Food was good to very good. Service was abysmal. Decor/ambiance was very nice.
Pros:
The cannelloni was delicious. It was everything I hoped it would be.
The interior is charming and felt like an Italian street cafe. It felt like we were outside (in a good way) even though we were inside. We even sat by an open window on a warm afternoon and it was lovely.
The menu all looked good and the prices are reasonable for the times we live in.
Cons:
Badly understaffed, and what staff there was (other than the kitchen) seemed poorly trained. The host doubled taking phone orders and tripled as the only bus person we saw. When they wiped down the table they just wiped food crumbs and pieces onto the floor. Yikes.
And as for our waiter, well he just wasn't good. Even though almost all the entrees come with a basket of bread, we had to ask several times for ours, and it finally arrived AFTER we had finished our meals (not even kidding). The tables next to us also had to ask for their bread. Why? Why not just grab the bread when they pickup the entrees and deliver both together? Or better still, bring it with the soup & salad? Why are people having to ask repeatedly for a basic part of their meal that should have been delivered without being prompted? We had a hard time even tracking him down TO ask. He never once checked back with us after he brought our food, and had to be flagged down after he brought bread to a neighboring table (who also had to remind him) and that's a loss for the business because I would have loved a second glass of wine once my entree arrived, but since he never returned to ask, that didn't happen either. In fairness, the other two servers (there were only three total on a busy Saturday afternoon) seemed much more attentive to their tables, so there's a 66% chance you get a decent server).
It took forever to track down our waiter yet again for the bill (in fact we never did) and a to-go box for the bread. We finally got up and walked to the register to ask for the bill, but the host was off bussing tables. However, getting up to leave did the trick to catch our waiter's attention, allowing us to finally pay and be on our way.
Neutral:
The food. As I said, the cannelloni was fantastic, and the bread -- which finally arrived only AFTER we'd finished our meal -- was also delicious (we took most of it home since we didn't want bread for dessert). The pizzas looked great, as did anything that was baked. The spaghetti, on the other hand, was average at best, and we wouldn't recommend it. I doubt we'll ever return to dine in, which is a shame because it really is a cute restaurant and we liked being there at first, until it became clear that our waiter lacked even the most basic server skills. Food was good enough though, that we may try takeout...maybe a pizza or lasagna...and of course the cannelloni. read more