Neopatrick re Babbo
 

I tried your phone strategy for a table at babbo and it just didn't work for me.I wonder if i did it wrong. What really irked me though is that the phone lines open at 10 and i got through twice at 10:02 and 10:04 and i got the "you called after hours" recording. Anyway, by the time i got through, using the regular call, call, call method, it was an hour later and all they had was 10 pm, which i took in hopes that they will seat us early. It's for my birthday and i really want to go back there.

They didn't have an early reservation? I mentioned that we took 5:45 or so -- hours before we normally eat because we did have a morning flight out the next day. But we didn't get through until around noon and got that -- or something like 10.

I think they might have had 6, but i was hoping for 8:30 or 9. If need be, we can do 10, but i'm hopeful that they will seat us early. It's infuriating, but what's more infuriating is that i still want to go!

I think a lot of restaurants keep the mid evening reservation to a minimum. Most are usually early or later in my experience.

I would call in the afternoon a few times and speak to the in house maitre'd explaining you are coming for a special occasion and are hoping to be put on a waiting list for a mid evening reservation, if one should become available due to a cancellation. There will often be multiple cancellations.

A week before call again, to check in.

The morning of call when they open, as that is when they are making phone confirmations. I once got a morning of reservation for Grammercy Tavern the day of, due to a cancellation for prime time.

emcash - I sympathize with your frustration. I gave up trying for five years and tried again last March using two phones with different lines simultaneously and hitting redial. I got through before 10:30 and got a 6:30 reservation, but I was so aggravated. I only did it because it was for my husband's birthday. The meal was outstanding, but I don't want to attempt it again too soon. I hope it works out for you and you have a great birthday!