Salieri Hits a Sour Noteby Jeri QuinzioFood in London is better than ever. That's true, as far as it goes. If you do your homework, know where you're going and make reservations ahead, you can have meals worth singing about in London. But -- and it's a big but --if you're hungry and tired from a day of sightseeing, and you haven't made reservations anywhere, dinner can be seriously off-key. We were in just that situation one rainy night recently when I spotted a restaurant I remembered seeing in Zagat's guide. I'd forgotten what the reviewers had said but, I thought, I would have remembered if it had been too bad. Tip #1: Always carry your restaurant guide with you.The restaurant's name should have warned me that we were in for a less than stellar experience. It is "Salieri." Why anyone would name anything after the composer who's remembered for mediocrity, I can't say. Why the name didn't ring alarm bells for me, I can only attribute to sore feet, rain and hunger. Tip #2: Think before you eat.We walked into Salieri, and were hit by noise and smoke. Dan (my partner) suggested leaving. But the maitre d' said there was a quieter, non-smoking room downstairs, so we followed him to a table and sat down. The restaurant's decor can be described as loud and garish or amusingly kitschy. Trying hard to like it, I said the overwrought statues, pictures, vines and theater souvenirs were cute. Dan said "hmmmh." Tip # 3: If you have to try �to like it, you won't.We opened the menus. The items were standard Italian foods. I thought this was a good sign. They weren't trying to be trendy. As it turned out, they weren't trying at all. Dan ordered defensively. An artichoke salad and spaghetti bolognaise. I ordered salad and veal with lemon sauce. Since Dan was drinking water, I asked which wines were available by the glass. "A red and a white," the waiter answered. "What is the red?" I asked. A blank look. "Is it a Chianti, a Bordeaux..." I prompted. "Yeah, one of those," he replied. Flee, I thought. We can't, I decided, we've ordered. Tip #4: You can. You should.The dinners were served. The artichokes were canned. The tomatoes, rock hard and puckeringly tart. The bolognaise sauce tasted as if it had come fresh from a jar. The veal slices were thick and rubbery. The lemon sauce was heavy on flour and light on lemon. The carrots were mushy. � But the bread. Well, if you like chilled bread, this is your place. We were served triangles of stale, ice-cold pita. They were pitiful. Tip #5: Don't even think about dessert.We didn't. When he brought the check, the waiter asked if everything had been all right. Dan said,"fine." He was admitting defeat. I wasn't. I suggested that the waiter tell the chef that veal is supposed to be young and tender. He said he would. Back at the hotel, filling up on wheat biscuits, I checked Zagat's review. "A reasonably priced addition to Theatreland's ranks, with theatrical props and ballet memorabilia as a colourful backdrop for a rather uncontentious Mediterranean menu; classical music adds to the atmosphere, and large parties are as welcome as pre-/post-theatre diners." They weren't exactly singing its praises, but it didn't sound as if they'd actually eaten there. I drew a large X through the review, in case I've forgotten the experience when we go back to London. Because we want to return. We know you can get very good food there. We had a fabulous dinner at Cafe Nico. We loved the light, crisp fish and chips at Harrod's Food Hall. We had excellent southern Indian food at Vishnu. Good food was nearly everywhere -- except at Salieri's. Next time, I'm holding out for Mozart. -Updated 3-29-99- POSTSCRIPT We received the following letter. It is our policy and sincerest desire to make sure our readers have the most current information. Dear Ms Madelyn Miller, I refer to a review on your website of Salieri Restaurant where I am Managing Director� (article-salieri.html) Salieri Hits a Sour Note by Jeri Quinzio. This article was written a long time ago whilst under different management.� Salieri Restaurant has been completely refurbished to the highest of standard.� It is no longer, if ever was, a smoky, noisy restaurant.� We have top quality chefs who prepare the finest French food, not Italian, with waiters who are fully trained in all aspects of food and beverage management.� The restaurant has also been declared restaurant of the week by Lastminute.com and for this award had to be the highest quality and standard concerned with all aspects of running a first class restaurant.� The restaurant has also been recommended by Ms London Magazine and publicized by the Evening Standard newspaper. I cannot stress enough that one person�s opinion, which I believe to be no longer relevant, can be detrimental enough to a business� reputation.� Therefore, I suggest that you withdraw this review from your website, or legal action will be considered. Please contact me: e-mail salieriuk@aol.com Tel-O20 7836 1318 Yours Sincerely, In response to Mr. Sanjacks letter, TravelLady Magazine agreed to send another writer to review the restaurant. We will post that article as soon as it is completed and keep you updated. |
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