The word "gourmet" is an adjective describing food that is of high quality and exceptional taste. Unfortunately, this concept was foreign to the proprietors of Annie's Gourmet Italian.
The nightmarish experience began with the bread, which had a hard crust but an odd, mealy texture which worsened when exposed to olive oil and balsamic. The salad was limp and soggy and the Caesar dressing lacked flavor. Then came the main dish, veal piccata. The sauce was great, but words such as "rubbery" and "tough" should never be necessary to describe a veal dish. The marinara served over the side dish of rigatoni was the highlight of this bleak meal. However, an establishment billing itself as "gourmet" should not be serving "out of the box" pasta.
The service was decent. We were seated promptly and the waitress was polite. However, she did neglect to put in our order for calamari. Judging by the rest of the meal, it is possible that was a blessing in disguise.
I think a renaming may be in order. Annie's Mediocre Italian? Then at least no one could sue them for false advertising.
Also, you have to wonder about the owners of this place. People are entitled to their honest opinion of a business. It seems someone connected with this restaurant questions any Yelp! post that does not view them favorably. The accusations fly that you are less than intelligent or a bitter former employee. Yes, being insulted really makes me want to come back and give the place another try!