| rev:text
| - Teatro has seen better days
The last time I ate at Teatro was over 15 years ago and at that time, it was very good. However 15 years later, the restaurant seems to be stuck in old times and more intent on filling the private dining area which probably offers a set menu at a volume discount, rather than advancing the food and service of the main dining area.
The interior is a renovated version of the historic Dominion Bank building and is indeed wonderful. High ceilings with large windows and tall support beams encase a variety of seating options. The interior view is indeed pleasant.
The menu itself is an attempt to modernize basic Italian cooking and offers some eclectic dishes such as rabbit and wild boar. The average entree prices are above $30, the seafood lasagna is a hefty $39, and the lobster risotto $38. The lobster risotto was loaded with butter and weak in texture.
The Caesar salad is a small collection of romaine leaves with a garlic citrus dressing which altogether is very underwhelming and at $16, almost absurd. The Tagliatelle Bolognese is a small clump of (to my liking....overcooked) pasta with parmigiano on top. At a restaurant of this magnitude (i.e. "these prices"), I would expect a waiter to come over with a block of parmigiano and shave a desired amount on the dish. And the same goes for fresh pepper which instead of being applied in a desired amount by a waiter, is relegated to a small acrylic grinder that had been handled by loads of previous guests and surely not cleaned every time. It is sure a strong carrier of germs.
However if the prices and the lack of personalized services don't mesh that's one thing, but having a waiter who seems to be paid a commission on the size of the bill and his penchant for pushing cocktails on the guests at every chance, is a tad "old school" and very annoying.
I arrive with one other guest and the waiter asks "can I get you a cocktail". I reply, "we are waiting on two other guests and I think we should wait. The waiter replies "I assure you it is not impolite to go ahead and order a drink". I reply, "no thanks, we'll wait". Waiter comes back 2 minutes later and asks "Are you sure you don't want to order a cocktail". We finish our meal and are ready to leave because we pre-advise the waiter we were going to the hockey game and the waiter says "sure you wouldn't like one more drink before the game?". Are you serious?
You can fool some of the people some of the time but not all of the people two times. I would recommend the waiters be a bit more humble and back off on the sales pitch. Or, lower prices by 30% and pitch away!
Teatro does have a convenient location and a nice interior and I would think the private area would also be attractive for corporate events. However as far as service and food quality, there are many other places that are better and less expensive in Calgary.
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