What had I heard? That the owner, who I imagined as a gruff, cantankerous older Italian man, had…read morelists of rules on signs all over the restaurant and on the menu. People characterize them as huge, nasty signs plastered all over everything. In truth, there are three small signs amid the memorabilia and photos and sports stuff festooning the walls, basically one saying that they won't serve cheese on seafood pastas, that the pastas are portioned per person, so there's no splitting one (you can share multiple pastas, but each person does have to order one), which I understand from a financial standpoint, and basically a no substitutions policy. Not anything all that out there, and none of the signs seemed nasty or offensive.
Overall... hmm... on a pure ambiance and enjoyment basis, I wouldn't hesitate to go back. It's one of the more traditional Italian spots in town in many ways, and it's the kind of place I like to just go hang out - I mean, we spent nearly 2-1/2 hours there just chatting and enjoying. And, I liked Mauro quite a bit, he reminds me of a lot of restaurant friends in Italy, and some in New York. The food is good, even very good, but not exceptional, and I wouldn't mind, given that the pastas are the main courses, if there was more of it.
I do fall into the camp of wishing I had more say in what I get - for example, I often like to drizzle a little good olive oil and grind some pepper over my pastas, but those were whisked away after the antipasto plate and weren't an option. And I'm sure there are people who prefer a little more salt, or more cheese, while I'd like less (interesting that most of my Argentine friends complain that there's not enough cheese on the dishes - they do love their cheese here). But I also understand the impetus to serve things "his way", after all, "my way" is pretty much the way Casa SaltShaker operates (though I'm a bit more flexible if people ask in advance, and have no problem with it if someone wants salt, pepper, or other condiments, as long as we have them). Overall, recommended.