Some random thoughts from a great night.....

-- Several of the members brought their mates along, leaving me to wonder how SC, DC, DS, and DMC were able to attract such beautiful and intelligent women.

And although I really don't know him that well (having met him for the first time), I'm tempted to say that the same comment (in reverse, of course) applies to Sicilian Babe's husband.

Not wishing to invite the same speculation about myself, I left my GF at home, telling everyone that she had to work. But she spoke to Consigliere's lady on the telephone and I was able to overhear bits of the conversation, in which they could be heard commiserating about their choice in men.

-- It's a good thing that the main focus of our get-togethers is the company rather than the food, although I will say that at the 5 or 6 that I've attended in the past, the food has never been less than excellent -- until last night, that is. The restaurant, shall we say (to put it rather kindly), left a bit to be desired. To wit:

-- The name of the restaurant is "The Tuscany Grill." Leads one to believe it's Italian, right?

In fact, the hotel's website describes it thusly:

"The Doubletree Somerset Hotel features its own full-service restaurant, which specializes in hearty American breakfast fare as well as Northern Italian dinner cuisine."

Unfortunately, however, of the items listed from the extensive Italian on the same site --

Pasta E Fagioli,
Stracciatella Alla Pisa,
Grilled Polenta filled with Seasonal Mushroom Saute, Grilled Bococcini (Fresh Mozzarella wrapped with Prosciutto served with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Crustini),
Pepper-crusted Goat Cheese Bruchetta (Warmed Goat Cheese with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Crustini),
Fresh Mozzarella, Aged Provolone, Soppersata, Cappicola, Roasted Peppers, Grilled Eggplant and Calamata Olives, Pesto-marinated Shrimp served Chilled with Roasted Garlic Aioli,
Steamed Baby Clams served in Natural Broth with Spinach and Spaghetti,
Grilled Portabello Stacked with Smoked Mozzarella and Rosemary-infused Olive Oil,
Carpaccio of Beef (Sliced Raw Tenderloin with Roasted Garlic Aioli and Pecorino Romano Cheese),
Insalata Tuscany (Crisp Garden Greens tossed with Fresh Herb Vinaigrette with Cannaloni Beans,Garbanzo Beans, Roma Tomato, Onions and Asiago Cheese),
Insalata Mista (Tossed Field Greens with Marsala Vinaigrette and Gorgonzola Cheese),
Spinach Salad with Warmed Pancetta Vinaigrette and Spicy Shiitake Mushroom Croutons,
Tuscan Caesar Salad (Crisp Romaine and Housemade Dressing with Garlic Croutons),
Insalata Caprese (Tossed Field Greens with Fresh Mozzarella, Roma Tomatoes, Roasted Peppers and Pesto Vinaigrette),
Porcini-infused Papperdella with Rosemary Chicken Sausage and Sauteéed Mushrooms,
Gemilli Pasta with Grilled Vegetables and Mozzarella Cheese,
Spinach Ravioli with Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce, Fusilli Alla Mediterrania, Sundried Tomato, Calamata Olives, Roasted Peppers, Capers and Basil,
Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Toasted Hazelnuts and Parmesan Cheese,
Farfalle Pasta with house-smoked Salmon and Grilled Asparagus,
Penne Pasta with Grilled Chicken and Fire-roasted Peppers,
Oven-roasted Rosemary Chicken with Soft Polenta and Broccoli Rabe,
Chargrilled Pork Chop with Diced Tomato, Calamata Olives, Bell Peppers and Sage,
Broiled Lamb Rack Caponato with Marinated Grilled Eggplant Salad and Soft Polenta,
Artichoke and Goat Cheese Ravioli topped with Garlic Shrimp and Tri-Colored Peppers,
Bistecca Balsamico (24 oz. Porterhouse Steak with Mushroom Sauteé and Roasted Rosemary Potatoes),
Stuffed Breast of Chicken with Pancetta, Fontina and Roasted Fennel,
Tuscan Shrimp and Scallops (Jumbo Shrimp and Sea Scallops sauteéed with Fresh Fennel and Pernod-flamed Roma Tomatoes),
Veal Saltimbocca,
Sauteéed Chicken Breast glazed with Balsamic Vinaigrette and served with Roasted Potatoes, and
Pignolia-crusted Salmon with Frangelic Butter --

None seemed to be available. What was available was a menu featuring shortribs, chicken wings, hamburgers, pizza, and various steaks, all served with macaroni salad and your choice of french fries, baked potato, or rice, and all clearly quite risky.

With no desire to appear inflexible (and preferring to remain on the safe side, as if such a thing were possible), I ordered a chicken breast in some kind of sauce (I forget what; I think white wine). What I got, however, was half of a broiled chicken. When I pointed out the discrepancy between what the menu described and what was actually presented, the waiter, to his credit, did offer to take it back, but since none of the virtual cornucpia of Italian dishes which had been promised were available for ingestion, I stuck with the chicken.

-- They started us off with a nice basket of hot rolls, which is always welcome. As soon as I bit into one, though, I immediately made the connection between "hot and warmed up" and "not fresh."

-- Since some of us were there for the whole weekend and were dining on the hotel's "Surf & Turf" package, and some of us weren't, the waiter decided that it would be simplest to do what seemed like eleven separate checks. For convenience, he paired off some of the non-Surf & Turfers, and I was honored and, in no uncerain terms, pleased to find that my date for the evening was JG.

-- Speaking of Surf & Turf, it consisted of the usual lobster tail and small filet mignion. The filet migion, however, ordered "medium rare" by Consigliere's Lady more closely resembled half of a pair of old brown shoes (albeit it much smaller) which I had recently discarded, and the so-called "lobster tail", as SC correctly pointed out, as more akin to a small jumbo shrimp size-wise. He was, unfortunately, unable to comment on the lobster tail's taste, since it appeared to have none.

-- Did I mention the vegetables that came with each entree, served al dente? Although the restaurant's definition of the term appeared to translate to "totally and completely uncooked to the pont of being raw", they turned out to be not so bad once we ate them as a side after the requested bleu cheese dip was brought to the table.

Ah well, as I said.....It's the company, not the food.