Provini Hates Kids? I Love Provini

So remember when Provini drew the ire of an angry Park Slope Parent on Yelp? And then it exploded into an angry debate between BALLERS, BREEDERS, and people who just love a good online fight (wanna read a good, albeit out-of-date one? Check this out ). 

If you're not already up to speed, the dramarama was based around the fact that some woman wanted to bring her nine-month-old daughter to the restaurant, and called ahead to see if they provided high chairs.  Provini said they didn't, but to come anyway.  Lady shows up and then gets pissed that there's no room to park her stroller.  When she complains, she is told that "Provini is not a child-friendly restaurant."

Who knows what was actually said, as I'm guessing Provini isn't exaclty going to full on cop to be anti-kiddie. Apparently the woman in question was actually responsible enough to call ahead and not just assume that she could bring a baby to the restaurant, so props to her for that. It's unfortunate that the Provini staff didn't avoid the situation completely by telling her to keep her bebe at home in her bugaboo, but whatevs...shit happens.

And yet, *if* all this b.s. is actually true, I've got to admire the fact that Provini has the cojones to say, "Hey, you know what bitches: we don't want kids in here."

I mean, YES, this discussion has been had a bazillion times over already. Shit, I'm even bored with it. But for anyone who has ever had, what would have been a perfectly enjoyable meal, ruined by screaming/ranting/crying/misbehaved children and their apathetic parents, doesn't Provini deserve a fist pump or two?

On the flip side, not all kids suck and not all parents are assholes: i.e. just because you're see a kid in a restaurant, it doesn't mean that they're automatically going to be Dennis the Menace.  My parents took me to nice restaurants when I was a kid all the time.  If I started acting up or crying, they would promptly take me out of the restaurant and let me cry/scream/have a tantrum outside without ruining everybody else's meal. 

It's unfortunate that douchebag parents who could give a flying fuck about anyone else in the restaurant create a stigma around children being there altogether--cause there definitely is one now--especially in Park Slope.  There are attentive, conscientious parents out there who make sure their kids are well-behaved during meals, but sometimes its seems like they're just few and far between.    

Anyway, Provini. Really? Room for a stroller?  There's barely room for more than 5 tables in Provini—it's a very small, cozy Italian restaurant. I'm assuming they want to keep the intimate setting quiet and child-free, which is how my meal went down when I went there on Friday night.  There wasn't a runny nose in the joint. Probably because they don't serve french fries.

Kudos to Provini, and try the homemade gnocchi.