My friends and I met here for brunch. We made a reservation but had to wait for over 45 minutes (outside) for our table because there was a very large party taking place. Luckily it was warm and sunny so we just chatted in the courtyard as we waited for our table. The owner (Chef Armando) was friendly (at first ) apologized profusely, and gave us each a free mimosa for waiting. If they have a scheduled Majhong party, I'm not sure why they bother taking reservations since it's very small inside. I'm sure the ladies in this Majhong party more than make up for not taking any other customers with all the drinks and food that was ordered.
Once our table was ready, we were seated inside near the door that leads to the basement. It was really loud inside (due to the Majhong party) but we didn't really care because we were hungry. It was a pre-fixe brunch so the owner (Armando) came over with menus and when it came time to take our order he actually sat down at the table with us. Before he took our order, he was talking to us and trying to be a part of our conversation. It was odd but I wrote it off as he was tired and needed a minute. Our starters came fairly quickly, we got the fried zucchini blossom, misto board, and prosciutto and melon. Everyone really enjoyed their starters and we had high expectations for the rest of brunch.
The time came to take our main dish order and again Armando sat down with us. He took our order and proceeded to chat with us some more. Our food was served. Two of us got the Porchetta( he raved about) and the other ordered the steak omelet. Armando sat down with us yet again. He started to complain about how tired he was, how annoying and stupid brunch was, and how annoying other customers were. I was surprised by this conversation because we do not know Armando and had never met him before. He asked how our food was and acknowledged we probably didn't even eat yet because he was sitting with us. He kept lamenting and we started to eat. Honestly, the food was okay. We both thought the porchetta was dry. It was close to closing time, so it's possible that the Porchetta were end cuts and had been sitting out under a heat lamp or in a low temperature stove. The person who ordered the omelet really enjoyed it and the toast points were really yummy. I could of probably eaten a basket of the toast with butter and been completely satisfied.
After we were done with our meal, Amando sat down with us and started scrolling through his phone and talking to us. He told us they were out of everything for dessert except the tiramisu. He told the other man who worked there (I believe his name was Mario) to get our desserts and continued to sit with us. Mario brought out desserts - and to our surprise there was a small cannoli , lemon cake, and tiramisu on a tray to choose from. All the desserts were personal sized which was perfect after the large brunch we all had. I ate the cannoli and the shell was crispy and the pastry cream was good. Everyone else noted that the desserts were freshly made and really delicious.
Brunch went downhill really fast when as we were eating dessert, Mario came up to our table and was just standing there staring at us. Amando was still sitting at our table talking to us. My friend asked if he needed something from us and he just stood there smiling. He reached for my arm and started caressing and slowly massaging it. My mouth was full so I couldn't say anything but I was so uncomfortable. I yanked my arm away, and he walked away before I could say anything. At this point I was beyond fed-up but I didn't want to cause a scene in the restaurant since it was filled with the Majhong party. The other people in my party were stunned and speechless. I asked for the check, we paid, and quickly left. When we were outside, my friends asked if I was okay and I was just still in shock so I said I was fine. They said that Mario had been staring at them from the kitchen the entire time and it made them feel uncomfortable. I told them they should of said something and we could of left after our starters. I doubt Mario or Amando would of pulled any of this non-sense if we were with our male significant others.
I grew up in the kitchen industry. Someone in my family is a chef. They worked all over the Mass and RI in some of the most highly rated kitchens with other highly awarded chefs and I have NEVER seen or heard about this type of behavior. Armando crossed the line of unprofessionalism multiple times. A chef never comes out of the kitchen to sit with customers unless they are asked to or know the party. If a chef does sit with a party, it is brief because they are needed in the kitchen. If Armando was bored, he should of kept busy in the kitchen by cleaning or prepping for dinner. Mario is creepy and should not be interacting with the public if he cannot keep his hands to himself. I wish Armando the best - but I in good conscience can not recommend this restaurant. read more