FOOD, Food reviews, Food reviews - USA, HOLIDAYS, Living in... USA, New York NYC: FRATELLI LA BUFALA 21 November 2012

I wanted to blog our visit to Fratelli La Bufala because it was just so EPIC. Looking back on it now, I laugh. But all I wanted to do was cry when we were there.

Don’t get me wrong. The service was perfectly civil, and the food was good. It was super-packed though, as it was one of the (very few) restaurants that were open post-Hurricane Sandy, so everyone seemed to have rushed there. It was super noisy, cramped and bustling.. which is actually just fine for adults, but I guess it’s a no-go when there are young children involved.

Inside the packed out Fratelli La Bufala

 

Now, have a look at this face below………..

“I will destroy your meal time and make you cry”

 

This little boy GAVE US HELL. Not just at this particular restaurant, but also the next night at another Italian restaurant (which is actually where I took this photo). Let’s just say that my parents couldn’t dine anywhere if they were with Hunter. He just wouldn’t let them!

I’m guessing it was the change of country that did it for him – the different schedules, environment etc. So when ever we took him out for a meal, he would go psycho. He’d swing between going “Heeeellllooooo!!!” at everyone and being super-fun, to screaming his head off and throwing everything on the ground. In a split second. It was insanity. And so stressful because other diners would stare at us (who wants a toddler acting up when you’re trying to eat?!) and there was nothing we could do to control him – distractions only worked for seconds, scolding him would set him off even louder, trying to pander to him would also make him turn it up a notch.

Oddly, the moment we got back to Singapore, he’s been just fine when dining out (which we do frequently, so not like he’s not used to it).. except when he’s super-tired. So I guess he just doesn’t deal well in a different country when it comes to meal times!

Anyway, so apart from his antics… the food there was really good. At least I think it was. None of us really got to taste or enjoy any of it because we were so stressed and also swallowing everything at top speed so we could get outta there ASAP!

I loved the presentation of their Salad. I can’t remember the exact name, but it came out like artwork. The different ingredients each had a little section on the plate, and the dish was lovely.

Salad

 

We had a Ham, mushroom, artichoke pizza. I loved the doughy freshly-baked crust! It was pretty big, with lots of ingredients on it. I particularly liked the slightly smokey flavour and smell of the crust.

Ham, mushroom, artichoke pizza

 

Then we had their Cannelloni. It’s a house special, and came out looking rather surprising! It’s one l-o-n-g cannelloni that has various sections, each with different ingredients. This was my favourite dish – the pasta was very well done, and the flavours were just beautiful. Plus, great presentation!

Cannelloni

 

At least the littlest one was well behaved. The fab thing about Carter is that he’s very straightforward. He’s happy most of the time and dishes out huge grins, and he’s easily pleased – all you need to do is make eye contact and smile at him. When he’s hungry or tired, he’ll yell (and oh boy is he LOUD!) but at least it’s usually easy to solve. Thank goodness for young babies – they are always so much easier to handle than toddlers!

Well-behaved and chilling out

 

Let’s Chat!




Let's Chat!

LOL.. Poor mum and Hunter! I too laughed at the description of Hunter’s antics and I like how realistic (yet loving) you are about parenthood on your blog. You have a lovely family!

Hard to imagine Hunter can be such a “terror” there! Poor u! My elder brother used to have the same problem with my nephew when we eat out, so he had to take turns with his wife to bring the toddler out of the restaurant, while either one of them eat in peace with us!

He has a pretty angelic face but when he wants to be naughty…. ARGH!!

So relieved to hear other people have issues with young kids too 😛 And yes, we often have to ‘tag-team’ to eat these days!

I *know* it is wrong..but I could not help laughing at how you described Hunter’s behaviour as psycho and bolded it too!

Have you tried sitting him facing away from the crowd? For eg; facing a wall or window. I find that my little one is much calmer when he’s facing away from the crowd……maybe looking at so many people and the noise overloads ther senses.

New York has the best food…I don’t feel like cooking when I’m in NYC, I just wanna eat out.

I like that you are so honest about being a mum and having to handle your toddler’s antics. It makes me see the parents’ side of the story when I encounter screaming kids outside… I’ll try to be more understanding that the parents are having as bad a time, if not worse, than other diners.

SO TRUE.. if I lived in NYC I don’t think I’d be cooking 😉

It is super annoying to have a crazy toddler when you’re trying to eat or on the plane, I’ve been soooo pissed off before too!But yeah, even worse for the parents who have to listen to it all, AND it’s the kid so they have to deal with all the hostile stares of people around them. Eep.

I remember going through a terrible time with Ellie as he was turning 2 as well. He would throw things, scream and even roll his eyes at me!! It doesn’t seem like something any parent can get out of, but take heart that they will grow out of it!