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| - After previous decent experiences at Il Fornaro about a decade ago, I decided to visit again this last weekend while in the area.
We were welcomed by an unpleasant exchange in front of the restaurant where a waiter was having words with someone and greeted us with a stern "can I help you?" and led us to a table in the back of the restaurant on uncomfortable chairs. Sporting a sore back, I quickly eyed much more comfortable chairs closer to the front of the restaurant at empty tables but said nothing given it seemed we were being put in our place.
Also noticed when we walked in were an unused bar and the wood burning oven bricked. What of the wood oven pizza that the store front advertises? Very little staff in sight, the two waiters for five or six tables were doing multiple duties- greeter at the door, bartender, barista, security, and waiting tables.
Given so few tables, it made little sense why food took so long to come out of the kitchen. The breadsticks other reviewers mentioned and provided pictures of are gone, in is room temperature sliced dry white bread which made no sense with olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the table.
A salad took quite a while to arrive, was a poor portion, and needed seasoning badly. I was informed by my fellow dinner that on a trip to the wc she saw the tomato and cheese from said salad were left sitting out in the kitchen long after they were used to prepare it. Clearly there's no work ethic here.
Noticeable during another lengthy wait for our mains, an owner or manager was sitting at a makeshift office, open on the other side of a partition from the dining room, talking loudly on a phone. We could hear our server yelling at the kitchen for the length of time it was taking to prepare food. One thing definitely missing from an Italian restaurant were sounds and smells from the kitchen- no herbs or garlic or wood burning. Given how clearly we could hear the workings from our seats, something was definitely amiss.
Now at three tables remaining, mains arrived at long last. Flavours of herbs and garlic were clearly missing, seemingly only the ingredients listed on the menu were to be used in any dish. However, what was served was perfectly cooked and ingredients stood out on their own.
Service and food are top notch for what they're being given to work with, but that doesn't appear to be much. I imagine this place will suffer a fate similar to its former neighbouring seafood restaurant with For Lease signs in the window in the near future if this continues.
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