Kistler Chardonnay, and a canned beet salad?…read more
I wrote a review of Boro about 8 years ago, it may be interesting to go out and compare the two. I have to say my wife and I are confused by our latest dinner experience more than anything. We could not get into Il Cigno Italiano, a fantastic restaurant (I recommend to the eggplant meatballs), who suggested we visit their "sister site" Boro. We love Il Cigno and thought, wow this going to be great. I did not realize the two were related under one organization.
Like all my reviews, I try very hard to keep drama and non factual commentary out as much as possible. I focus on setting expectations based on my experience.
Ambiance - Boro has changed since we were there last. The bar was walled off from the main dining more than before. The walls were empty with no art or really anything... pretty sterile...not a romantic setting, but more of a family setting. In fairness, they may be remodeling, I did not ask. One last critical item, we were sitting under a HVAC wall unit, that leaked on us through the meal. I would have asked to move but we moved to the far end of the booth, it was fine then.
The outdoor patio is still nice though, and is fun to go watch bands and relax listening to music. We do this frequently as we are "locals".
Service - our waitress was attentive, very nice and did check on us. The hostess was great, and was able to seat us right away. So service was pretty spot on. ....except, I am no longer paying credit card service fees that are not verbally noted when I sit down (small print on the menu does not count). These fees, have been added as "Covid era" item to help restaurants. I had no issue with it then, however, we are not in Covid anymore. I run a business and feel this is a cost of doing business and needs to be in the pricing (more helpful for customers) or absorbed. 3% is well over $200 per year for our eating out budget.
Food - this is where I left scratching my head. My wife and I both ordered the Beet Salad. It read on the menu it had arugula, butter nut squash and a combination of greens. When it arrived, there was very little arugula, very sparse squash and it had canned beets on it. The greens were very scarce, more of a garnish than a salad amount. At best it looked like it was a small side salad, not a dinner salad. It was not a good price point for what we received in my opinion. However, the Tuna Takati was nicer for $15 and much closer to an Il Cigno level of offering.
Another strange dynamic was they offered Kistler Chardonnay, which runs for about $90 a bottle. It is a world class wine, but Im not sure how well it matches the restaurant, or the level and quality of the food we were severed.
In summary, if I was the owner of Il Cigno I would be hesitant to send folks to Boro who may looking for an Il Congo experience. In fairness, I did not ask about decor or the HVAC. However, the food is not at par for the pricing or the quality I would expect after eating at Il Cigno.
