I desperately wanted this to be good because I need more Italy in my life. It was not to happen. I can honestly say that I have never had a worse dining experience in my life.
Where to begin?
Decor - Ugh, those lights! Bright spotlights on some tables. Total darkness on others. I was in a dark spot and could barely read the menu. And there were a lot of loud, angry sounds coming from the kitchen, like someone was having a tantrum featuring pots and pans in the back.
Chef - This poor man. He was doing EVERYTHING. Making the espresso, visiting the patrons, *bussing the tables*, and yes - making the food. He appeared to be the only one working. I honestly felt for him.
Wine - We brought our own wine and asked that we open it there and pay the corkage. This threw them for a loop. They had never heard of a corkage fee. It took almost a half hour before the wine was opened. There was much drama during this time (and no food).
Wait time - We were there for almost 2 hours (we did not order an appetizer nor a dessert). We went a full hour with only 1 small slice of bread each.
Service - Oh my. So here's the deal: Our waiter was clearly higher than the Empire State. Highly agitated. Completely disorganized. Forgetful. Stunk of cigarettes.
And then there was the grand finale. While delivering food to a nearby table, he balanced the tray in one hand while aggressively, loudly pushing chairs that were in his way with the other. With the final chair, he chose instead to kick it. Hard. The chair toppled over and went flying across the restaurant and into the back wall. There were audible gasps. I've never seen anything like it.