Woes of High End Resto Patrons in Stamford

I had to chuckle at this line in an Advocate article about how diners at high end restos are coping with our troubled economy:
Since the start of the economy's downturn, customer visits haven't tapered off at Polpo, a high-end Italian eatery in Greenwich, but patrons are pinching pennies on expensive items, such as wine... Customers who would typically buy a bottle of wine for about $150 a year ago are now opting for the $75 bottles, he said. Hee hee! I'm giggling. "Pinching pennies!"

Some of the less outrageous examples gave me pause: Area restaurants also are adjusting their menus to cater to worried customers. Ferrante has started offering a reduced price lunch menu and brunch. "Reduced price menu..." yeah. OK. I'm not being mean here; I think it's funny. If I were a regular at Ferrante, I'd appreciate this. I've been once. It was a nice Italian resto, but nothing about it jumped out at me, except for the high noise level and terrifyingly large diamond rings on a bunch of women at the bar. (Parents from a Darien elementary school- no, I'm not joking, I actually asked.)

Bennett's Steak and Fish also has vague plans to adjust their menu: Bennett's wants to make its menu a little more "user-friendly," which owner Bennett Salvatore said will mean adjusting "to the economy and (providing) our diners with as many options as we can." I'd be curious what he comes up with. Pasta? Smaller meat portions?

I'm eating out less these days, mostly because I'm tired of eating mediocre food at high prices. Plus, it just makes sense to save cash if you're not totally excited about what you are spending it on.

Here's what I recommend if you want some Italian food: store-bought pasta with Paul Newman's Sockarooni Spaghetti sauce. It's so good. Or, cut up an organic tomato from Mrs. Green's (swear to Goodness organic veggies taste better) and put some feta on it. I know feta is Greek, but it's easier to deal with than mozzarella and gives you more bang for the calories. That's what I'm eating incessantly this week.

Or, for cheap Italian out, go eat at Capriccio on Bedford. I eat there so much that I'm tired of it, but it's always tasty.

I'm getting ready for the season premier of Biggest Loser tonight! I highly suggest you all check it out if you have any slight interest in exercise, food, or other people trying to lose weight. I'm totally into all of those things, so I am totally addicted to the show.