Once again, parking was by valet only, so we obliged and headed inside to claim our table. I guess it's paying someone to do a simple task that I am perfectly capable of doing myself that bothers me. I do not like valet parking, especially when a set fee is required. Valet parking at Pricci costs $2 with expected gratuity. I'll tip the valets at restaurants that offer free valet parking, but I don't at restaurants that charge you a fee for valet parking. Call me cheap, but I don't like being required to pay someone to park my car when I'm paying you over $100 for a meal plus a tip for the server and then being expected to tip the valet for parking my car.
Before I step off the soap box, I'd like to mention the dress code. When Justin made the reservation at Pricci, he said the website reminded him that the dress code for the restaurant is business casual. I don't have a problem with business casual since that's what I wear to work and we would be heading to dinner after work. There was also a sign posted on the door that reminded you of the dress code and that certain articles of clothing were inappropriate (I can't remember exactly what the sign said, but something like shorts and tank tops weren't appropriate). I understand restaurants wanting to create a certain "feel" for their restaurant, but once again, the customer is paying you for a meal. Shouldn't they be allowed to wear what is comfortable? Justin and I both wore business casual clothes, but some people in there weren't. I was glad to see they weren't turned away since their clothes didn't affect my enjoyment of the experience.
Ok, I'm off the soap box for now. We were seated immediately and our waitress greeted us. She did mention that they offer the prix-fixe menu about eight months out of the year, so we could expect it outside of Buckhead Restaurant Week. They were also offering half off bottles of wine on Thursdays so we tried a slightly more expensive bottle of wine than we normally would have. Due to a change in Georgia law, we would be able to take home any of the wine we didn't consume. Even better!
We both ordered from the prix-fixe menu. I selected the roasted pumpkin soup, risotto, and galani con salsa al cioccolato. Justin ordered the roasted pumpkin soup, pasta with duck, and crostata di costagne. The menu in the restaurant was slightly different than the one on the BRW website. The soup was really good. I could have eaten a gallon of it. They also brought a selection of breads with a whipped goat cheese with cream cheese and marinara dipping sauce. It was very yummy!
My risotto was good. It wasn't absolutely amazing, but it was definitely good. I would order it again. Justin said his pasta was just ok. He really enjoys duck, but didn't think this duck was all that special. The desserts were also slightly disappointing. Neither was outstanding to us, but Justin's chestnut tart was better than mine. The service was very good, though. The waitress seemed to enjoy what she does. They had an army of servers who made sure water glasses remained full and wine glasses were never empty. The pace of the meal was also good since we were able to finish one course before the next arrived. After paying, we corked our wine bottle and headed out to claim our car.
While waiting in the line to claim our car, a woman pulls into the line and loudly announces that she wants to speak with the person in charge since something was stolen from her car. One of the valets says he can help her. She says a briefcase was stolen from her car while in their care, her light switch was moved, and her steering wheel was adjusted. The valet began researching who parked her car while she was saying, "I'm going to make sure I tell everyone about this!" She was obviously very unhappy. Justin suggested (to me privately) that she seemed like she may have had a little too much wine or was a very excitable person. I agreed. I don't see why someone would steal a briefcase from someone's car, but she insisted her's was missing. It was dark so I don't see how the valets were supposed to operate her car without moving the light switch. The steering wheel complaint also seemed a little petty. She was barely five feet tall. Nearly all of the valets appeared to be over six feet tall. I'm short so I keep my steering wheel as low as it will go so I can see over it, but someone taller than me would have trouble driving my car without adjusting the wheel since the wheel would dig into their legs. She was still ranting when our car arrived, which saddened us because we wanted to see the outcome. She pulled out behind us and left right after we did so I'm guessing her briefcase was found. I hope they got her light switch and steering whell adjusted, too.
(Photo source)
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