We have been spending the last 4 weekends in Rockford due to family reunions and after trying some of the other restaurants, we finally made it to Lino's which came highly recommended for Gnocchis, one of my favorite Italian dishes.
As we walked into the restaurant I noticed all the beautiful Italian style decorations, an ample lobby with a fountain and as we were being taken to our seats we noticed a table inside of a Pisa tower prop that was very cool.
We were having a great time relaxing and I had decided not to take pictures of the food during dinner.
Our waitress seemed busy and came to tell us she would be with us soon. From the beginning to the end she was kind and attentive.
We ordered bottled water and a Margarita pizza for everyone. As it arrived we all enjoyed it very much!
My husband asked for chicken and I requested gnocchis with Alfredo sauce and a piece of added salmon. I was excited. I love Gnocchis. My grandmother used to make them from scratch growing up.
Included salads came in first. They contained sausage which I don't eat but my husband was looking at my plate like a hawk so I knew the salad would have a home.
Suddenly, the young waitress accidentally dropped one of the water bottles ( closed) on me and the salad, and she was feeling very bad. I immediately told her that everything was perfectly ok and not to stress but I could see that didn't calm her.
Next, came our dishes brought directly by the chef, Jimmy. Apologizing for taking too long on bringing our plates and for everything else. We told him that we were happy and enjoying dinner. My husband said his chicken was great and I can happily tell you that my Gnocchis were spectacular! They were perfectly cooked to my liking. Yum! I ordered a big plate so I took the left over to go, which I kept picking on until 1 am !
We then asked for desserts, they didn't have much of a variety but Jimmy himself came back with a complete cake and ice cream for us to try. We all loved it and took what was left to go as well!
When we asked for the check, the waitress told us that the meal was fully complimentary. My husband and I looked at each other and we agreed that we couldn't accept it. The dinner was amazing! A lady manager came in and told us that the owner insisted and that she couldn't do anything. We then found out that Jimmy, the chef who brought us our food is the owner.
We were extremely surprised by the gesture because we truly felt there was nothing wrong to the level of getting the dinner for free! The little things can happen to anyone. We left a good tip for our waitress, thanked the lady manager very much and let her know how grateful we were. She said that Jimmy didn't feel our experience was up to his standards and he always wants to make sure his guests leave completely satisfied. We can assure you we were completely satisfied Jimmy! Thank you for your kindness! read more