Luckily for us only one table was taken when we arrived and we were sat at one of the best tables in the place, right in front of a large window that looked out to the Hudson. The dining room had a nice atmosphere with a Tuscan style motif on the walls and cathedral ceiling. Since we were one of only two tables, the room was naturally quiet and peaceful. Our waiter promptly came over and asked if we should like anything to drink and drew our attention to the Specials, recommending the fillet mignon and the pork chops. The kind and attentive service ended there for us.

After having chosen tap water with lemon over the offered bottle of Pellegrino, opting not to indulge in a glass of wine at 1 pm and deciding on the lunch panini over the recommended specials we were overlooked the remainder of our lunch. When the sandwiches arrived, twenty minutes later, they were offered to our table without wishes of an enjoyable meal or ketchup for the French fries.

The newly occupied table in the corner had the good grace of ordering wine and large entrees and were therefore afforded the courtesy of a meal served in a timely fashion as well as kind words from our mutual waiter. I grabbed the opportunity of his being within close range to ask for ketchup as well as refills of our free tap water. When he returned without a response my mother made an attempt at diplomacy by informing the waiter that the meal was delicious, a compliment to which the man made no response.

From that point in the meal it was quite clear that we were thought to be cheap, uncultured and undesirable, a point that was driven home by the attention which was shown to our fellow patrons. When we asked what the sauce was that accompanied the bread we were surprised to hear it was comprised mostly of onions, to which we were informed that it did taste more oniony today than usual. (Please do excuse our amateur palates.) And our decision to pass on dessert was the coup de grace for the man who had deigned to wait on us.

While I would not consider myself a foodie, a trendsetter or an expert on taste we are not novices to the world of fine cuisine. We have eaten at many of what are considered the better restaurants in Westchester and New York City. I am truly offended at the poor treatment my mother and I received, treatment that can only seem to be based on the amount we intended to spend. I do not think it is unreasonable to ask to be treated with the respect and attention, whether I am ordering rack of lamb or black bean soup. Ordering sparkling water, wine and dessert should not be the prerequisites for good service. Perhaps if we had splurged on an early afternoon cocktail or felt lunch was the time for beef we would have encountered a more pleasant waiter and enjoyed our time at a new place, but alas, my stomach does not decide its meals on the attitude of others.

Tell me here in the comments field. I’ll choose my five favorite comments and give the authors each a free pair of tickets to the Greater New York Wine&Food Festival on April 4, 5, and 6 at the DoubleTree Hotel Tarrytown.