Pecorino Toscano
Gemma

Gemma

335 Bowery, City Of New York, 10003, United States Of America

Wine • Pasta • Pizza • Cheese


"Count your change, shaddy Bartender. Last night (Sat. I went to The Bowery Electric for an event. The event space downstairs wasn’t ready yet. The man who greeted me at the door was polite friendly. He stamped my wrist said grab a drink at the bar, it’s Happy Hour. At the bar I ordered “Whiskey-ginger”. When the bartender brought me my drink I asked how much, he said “$11, $12 with tax”. Puzzled, I asked “Is that Happy Hour price?”. The bartender looked at me and said “Yes.” And stood waited as I went into my purse to get out more money. I paid tipped and took my drink. Something just didn’t seem right to me. I went to the front door, looked outside and the sandwich board advertising Happy Hour for The Bowery Electric, clearly says well drinks $8. I went back to the bartender and told him that the sign out front said Happy Hour mix drinks are $8 and you charged me $12. He looks at me and says, “I gave you Jameson”. And I said, “I did not ask for Jameson. It’s happy hour and I ordered just whiskey-ginger”. “Okay”. The bartender turns around and hands me $3. I say, “Happy Hour is $8”. He says, “$8 plus tax, $9. You have a good night”. Lets unpack all of this. It is Happy Hour time at the bar, you Know that is what people are ordering, that is why bars have Happy Hour prices. When I asked regarding the $12, is that Happy Hour, he said Yes and did not say anything regarding Jameson. When I returned, quoting the price listed on the sign outside, only then did he say, “I gave you Jameson”. He gave me, he did not say this is what I ordered, he gave me something I did not ask for. Next, tax on $11 $8, both, is $1. Last, no apology just a snarky “You have a good night.” The Bowery Electric. Cool looking bar, nice space downstairs for events. Front door guy, friendly inviting. The Bartender, CAN NOT BE TRUSTED !!!"

Cafe Epicure

Cafe Epicure

1298 N Palm AveFL 34236, Sarasota, United States

Tea • Wine • Pizza • Coffee


"Cafe Epicure has been on the Sarasota dining scene for over 20 years. Which is IMPRESSIVE in the world of restaurants. So they’re clearly doing something right. And that thing is the FOOD. The interior is quite lovely, the location is an excellent downtown corner with lots of outdoor seating on the sidewalks, but there is also a choice of seating options inside with a dedicated bar and high top communal table on one side (with tables as well and a more casual Trattoria setting on the other side with a large flat screen TV playing daytime television. The food is LEGIT wood fired, thin thin crust pizzas (quite a variety , pasta dishes, a small selection of breakfast/egg options, plates that are great for sharing (Fritto Misto, Eggplant Parm, Warm Octopus “Salad” and salads. LOTS of choices. Really something for everyone and everything freshly made from excellent ingredients. My parents LOVE this spot. I mean LOVE it. When I mentioned the fact that the person who appears to be in charge has a rather abrasive/unfriendly demeanor. Look I OWN a restaurant and work in it 50+ hours a week so I KNOW from the service industry and what it takes to do it and my exact quote was, “I find that to be an interesting choice of demeanor for the service industry.” Like, YIKES. I’m deducting a star for that alone. Rude. To my father. Super regular customer who spends A LOT of money and sings the praises of this joint. Unprofessional. That being said, 4 stars for the food. It’s fantastic. The bread that comes is really good; dense, flavorful. You get white and an olive bread that is really really good. It is also served with an olive tapenade that is pretty freaking great. (Don’t worry, they’ll give you more if you’d eaten your first round. But don’t fill up on the bread! Which would be really easy here. LEAVE ROOM! Fritto Misto (fried calamari, shrimp and zucchini is absolute perfection! This is a very hard thing to find. Perfectly fried, delicious and lightly coated with just the right amount of salt. I could eat this all day. Eggplant Parm. It’s good. Above average. Eggplant cooked perfectly. Marinara a little bland. Ask for the red pepper flake! I ordered the Caesar Salad because you KNOW ya girl is ALWAYS going to order a Cases if It’s on the menu. Epicure’s Caesar is now tied for Best Caesar Salad I’ve ever had. It is THAT good. They’re not overthinking it: fresh, crisp Romaine, paper thin slices of Parm, just enough dressing (the most common “error” with a Caesar Salad is that it is DROWNING with dressing. Not at Epicure! This salad is what every Caesar Salad should aspire to. I definitely wanted to have pasta because it is a VERY rare place I will order pasta at. Because it is a very rare place that is doing honestly good Italian food. Cafe Epicure has got pasta on lock. I wanted Puttanesca, but I didn’t want it with the pasta they were serving it with, I wanted Rigatoni (which was also on the menu, so I knew they had it in house . No problem at all. They subbed the Rigatoni, which was cooked perfectly (don’t EVER be serving me pasta that isn’t al dente, I will not eat it . The Puttanesca was good, not too much, just the right balance between pasta and “sauce.” Although their Puttanesca is not really a traditional “sauce.” There is no tomato base. Just the capers and olives, etc, tossed with the pasta. It’s good. Really good. I’d eat it again. Finished with a double latte. Yes, they know how to make an espresso drink. Which is another thing that A LOT of places attempt and also FAIL at. Excellent spot for authentic Trattoria/Roman style Italian food and espresso drinks. We couldn’t sit outside because it was 55 degrees and raining. But it was lovely inside as well."