Sweet Garlic Capuccino |
Stuffed Skate Wing |
Apple Struedel |
Blueberry Panna Cotta |
Jessica, Tien, Jeannette, Yvan and I had dinner at Compass tonight to celebrate NYC Restaurant Week*. Really swank place, they’ve won awards for their interior design. The food is wonderfully cooked and beautifully presented. I had the sweet garlic cappuccino with Parmesan croutons, the stuffed skate wing with crushed potatoes and sauce meununiere and the apple strudel with caramel sauce, gianduja and vanilla ice cream. Also, before dinner at the bar we had these really delicious breadsticks and after dinner we were each given a cranberry scone to take home for breakfast the next morning. And that’s not all! Another round of desserts included a plate of blueberry panna cotta surrounded by pistachio cookies, coconut bon bons and some chocolate truffles (more on this later!). So.. Compass.. excellent place. Really really nice… until we roll in. Then things quickly go to hell (in a good way!).
Jeannette & Yvan, Compass, Upper West Side, Manhattan
I don’t know if it was the wine that we were drinking or the breadsticks at the bar that were laced with an addictive drug (they really were, I confirmed it with the hot bartender!) or if there was just something in the air.. but we were entirely up to no good the whole evening. We go to one of the best restaurants that I’ve been to in quite a while and forgot to check our 6th-grade humor at the door! But that’s ok.. our waiter was into it! Before we even ordered or dinner Yvan and Jessica placed a bet that had Jessica ordering her dinner something like this:
Jessica: “The beef shoulder… does that have a bone in it? I want the big bone inside, pleeeeese!” (as she says please she makes a gesture towards.. uh.. her netherlands).
Waiter: “Uh. Can you say that again?”
Jessica: ” I want the big bone inside, pleeeese!” (gesture again)
Everyone at the table: Laughing hysterically and hiding behind their menus.. Jess tries to explain the bet.
Waiter: “These guys paid you to say that!?”
Jessica: “Yeh!”
Waiter: “I have to go get our manager.” (He now disappears and we wonder if we’re going to get kicked out of this fine establishment. He reappears with the manager)
Waiter: “Please repeat what you just said.”
Jessica: “I want the BIG BONE INSIDE, pleeese!” (head toss & gesture)
Manager: Cracks up laughing
Waiter: Cracks up laughing
Everyone at the table including Jess: Hyperventilating
Manager: “Sure thing! I’ll have a private talk with the chef about that!”
Compass, Upper West Side, Manhattan
Our waiter’s name at Compass was Bobby and he was awesome. Really fun guy.. he could see that we were a fun group and he made sure we had a great time. He was honest about selections on the menu and spent a ton of time at our table chatting with us, laughing and joking. He joined in on our dirty conversations.. Jessica even told him a prison sex joke we learned last night (thanks, Jeff!). And someone who will remain nameless, ahem.. me, had to shake it like a Polaroid picture. A riot. Bobby is southern Irish gent who sure could hold his liquor. And made sure that the four hours we were there were spent eating wonderful food and laughing our guts out between bites. This was all great for us and probably very annoying to the tables around us.. but oh well! There are many things that went on and that were talked about that will not be mentioned here and also many photos, including one on Bobby’s cellphone cam that is particularly embarrassing to me, that I hope will never see the light of day.. I just hope Bobby has a job tomorrow. That’s all I’ve got to say!! Oh, and just so you know, a 30% tip will get you a free round of drinks, an additional dessert or two and this adorable photo:
Rachelle, Bobby and Jessica, Compass, Upper West Side, Manhattan
*Restaurant Week is a week in which over 170 New York City restaurants allow the likes of us to eat in their fancy establishments for a reasonable price. During Restaurant Week three-course lunches are $20.04 and three-course dinners are $30.04.
See Also:
- Restaurant Week 2004 – Dinner at Compass by Tien
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We weren’t expecting it, but Olivia and I were served a complimentary, generous portion of guacamole with chips. Next, we each had the sopa azteca. According to The Trib, the guac y sopa are Michelle & Barack’s favorites at Topolo. For a main course I had the vegetable enchilada with roasted tomatillo sauce and Olivia had the pork loin in mole poblano (her photo here). We shared and both were excellent. Dessert was a crepa with cinnamon-pine nut ice cream and cajeta. Oh, and the soda fresca of the day was raspberry-blood orange so we each tried that. It was nice and refreshing.