so-sucky-to

met up with VK for dinner near work. normally we head downtown but she had an appointment in the high 50s and i had work to catch up on so we decided to take our chances with restaurants in midtown. work was so busy i didn't have time to do much research.

consequently, we settled on sofrito which was a block away from my office and had come highly recommended from a co-worker awhile back. good food, big portions, and fun was what i was assured.

good food? meh.
big portions? definately. but of "meh" food, so what?
fun? if your idea of fun is not being able to hear anything that your dinner companion is saying, sure.

i should have listened to what my gut was telling me after our 30 second initial interaction with our waiter orlando. which was, "leave! it's not too late- you haven't ordered yet!"

the hostess seats us at the table which we later learn is directly across from the live singer/pianist. shortly after, someone brings a plate of garlic bread, water and our menus. within a minute, our waiter comes by, tells us about our specials and ask what we'd like to drink. there is only a cocktail menu.

V: what kind of wine do you have?

ORL: (looking at me as though i've asked a ridiculous question) red and white.

V: is that a house red or white? how much is it by glass?

ORL: $8 or $9

what the f? no description of what type of wine it is? and not sure about the price? so maybe i don't want it?

V: no thanks, i'll just have water.

the waiter pauses, turns quickly, and walks away from our table. about 10 minutes later he returns for our dinner order. VK orders the watercress salad and ham & pea stew. with a concerned expression, orlando asks if that's the appetizer. VK assures him that that's her dinner order. i order the sofrito chopped salad and the ham & pea stew. he walks away.

VK and i try to make conversation over the blaring music and loud parties nearby. because we are both soft talkers, i am quickly worn out from the effort. reprieve when our salads arrived. i had decided to order a glass of wine but found it extremely difficult as my waiter was gone in a flash and every attempt to get his attention were unsucessful. obviously he had written us off as a cheap table. eventually, another server noticed and asked me if i needed anything. i asked for a glass of red wine (because hey, isn't that all they have?). the waiter asked me to specify. oh, so apparently there are options? the waiter left to get our waiter.

ORL: you want a glass of wine?

V: yes, red please.

ORL: what kind?

V: what do you have?

ORL: cabernet, merlot, and shiraz.

V: the cabernet please.

the rest of the dinner was downhill. the salads were good, the stews were enormous- filling but somewhat bland. the music only got louder with birthday festivities and salsa music. we quickly got out of there and looking for another place that we could grab a drink and finish catching up. we wound up at cafe joul which was surprisingly busy for a tuesday night but cozy and not too loud. good find. nice atmosphere. but maybe anything would seem wonderful after sofrito. don't get me wrong- i could see sofrito being a good option for a crazy and loud girl's night out. guess it's just not my cup of tea.