Was the lemon like a half or wedge that looked squeezed, or a round? I'd be ok with a round that looked a bit spent from having been sautéed or cooked in the sauce for a bit. But actually squeezed sounds strange.

It was actually a rectangular piece of squeezed lemon. If it would have been an orange wedge I would have said somebody sucked on it. Nothing left but peel and a few pieces of empty flesh structure.

Really bad. Awful. Not visually appetizing to see a used up piece of lemon on your plate. What are you supposed to do with that?

The menu description needs to reflect exactly how the shrimp is prepared. Grilled and sauteed are two different things.

The former is a bigger problem. Your plate should come with a fresh piece of lemon, or none at all.

My thoughts exactly.

The chef would be summarily thrown out of Chopped for that!

Yeah that does not sound appealing.

I think I'd cross this "nicer" Italian restaurant off my list, and patronize one of the others in the future.

We will artemis_ma. I had been there once before for lunch and enjoyed and it is one of our city's well known restaurants. I'm wondering if they had a bad day. My DH's Veal Piccata sauce had a strange aftertaste also. I wrote them a lengthy e-mail...

Ugh! I've had a properly executed twist put on a plate, which is pretty enough though I don't care for inedible garnish (the (fleshy) lemon is usually there so you can add acid to your seafood or fish), but your description sounds gross. It sounds like they put your lemon in your companion's veal!

Just because a restaurant has a good reputation doesn't mean it's good. When the meal doesn't match the menu and there are odd garnishes and bad aftertastes, and when the response isn't, "My goodness! Let me fix that for you!" but rather, that this is the way it's supposed to be, it means they have problems that aren't going to be solved soon.

and when the response isn't, "My goodness! Let me fix that for you!" but rather, that this is the way it's supposed to be, it means they have problems that aren't going to be solved soon.

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Bingo. The fact that they didn't see that the complaint had merit is perplexing. A fresh wedge of lemon would have been lovely, but a used-up hull is useless and unappealing.

I would bet it was an apprentice plating and what was on your plate was a failed "lemon twist".
Frankly I can't imagine getting your panties in a bunch over a piece of lemon.

I have never heard of that in my life. I have been served lemon chicken where the entire lemon, which had been inside the whole chicken, and now shows skin with brown patches, which is actually pretty, was served on the plate as decoration. But not a squeezed cut piece.

Lindac - if it were the case of an error from a junior plater, the restaurant would have responded differently to the OP's complaint.

I think a Yelp review is in order for this restaurant if you have a chance. Too bad you didn't take a pic with your phone!

Lindac,

it was most definitely not a failed attempt at a lemon twist.

That's really just wrong, but my experience with Mom & Pop Italian restaurants is that they tend to do things THEIR way, and the customer does not always come first!

Mostly I overlook, and I don't mind all the family staff yelling at each other, but a squeezed lemon sounds really bad. I guess you could ask for another and say there isn't enough juice for your shrimp?

If the menu says "grilled," the shrimp should be grilled.

Would I serve a partially squeezed lemon? Nope!

It does sound Mom & Pop, Suzi.

Ug! Did you ask them WHY they always do it that way? I'm always curious! My guess is the lemon was squeezed over your un-grilled shrimp in the kitchen and the lemon rind put on the plate to "show" you it had been done. If I want to squeeze lemon over my food, I'll do it myself, thanks.

slowlane, my thoughts exactly. I really enjoy a fresh squeeze just before eating, even squeezing between bites.

Yuck, it sounds like an Italian restaurant in my town that has been there forever and probably will go on and on. The food is mediocre at best and mostly borderline bad. They do have large rooms were the Realtors Association and similar meet and I guess those people are okay with crappy food. This particular restaurant does have a bar where you can get a pretty poor mixed drink and I have tasted their idea of a martini.... well, it is alcohol anyway and one does need to be at least slightly in their cups to enjoy eating at this horror show... adding to say that a squeezed lemon wedge on the plate and a defiant attitude would absolutely be in line with this restaurant's poor business practices.

I think slowlane nailed it. They probably squeezed it on and left the wedge to show it had been done. Not good.

rhoder551, in my town we are lucky to even have ONE Italian restaurant! For any variety at all, we have to go 40 miles up to a mountain resort and even then, they are Mom and Pop! HOWEVER, I'd really rather go to a decent mom and pop than a dammn chain like the Olive Garden! I can deal with Macaroni Grill, but even that is 40 miles away in a different direction. Local mountain resort has no chains at all. Not even Mickey D's.

On the other hand, San Francisco is just 20 mins. away and has some delicious Italian restaurants but also a lot of not very good ones too.

I think it's worth a mention, to the manager, if it was really that bad. Maybe someone thought it creative and it was never questioned. How'd it taste? (I know the piccata seemed off.) The place does seem to get a lot of positive reviews online, assuming I found the right one.

The taste was actually really good. If I wouldn't have been ticked off about the shrimp not being grilled already I probably would not have made such a big deal about the lemon.

Never have i had a squeezed lemon on my dish. A slice yes but that would be part of the dish grilled or broiled. A fresh non squeezed lemon would be a hint that the dish served has fresh lemon and the fresh is there to add if you want and a hint recommended for a fresh at the table/plating 'choice'. Not a spent lemon.

Even just the two of us i will add a small lemon or lime 1/8th triangle. To squeeze fresh on seafood or taco night....on the edge of the plate for that fresh add at the table...

I do cook some dishes with slices broiled and grilled and they do add an amazing flavor that needs to be removed...at the table. A squeeze of citrus rind goes in the compost always.

I had an out-door NYC paper plate picnic style event today and had a really good cod fillet and avocado salad etc...A fresh lemon wedge tossed on the fish hap-hazzard, and some more piled in a bowl....fresh to take if wanted. I took a few extra slices and squeezed on the way to find a spot to sit. My personally squeezed lemon bits i just put on the side of the plate and thought how odd if my meal was served with a spent wedge...it was my squeezed wedge without a compost bin handy...

No, I wouldn't put a squeezed lemon slice on a plate. Does seem a little weird, like they missed the garbage can with it, but I also don't think it's a Big Deal. I'd have probably sucked the sauce off the slice and dunked it in my ice water.

When I pay handsomely for food, I expect: A) my wishes followed (I don't special order stuff, so it should be fantastically easy), B) hot food hot, cold food cold, C) to look beautiful (chefs are paid to do this!), and D) take away the dirty dishes as they're made. Any one of these and I'd not be happy.

An already squeezed lemon isn't pretty and can't yield more juice, so what's the point?

I would have thought that someone had left it there by mistake and sent it back. Nasty!

That is so unprofessional. There buisness is going to go downhill if they keep doing that.