Trip Report: Maplewood, NJ
(Saturday, October 15, 2005)
Met up at Paul's blah blah blah arrived at the venue early. Jamie (aka The Man) from the Underground Concert Series was there early, too, so we were able to get the sound check out of the way, leaving more time for:
FOOD REVIEW: Village Trattoria - Maplewood, NJ
CATEGORY: Italian
Rating: 0
We hate to say it, but we gotta say it: this was one of the most disappointing meals we've had in a long time. It wasn't *bad*, mind you (remember that "0" means okie-dokey, not "bad"), but we really expected better.
Atmosphere was family-nice, and the free bread was tasty*, especially the rolls made from the pizza dough. They were also good enough to provide some nice olive oil and parmesean cheese for pre-meal swilling.
We won't say who recommended it, but the penne with vodka sauce was rescued only by the sliced italian sausage that Paul had them add to it. Although creamy and pinkish (like a vodka sauce should be), it was overly sweet and lacked any distinct taste. Storm's linguine with white clam sauce required some tinkering, but once the appropriate level of seasoning was achieved, the dish was quite satisfying. Four plump little fresh clams joined a generous portion of the chopped-canned variety on top of a generous bed of quality pasta, cooked as it should be (all denty. Paul's pasta was also cooked right and was of high quality.) There were nice big slices of fresh garlic in there, too, but they didn't seem to have any effect on the flavor of the dish. Thankfully (or regretfully, from Paul's and the audience's perspectives), there was garlic powder at the table.
Service was prompt and friendly, with free refills appearing when they should. We agreed that if we'd ordered pizza & calzones, we would have been much more satisfied. But if you call yourself a "Trattoria", it really does raise the bar***. All was forgotten ten minutes later as we ate hot fudge sundaes from The Ice Cream Parlor In Maplewood, NJ Whose Name We Regretfully Did Not Write Down, But It's The Only Ice Cream Parlor In Downtown Maplewood, NJ, So You Can Still Find It If You Live Or End Up In That Town And Want To Get Some Tasty Ice Cream (rating: +1). Ice cream was Hershey's (no relation to the candy-producing company of the same name.)
We went to Maplewood for a show, didn't we? Right. A nice crowd turned out for the first show of the Underground Concert Series' fall season, and our NJ uber-fans were there in force to lead the charge. This was the first time we ever had to do two 45-minute sets, and it was surprisingly easy. Sure, we were a bit chattier than usual, but it just seemed like the thing to do at the time. Plus, we've taken to giving out prizes for no particular reason (and of no particular value), and that tends to create the good kind of chaos. Of note:
- Our cover version of Randy Newman's "Short People" now has the little people seal of approval. Well..at least the approval of the two little people sitting in the front row. NEVER have two people sung along to a song so loudly (which helped cover for the fact that Storm forgot the lyrics of the third verse.)
- Our new improvisational excercise passed its second "live fire" test with flying colors. Maybe we'll explain it another time, or maybe you'll just have to come to our show to find out.
- They let us take a few root beers, bags of Cheetos, and Cracker Jacks**** for the road. Very sporting of them, indeed.
After the show we did the ol' meet and greet, did an interview with the artist known as Sudden Death for his podcast, and headed out into the night.
You must fight the bear,
Paul and Storm
* ya gotta start out on a positive note. ya just gotta**.
** unless they poison you.
*** It should be noted that Storm is famously picky (some would say snobbish) when it comes to Italian food, especially pasta sauces. It doesn't help that he recently returned from a 2-week trip to The Motherland.
**** The prizes friggin' suck anymore. Pitiful. Worse than Bazooka Joe. PI-tiful.
(Saturday, October 15, 2005)
Met up at Paul's blah blah blah arrived at the venue early. Jamie (aka The Man) from the Underground Concert Series was there early, too, so we were able to get the sound check out of the way, leaving more time for:
FOOD REVIEW: Village Trattoria - Maplewood, NJ
CATEGORY: Italian
Rating: 0
We hate to say it, but we gotta say it: this was one of the most disappointing meals we've had in a long time. It wasn't *bad*, mind you (remember that "0" means okie-dokey, not "bad"), but we really expected better.
Atmosphere was family-nice, and the free bread was tasty*, especially the rolls made from the pizza dough. They were also good enough to provide some nice olive oil and parmesean cheese for pre-meal swilling.
We won't say who recommended it, but the penne with vodka sauce was rescued only by the sliced italian sausage that Paul had them add to it. Although creamy and pinkish (like a vodka sauce should be), it was overly sweet and lacked any distinct taste. Storm's linguine with white clam sauce required some tinkering, but once the appropriate level of seasoning was achieved, the dish was quite satisfying. Four plump little fresh clams joined a generous portion of the chopped-canned variety on top of a generous bed of quality pasta, cooked as it should be (all denty. Paul's pasta was also cooked right and was of high quality.) There were nice big slices of fresh garlic in there, too, but they didn't seem to have any effect on the flavor of the dish. Thankfully (or regretfully, from Paul's and the audience's perspectives), there was garlic powder at the table.
Service was prompt and friendly, with free refills appearing when they should. We agreed that if we'd ordered pizza & calzones, we would have been much more satisfied. But if you call yourself a "Trattoria", it really does raise the bar***. All was forgotten ten minutes later as we ate hot fudge sundaes from The Ice Cream Parlor In Maplewood, NJ Whose Name We Regretfully Did Not Write Down, But It's The Only Ice Cream Parlor In Downtown Maplewood, NJ, So You Can Still Find It If You Live Or End Up In That Town And Want To Get Some Tasty Ice Cream (rating: +1). Ice cream was Hershey's (no relation to the candy-producing company of the same name.)
We went to Maplewood for a show, didn't we? Right. A nice crowd turned out for the first show of the Underground Concert Series' fall season, and our NJ uber-fans were there in force to lead the charge. This was the first time we ever had to do two 45-minute sets, and it was surprisingly easy. Sure, we were a bit chattier than usual, but it just seemed like the thing to do at the time. Plus, we've taken to giving out prizes for no particular reason (and of no particular value), and that tends to create the good kind of chaos. Of note:
- Our cover version of Randy Newman's "Short People" now has the little people seal of approval. Well..at least the approval of the two little people sitting in the front row. NEVER have two people sung along to a song so loudly (which helped cover for the fact that Storm forgot the lyrics of the third verse.)
- Our new improvisational excercise passed its second "live fire" test with flying colors. Maybe we'll explain it another time, or maybe you'll just have to come to our show to find out.
- They let us take a few root beers, bags of Cheetos, and Cracker Jacks**** for the road. Very sporting of them, indeed.
After the show we did the ol' meet and greet, did an interview with the artist known as Sudden Death for his podcast, and headed out into the night.
You must fight the bear,
Paul and Storm
* ya gotta start out on a positive note. ya just gotta**.
** unless they poison you.
*** It should be noted that Storm is famously picky (some would say snobbish) when it comes to Italian food, especially pasta sauces. It doesn't help that he recently returned from a 2-week trip to The Motherland.
**** The prizes friggin' suck anymore. Pitiful. Worse than Bazooka Joe. PI-tiful.
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