“Pay attention to the specials.”
I can’t imagine how many times I have written that sentence, but I do know that it’s a lot. The Infatuation: helping restaurants sell day-old food since 2009.
But here the sentence has a different meaning.
Lately, we’ve become more judicious about what restaurants actually warrant an Infatuation review. In the beginning, our main goal was coverage – making sure that when you opened up the app or searched the site, you got a full and effective set of results. Looking for day drinking in Williamsburg on a Tuesday? No judgment here, only answers... you drunk.
But as time has passed and the reviews have rolled in, we now find ourselves in a different situation. One in which we need to limit the number of places that we write up such that you are only getting the stuff that matters or fits a need. Do we really have to weigh in on that farm to table Thai restaurant that will likely close before you get a chance to eat there? Probably not. A 7.2 isn’t gonna do much for you.
It then becomes more important than ever that we add extra emphasis to the establishments in this city that are truly special. Restaurants that are worth going out of your way for. Al Di La is one of them.
It should probably go without saying that a restaurant that’s been open since 1998 is still good. Consistency is the only way to keep people coming back year after year, let alone decade after decade. But Al Di La is more than just that. In a city with so many Italian restaurants that even the American ones serve pasta, few are actually memorable enough that you make a mental note to bring your mom there next time she’s in town. Even fewer have a menu that is perfect from top to bottom. Fewer still know how to serve a bottle of wine at the right temperature. (Why do so many Italian restaurants store their wine above the oven?) But the best part about Al Di La is that it’s simple. No gimmicks, no scene, just rustic Italian food that will never fail you.
So, while we remind ourselves to pay attention to the specials, let this serve as a reminder that you should, too. Some are restaurants in a class of their own. And some are just day old food.