PX This.

PX This presents THE F&F REVIEW

Hey, sorry we couldn’t make it to "Friends&Family," we were out of town/ had to work/ not invited. We’re really glad we finally managed to come by, though— it’s so nice to see you!
What’s that? You would still like us to take the time to fill out the F&F survey, because you’d love to take advantage of all our vast experience, knowledge, insight, and expertise as long as we’re already here? Because you invited 75 people to F&F, and afterward all you got was 41 "Congrats[es]!" 22 "Awesome[s]!" 3 "Ciao[s]!" and 9 "Best of luck[s]!" ?
Of course, we’d be honored. Oh ha, yesss, we’ll be honest— brutally honest even, ha ha! After all, that’s what friends & family are for!
No no please, don’t send anything more, we’re stuffed, we can’t breathe, you’ll have to roll us out of here, ha ha ha… !

Vapiano

What was your first impression?
What—? What did she say??
Okay, I admit, I walked into this place because it was mildly intriguing, but I have no idea what the hostess just muttered to me at warp speed. Thanks for the funky ATMish card though, Sweetie, whatever it is! I guess.
Aaand, after a quick, vaguely confused lap around the perimeter… I’m outta here. It’s either too hi-fi or utilitarian or Socialist or something for me. Thank goodness we found someone smart/willing enough to put that Food ATM Automat Charge Card Whatever Thingie to work. Hooray!
Take it awaaay, Gastrochic!

Please rate the Bar:
They have a liquor license! (Dean & DeLuca didn’t, so… nyeah.) And, it’s spacious.

Please rate the drinks/ cocktails/ wine:
But, uh… yea… not much of a drinker here… so let’s just move it along…

Please rate the Dining Room:
The light-filled interior, with soaring ceilings and sleek Italian design throughout, sets the stage for what’s actually a very back-to-basics dining experience, though at first glance it seems high tech. After picking up a key card at the door, you take a tray and collect your meal yourself, selecting panini, salads, pizza and pasta from various food stations, where they prepare each dish in front of you and scan the card. If your college dining hall went gourmet, this is what it would be like.

Please rate the BOH:
While the Italian food here doesn’t compare to the city’s best Italian dining establishments, it’s very good for the price. Choose from a number of freshly made pastas and pair it with one of a variety of sauces… Other American “tells” include the huge serving size, which is about twice the amount of food you’d be served in Italy, containers of Parmesan, oregano and chili flakes near the pizza station and the staff’s weird insistence that I must want bread with my pasta… Though it doesn’t exactly conform to the slow food-esque motto “chi va piano, va sano e lontano” (roughly “he who goes gently/slowly goes healthfully for a long time”), Vapiano pays much more attention to the food itself than other fast casual chains.
(… More alarming is the menu of “signature” pastas, one of which includes chicken, orange-chili sauce and bok choi, a blasphemous combination that would surely would be banned in Italy.)

How was the staff?
Umm, they’re kinda… N/A? Ya know, what with the EZ Pass thingie and whatnot. They’re so DIY that when I asked for the rest of my meal to be wrapped up to go, they just brought me these space-age containers and just had me pour the pasta in myself.

What did you eat?/ How was the food?
Though pasta is Vapiano’s specialty, they were out of three of them on the day we visited, so the ravioli with ricotta and spinach was not an option. Penne with Bolognese sauce ($11.95) would have to be the litmus test, even though it’s too wintry a dish for this time of year. Vapiano’s is a classic bolognese with crumbled pork and beef stewed in tomato sauce with carrots, celery, fresh rosemary and basil. This is no Babbo or Lupa version – it’s missing the depth and subtlety – but it’s very fresh and pleasing.
Caprese Salad : arrives beautifully presented on the plate, and the chef asks if you would like balsamic vinegar before adding it – it’s not always part of a true caprese salad. Unfortunately the mozzarella itself is only so-so: it doesn’t have the tang of bufala mozzarella or the creaminess of burrata.

What did you like?
They really have a knack for marketing? (Also, it seems to be a chick-magnet.)

What did you dislike?
The food at Vapiano (handled by a CIA grad) may be radically different, with a focus on fresh, natural ingredients, but there’s a certain manufactured quality to the atmosphere, which strikes a balance between stimulating but comforting, familiar but exotic. And every Vapiano looks just like the 70 other locations around the world, so you always know exactly what your experience will be. Perhaps more insidiously, this place targets a market that believes itself to be above chains. As the website boasts, “Vapiano is a very urban concept for young professionals, consisting of over sixty percent female clientele.”

What was your last impression?
Vapiano is enjoyable while it lasts, but when you leave, you may feel a nagging sense of fast-casual remorse. The target market gets up from Don Draper’s bed, adjusts her dress and heads for the door.

Would you come back?
I’ll let you guess…

Thank you, and hope to see you soon!
Ciao! Peace out.

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