North has a lot going for it. The food is fresh and interesting. They are willing to customize ingredients and accommodate differing tastes. We started with a Chef's Board which had a nice selection of nibbles. The Calamari was tasty and crisp, but more of a beer batter than what you see in most Italian places. The rice balls were crisp on the outside and pretty good inside, although they could of used a bit more flavor. Pasta generally are decent sized and overall nice ingredients put together well. Chick Parm was tender inside and crisp out. It was served with a pasta with a white cheese sauce. The cocktail list and wine list were more than adequate.
The problem is service. Its just very raw. Our bread came out without any plates. We ordered drinks when we sat down. They didn't come out till our starters were almost done, even though we ordered those well after the drinks. The staff was appologetic, but it still required us to raise this three times before they showed up. Our mains came out and even though we were at a table of four with room on each side the runner insisted on passing food over two of us instead of walking around the table. Server, who was very nice, confused out credit card with another table so paying was delayed. Its not that I expect white glove service at a casual neighborhood place, but I do expect efficiency and basic understanding of things like how to serve food at the table. I view this place as a strong four star place that get pulled down to 3/4 based on front of house.