My wife chose Novara for her 50th birthday dinner because she's been following the restaurant on social media for a long time and was excited to finally experience it for herself. Being a fan of Jordan Knight and knowing he's a partner in the restaurant made the occasion feel even more special.
In the weeks leading up to our reservation, I made multiple attempts to contact the restaurant to help make the evening memorable. I reached out by email, Instagram, OpenTable, and phone. My calls were never returned, my messages went unanswered, and after finally speaking with someone and being told a manager would call me back, I never heard from anyone.
When we arrived, the host wished my wife a happy birthday and asked where we'd like to sit. There wasn't much guidance on seating for a special occasion, so we chose a table outside. Ironically, many of the birthday wishes my wife received that evening came from other guests rather than the staff.
As for the food, there were some highlights. The tuna tartare was a generous portion and had good flavors, although all of the pickled ginger was piled together rather than distributed throughout the dish. My wife's lobster roll was delicious and easily large enough to share. My bolognese was also a very generous portion, but unfortunately lacked the depth of flavor I was expecting.
As we approached the end of dinner, I kept expecting some acknowledgment of the occasion given all of my attempts to coordinate beforehand, but nothing happened. No manager stopped by our table. No one followed up on any of the requests I had made.
After dinner we moved to the bar, where it took nearly twenty minutes to get a bartender's attention for drinks. We also decided to order dessert at the bar, which took an equally long time to arrive. The cannoli was very good, but the tiramisu was disappointing. A candle was placed in the tiramisu, which we appreciated, but that was the extent of the birthday recognition. No one stopped by to wish her a happy birthday, no manager checked in, and there was no personal touch despite all the effort I had made beforehand trying to make the evening special.
While waiting at the bar, we observed the manager arrive to meet friends. Rather than checking on guests, he appeared focused on socializing. We watched him take off his jacket, tell his friends not to order a Guinness because "it doesn't pour well," and order a drink for himself. At one point, after being interrupted, he loudly remarked, "I guess it better look like I'm working right now," before walking away and putting his jacket back on moments later. We also overheard him say, "This bartender sucks," seemingly because his own drink was empty. Watching a manager speak that way about staff and guests within earshot was disappointing and unprofessional.
The most disappointing part of the evening is that this wasn't just another dinner out. This was my wife's 50th birthday, and I went out of my way to try to make it special. I wasn't looking for anything extravagant...just some acknowledgment, communication, or hospitality. Instead, despite multiple attempts to coordinate beforehand, we left feeling overlooked and disappointed.
The food had some bright spots, particularly the lobster roll and cannoli, but the lack of communication, slow service, and the behavior we witnessed from management left us with a very different impression than we had hoped for on such an important milestone birthday, my wife left feeling overlooked and disappointed. Sadly, she regretted choosing Novara for her 50th birthday and visiting all the way from San Francisco to experience a restaurant she had been so excited about for so long. read more