Gattuso's

I've been going to Gattuso's for a few years and I have my favorites for good reason: when I veer off the beaten path, I've been disappointed more often than I've been happy. Which is why yesterday's visit, for both reasons listed above, was so unfortunate. I have a sneaking suspicion there is a new chef in the kitchen, one who hasn't fixed their existing problems and has introduced a few more of his own.

With Falcon and the Snowman in tow, we waited for about 10 minutes before finally snagging a tiny bar table for three.

I suggested the French Onion soup which Gattuso's runs as a recurring special. What used to be a floral, silky, oniony bowl of goodness ended up being a thick, gloopy, bland mess. Even the cheese: the crouton sank it to the bottom of the bowl where it required a knife to break into edible pieces. The soup: What an utter piece of crap, an insult to both the Frogs and onions.

With the exception of Falcon's Dirty Bird, our sandwiches are disappointing as well. I've noticed a meat to bread proportion problem at Gattuso's po boys: not enough meat, too much bread. The Snowman's corned beef po-boy (pictured) suffered from that fate. Usually, it's smarter to order sandwiches here on regular bread. On those, the proportion works. To add insult to injury, the bread was stale.

I decided against my better judgement to order off my reservation by getting the Muffeletta. It suffered from the meat to bread problem to the extent that the outer half inch of bread was bereft of anything but bread. Very disappointing.

I really do like their regular sandwiches, their gumbo and their burgers. But since none of that was ordered, Gattuso's gets the turd bomb award. Poop in a toilet.