I'm through with dining here

... and this time I mean it!

I should have learned my lesson Monday, when the best we could do for dinner here in Alexandria Bay, N.Y., was ice cream sundaes. But nooo, as my staff will tell you, I learn things the hard way.

We found ourselves here at dinnertime last night and decided to try a little Mexican restaurant and bake shop we'd passed on a side street, Tatti's Place, or something like that. It looked lively and colorful, it had seats at the counter and it even had people in it.

It also had a mouse.

We'll call him Hector. He popped out of the bread slicer, took a few steps down the countertop and disappeared in the gap between two counters.

We'd taken a few bites of salsa (which looked to be 3 parts coarsely chopped onions, 1 part tomato, 1 part bell pepper and that's it) and semi-stale tri-colored tortilla chips at that point. We hadn't yet gotten our drinks, which were in the blender -- probably what stirred Hector from his siesta.

Mice happen. I have a small seasonal business that apparently houses a few out-of-season squeaky guests who have to be evicted every May. So to a certain extent, I understand what the restaurant might be going through.

But the owner's explanation when we called her over is why we left.

"Oh, that's just our resident field mouse," she said. "He doesn't get into anything."

First, mice do get into things. Second, mice leave presents after they have gotten into things. And Hector, no doubt, had amigos.

So we left. Had she shown shock or horror, we might have stuck it out.

Story over? Of course not.

We decided to try Josie's Pizza, which was recommended by someone here we trust, although with some reservations. Josie, it seems, started cutting back on the quality of ingredients after a strong start.

It took about 10 minutes to be acknowledged at the counter. We couldn't even get eye contact. Even at the worst place in North Jersey, you get a grunt or something -- and you never wait 10 minutes.

It took another 30 minutes for our small pizza to make it to the table. And yes, of course, people who came in later were getting their pizzas first.

The pizza was perfectly fine, with a basic sauce, a crunchy, though not browned, crust, and an acceptable amount of cheese. I longed for A Mano. Heck, I longed for Denville Pizza.

But we weren't done. The Missus wanted wings, so we headed back to Brass Tacks -- the restaurant that was only serving cold sandwiches and fried stuff on our first visit. There, it was another 10 minutes of waiting at a dirty table for an acknowledgment.

The wings weren't mild; they were bland, sauced with what had to be the skimpiest portion of hot sauce ever. My chicken quesadilla -- actually, two small ones -- featured that processed chicken something-or-other that tastes like gelatinized salt water. To her credit, the waitresses acknowledged that we didn't finish it and asked it everything was OK.

Total time for a small pizza and two appetizers at two restaurants: Two hours.

Thank goodness for the ice cream places here.

Comments

[fredknows]

Bill:

You are solidifying my image of way upstate New York as a picturesque place with dining options that are circa 1960-something.

How about the place that claims they were the first to serve Thousand Island Dressing?:

http://www.thousandislandslife.com/BackIssues/Archive/tabid/393/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/25/The-Mystery-of-the-Thousand-Islands-Dressing.aspx

[fredknows]

I hate when always I'm right!

Read the menu: it is still 1965 at this place http://www.1000-islands.com/inn/menu.htm

We'll, maybe the food's good. Let us know Bill.

[Bill Pitcher]

Yeah, the Thousand Island Inn's salad dressing's first two ingredients are soybean oil and partially hydrogenated soybean oil. So I'm going to wager that whatever they're serving right now isn't actually original.

The other story up there is that George Boldt, who ran the Waldorf-Astoria, served it in the hotel and named it after his beloved vacation spot.

Either way, I didn't eat at that Thousand Islands Inn. The place looked dreadful. Like an old YMCA or a hostel.

[Bob]

Das Village Haus is the best restaurant in the bay. Although I think the quality has slipped a bit since last year. The food was very good, but nothing photo worthy. Not bar food either!