italian eateries. I said to our server that surely the antipasti would be served first, this he could not guarantee and insisted that it was not possible to hold our "mains". My dining companion suggested we just order the antipasti and order the other dishes later. Which we did.  

Several dictionaries that I later consulted to reassure myself that this was a strange experience began their definition of antipasti as I thought they would, "a course of appetisers...". The Oxford Companion to Food defines antipasto as "An Italian term which literally means 'before the meal' and refers to food served as appetisers before the meal proper begins." 

Looking back the dishes did come one at a time on my previous visits, but in a logical order. The restaurant either needs to better train their staff (inc. knowledge on what is and what isn't organic) or they need to take the word antipasti off the board. 

Left Hungry

Our hopes that the evening would begin to shine when the food arrived were quickly dashed with the arrival of the first antipasto of Hong's Caprese (Hong being the name of the farmer supplying the tomatoes and basil). With its child-like plating, three mini mozzarella (made on the premises) balls were served with four whole cherry tomatoes and four leaves of basil, with a drizzle of oil and insufficient seasoning. While the cheese had a good texture we found the taste bland and the tomatoes to be average. Nothing could save the bad taste in our mouths that resulted at feeling ripped off. This tiny amount of food was to cost us $100. 

Next to arrive was the signature Veal Meatballs (an old family recipe passed on from generations). This was my third time to try these meatballs as this was the dish that had been different each time. Also $100, two meatballs are topped with tomato sauce and a sprinkle of cheese. This time, like the second, they were edible but for me nothing special. My dining companion, who had lived in New York for many years, said that he found the meatballs one dimensional compared to those he had eaten there and that the sauce had no flavour depth and lacked even the complexity of New York deli food. Ouch!

The final nail in the coffin were the Fiore de Zucchini, or zucchini flowers. Again this dish in my mind was overpriced ($100) for the serving size (something I found on all visits) consisting of two deep-fried flowers that were soggy and oily, sitting on top two baby zucchini and three slices of more mature zucchini. Another average dish for us.

It was at this point that my friend turned to me and asked if we could leave, he did not wish to try anymore food, asking if I had enough for my review. I certainly did. We paid and left with not one person asking us about our food, something I think someone might have given our sudden departure. We went several doors up the road to Verve Bar and Grill and had an excellent Prawn and Mango Salad, and a decent Spaghetti Vongole of generous portions.

It's All About the Food

To be fair, not all the dishes I tried on previous visits were disappointing. I enjoyed the Beets and Leaves, Ricotta and Pine Nut Salad; Fennel with Pecorino; Straw & Hay Tagliolini, Peas and Pancetta; and the desserts were great. 

For my dining companion Posto Pubblico is "a place with no redeeming qualities"; a second friend I have taken there who will never go back. I can't imagine an occasion where I will. I can put up with bad service and at a push sit outside the bathroom, and can happily ignore that a restaurant is not value for money, but only if the food is excellent. For me this just isn't the case at Posto Pubblico. 

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article are those of the author and not those of Foodwise Company Limited.

Related Restaurants

• Posto Pubblico
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