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| - I have a gift. A special talent. If I love a dish, the restaurant immediately takes it off the menu. If you want to get rid of a dish, just make it delicious and serve it to me.
In all seriousness though, Carmella's is a old favorite that has just not been living up...hence a prior five star review down to three. It's been a slow decline, but the last several visits weren't up to snuff at all...and that has made things I previously overlooked (ahem...I'm talking about you, uncomfortable bar stools) more obvious and more annoying. I've also noted a gradual decline in the value too. What used to be a half off happy hour is now 25% off small plates. That's fine - I am willing to pay for quality, but I want to get it consistently and I just haven't been. Here are a couple examples of some other recent visits.
About a month ago, I showed up looking for my beloved tuna poke. It's bright and fresh and light and sometimes just the dinner I need. The roe is a nice addition and makes it superior to other poke options around town. I got a glass of wine and settled in to order, only to be told that the July 4 special menu was in effect. No poke on that menu. Nevermind that it wasn't actually the 4th. The bartender basically acted like I was lucky they bothered to open at all on the day before a holiday, and then served me some mac and cheese (sans the bacon I'd asked for) on a plastic plate. Ok fine. Whatever. I'll give you the holiday excuse.
Tonight's visit was dubbed "we don't have that". FIVE times in the course of one dinner, I had to hear "we don't have that". Two different kinds of liquor, usually in stock, were not available. Merlot? Not by the glass and not a bottle less than $50 either. The bruschetta I so loved...replaced by an inferior burrata. Tuna Poke (arguably the best small plate in the house)...sorry, not tonight. And PS, don't come back for it, because they're taking it off menu altogether. Dessert...again, a chosen option was not an option. The menu is currently a big tease. Overall, the food was good, though $18 got one of us two small scallops and some undercooked risotto. The real problem was that no one really got what they wanted, because they didn't have it.
Rest In Peace, tuna poke. I will miss you.
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