They advertise all their staff is vaccinated which is why we went there when a cousin suggested this business.
Hunter S. Thompson, US Air Force Veteran, was fond of saying that when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. Times are weird and this place responded by turning pro. We were immediately greeted, pleasantly and professionally greeted, upon entering.
We told the wait person we wanted outdoor seating and got it.
As we waited for our meal and wine, which we thought was a reasonable length of time as it doesn't advertise itself as a fast food joint, we noticed the employees went far above just being professional to being outstanding, and they were even high-end professional. We watched this restaurant's staff minute-by-minute mitigate operational issues with smooth and suave planning, training and corrections, they never let any customer see their service people rush or sweat, and never allowed their service people to just rush any customer out-the-door.
This business appeared clean and their bathroom was clean.
Their menu was nicely varied.
Their food was fresh, yummy and beautifully presented. Their food is much more American Italian and Southern Italian than Northern Italian (I prefer Northern Italian food). The buttermilk panna cotta, which is Northern Italian, a classic Piemontese dessert, was perfect. It was silky smooth and just firm with a gentle wobble, that looks appealing and tastes luxurious. I put my spoon into that lovely creamy panna cotta, then take a small amount up to slowly oh so slowly savor; then repeat. Ummmmmm um.
Another in our party had pasta and pronounced it superb tasty. Pasta seems to be a specialty of this business as we noticed several others around us also order pasta and very much liked it. (I am not a pasta fan. I prefer raw seasonal vegetables and fruits dipped into Fontina cheese fonduta topped with thin shavings of white truffle (when in season), hot fiori di zucca ripieni which is pumpkin, courgette or squash flowers stuffed with a mixture of meat, parmesan and parsley which is deep-fried very quickly. As you can see in my Yelp profile, My Last Meal On Earth is Barbaresco with raw seasonal veggies & fruits dipped in Fontina cheese fonduta.)
Their wine selection was adequate. We wanted a bottle of Northern Italian Barbaresco. Produced in Piedmont using Nebbiolo grapes, Barbaresco is a wonderful, dry and tannic red wine with tasty vanilla attributes. Unfortunately, none in stock. We made do with another nice wine. After we were tempted by several Barolos, who isn't !?!, we went with a satisfying Barbera d'Alba, Filippo Gallino, 2019, Piemonte (which is misspelled on their website menu), an unctuous (a rich texture--something lush, with some viscosity), overtly fruited red with structure in the sense this wine tastes much more serious and has a greater extraction of fruit and tannin.
The combination of the savory wine and food meant we lingered a bit longer over our meal, flirted a bit more, pondered life, and just relax (we don't let anyone push us around to rapidly eat-and-leave).
Noisy not in a negative way. More like a loving-family kitchen way..
Their prices are competitive.
In stark contrast to many businesses we've frequented lately:
No automatic gratuity was added to our bill; (we just don't pay any added automatic gratuity or merchant fees as we pay only for what we had bargained for upfront and received)
The bill matched their posted prices. (It's a Deceptive Trade Practice when the bill doesn't match posted prices)
No one at this business offered to commit fraud to reward us or pay us or compensate us for posting 5 star reviews of this business. (Under 15 US Code § 45, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has the power to stop and penalize parties "FTC forbids the use of fake testimonials as are illegal under Section 5 of the FTC Act (15 USC 45 as they are using unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce." It a crime to break official rules imposed by the FTC.)
No one at this business hassled us about our Service Dog or the Veterans' accouterments we adorn her with lavishly.
According to the Yelp ratings' definitions, Three Stars is "Ok". That to me is an acceptable rating of a business that does day in and day out what they are in business to do. It is certainly not a negative review. Four and Five-Stars to me is when a business goes over and beyond what they are in the business to do. Like having a Military and Veterans Discount. I would have rated them higher if they had a Military and Veterans Discount.
I'll be back only when they have a Military and Veterans Discount because as a Veteran, an extraordinary 7% of the population, I don't support business that doesn't support me as a Veteran.
If you love your Freedom, thank Veterans for it with a Veterans Discount. read more