I went there for lunch today. I'll start off by saying that this used to be my favourite restaurant when Ned Bell was still around and I used to go a couple of times a month. Their lamb meatball spaghetti was to die for as well as their banana cream pie.. but then shortly after Ned left, the standards start slipping. The food and service wasn't as good. And to top things off, the person answering the phone for reservations was borderline rude. So I stopped going and never looked back. It's been about 4-5 years now.. at least. Recently a friend of mine lunched there and had good comments about it so I decided to give it another shot.
I was pleasanty surprised at how things have turned around. The service today was actually really good. I was actually impressed there were about 8 staff serving the tables at lunch service. That's probably twice the number that I'd ever seen in all the times I've been there in the past. Granted, today the restaurant wasn't full (only the dining area was mostly full) due to it being Easter Monday. When I called to make reservations, the person who answered the phone was polite and friendly. And I thought it was a nice touch they called this morning to confirm my reservations.
As for the food, the lamb meatball spaghetti with roasted garlic tomato sauce was just as good as I had remembered it. The spaghetti was cooked to perfection. It just brings back such good memories. I'm glad they have turned things around. I'll definitely be back for my favourite dish.
For dessert, I had the baked alaska with bananas foster. It was ok.. a little on the sweet side.. I loved the bananas though and they were as good as they used to be back in the day.
All in all, I'd definitely say the service today was top notch. The prices on the menu are really reasonable.. I was so surprised after all these years. They are practically comparable to Milestones. I'd go to Murrietas any day over Milestones. I just haven't been these recent years because of my past experience. But my experience today totally changed my mind.