Congrats to our V-Day contest winner Sheryll Durrant, who dined with hubby at IL Punto Ristorante on Sunday, February 14. Thanks to IL Punto for providing our readers with this wonderful dinner for two! We asked Sheryll to give us their thoughts on the night. Here’s what she had to say…
We never win anything, and being that we hate to leave Brooklyn on the weekends, we were half expecting an expensive but mediocre experience. As the winners of the Valentines Day dinner for two at IL Punto Ristorante, located in Midtown, we were pleasantly surprised–the food was excellent and the service was exceptional.
Having traveled a bit in Europe, I was always impressed by the level of service that I found in France–no matter where I went, the waiters always seemed extremely attentive. They never interrupt our meals with a “is everything all right” but rather they tend to wait and watch for a cue to see if we needed anything. I later learned that wait staff in France as well as other countries are trained at restaurant schools. Waiting on customers is as important as the quality of the food and wine. In essence, everything is important.
Our waiter immediately struck me as someone out of this sort of training. I mentioned this to my wife, and I waited for the appropriate moment to ask. When I did, he told us he just came from Italy, where he had also worked in restaurants. He was schooled as I thought but in Italy at a very reputable institute in London.
We selected the Valentine’s Day special which was prix fixe. Instead of the complimentary champagne, we opted for a carafe of red wine on the waiter’s suggestion, which was excellent. Sheryll went for the stuffed Porgie (forgive me, but I have forgotten the Italian names) and I went for a sort of veal pastry, which was surrounded by a ragu (stew of ground beef and tomato sauce). Our desserts were Tiramisu and Tortino di Cioccolato con lamponi (a light chocolate cake topped with chocolate sauce.) Top that off with an expresso and you are done.
Our overall experience was very gratifying. It was well worth leaving our son at home and enjoying one of our rare moments alone together.
Grazie
Sheryll & Bruce
