I went to an occasion at this venue and it was lovely, so I called them to see if it would work out for a very small party I was planning. I do not live in Stamford, so had to choose a venue, rather than my home.
I thought this venue was attractive, the room had natural light, and the menu SEEMED to be reasonably priced. Upon speaking to the banquet person, he sent me a choice of menus. To keep costs down I chose "the lunch menu" which was similar to the kind of food you'd serve on a picnic. I called the gentleman back and asked what the "assorted sandwiches and wraps" were. He said something like, "Just email me what you'd like and I'm sure we can work something out within your budget." I wrote him a list of sandwiches I'd like. I did not hear back for a few days, so started leaving voice messages. I did so for 5 days until I finally caught him answering his phone. He said my sandwiches were deluxe sandwiches and would be $15 dollars more per person plus 21% service charge and tax per person. I proposed we negotiate between the sandwiches I suggested and what was included in the "assorted" list , since I had still not been informed what that included. I was told that was tuna salad and turkey salad, and was not given further information. he said they could include maybe turkey and cheese also. I had one sandwich for vegetarians I wanted included. He said he'd talk to the chef the next day. I called the next day (Saturday) at 11:am and he was gone. I spoke to him on Tuesday, not because he answered my message, but because he answered his phone . He said he could not talk because he was speaking with the chef. I suggested perhaps we could all speak together. He said he'd email a menu to me. I called in the afternoon and he said he was about to email me the "final" menu. I asked if he could just tell me what was on the menu and we could discuss it, and perhaps negotiate some other sandwiches if it was not to my liking. He did not want to do discuss anything. The menu I received about an hour later, was still with the same sandwiches on the list he had sent me on Friday: "tuna fish, chicken salad (no description of what was in either) turkey and cheese and the veggie sandwich I had asked for but without some of the condiments I had asked for. I had figured maybe a roast beef or pastrami sandwich and maybe an egg salad in addition to my roasted veggie sandwich. I don't think tuna fish is an appropriate sandwich for a family reunion. Maybe if it were finger sandwiches. The chef had reduced the price by $2.50 per person, but did not change the menu. At the bottom of the email it gave a list of four restaurants I might try if this menu did not satisfy me! They obviously do not want small gatherings, though I was not told this from the beginning. Due to not returning my phone calls or negotiating, I wasted 2 1/2 weeks of reunion planning time when dealing with the Italian Center . I am totally shocked at the lack of communication on their part. Perhaps they are great for big parties, but i would advise anyone with a small party to not use this venue. read more