| rev:text
| - Though I've only been here once, I still wanted to write a review while my (good) experience is fresh on my mind.
This place opened almost 2 years ago, and from reading some of the negative reviews around service and food quality, I was very apprehensive about going....but...I had to see for myself!
Up until now, I've only frequented the "more casual/less expensive" Turtle Jacks next door, which coincidentally is physically attached to Fraticelli's and from what I heard, is owned by the same people.
First off...I adhered to the many recommendations of NOT going on a busy weekend, and NOT going in a large group, because it seems most of the "complaints" are in large group settings on the busiest day of the week...Saturday.
So...I chose a Friday lunch, and only went with my significant other.
We got there right at 11:30 to beat the rush, and 2 of the cooks were just walking in (you could tell, because they were wearing all black). They each held the door open for us so we walked straight through the double sets of doors. That felt nice...but it was the hostess that really made our initial impression a very positive one. She put on a huge smile (braces and all) and looked us both in the eyes and welcomed us. She then explained the 3 different seating areas and asked which we preferred (her braces made her enunciation a bit entertaining, but she was trying really hard to speak clearly so we couldn't fault her for that!). We chose the dining room. As we were being guided in, she gave us an option of a booth or traditional table, and then asked if it was our first time (which it was). At the table, she welcomed us again, told us the name of our server, and with another big smile was off back to her station. And yes....she was rather attractive, but it was the positive demeanor and the way she made us feel welcome that we appreciated. Let's face it...looks only go so far, because there are many attractive people out there...but if the attitude stinks, they're still unattractive! So yes, she was very attractive!
Our waitress came within a couple of minutes. Yes, she was attractive too, but a bit older (35?), and very professional, not wearing anything skanky, and definitely not doing this job as a summer job. She welcomed us and knew it was our first time already (the hostess must have told her). She explained all the specials, and knew all the main ingredients of each. No summer-student bimbo here...another plus!
We ordered a beer and pop for drinks. When she returned, she gave us a free sample appetizer as a welcome to the restaurant! She explained the 10+ different items in the sampler (which is a scaled down sampling of their appetizers), and took our food order.
We had the Calabrese Pizza and the Vegetable Panini. Both were excellent. The pizza was slightly spicy with lots of provolone and gorgonzola cheese....just wonderful! I would recommend asking for it to be well-done if you like a crispy crust though, because with all that cheese and toppings, the pizza sags a bit due to the weight. Regardless, it was very good, and quite filling.
The vegetable panini came with parmigiano truffle shoe string fries - Excellent! I've never had that before, and the parmesean cheese really added that extra taste.
As for the service...our server definitely knew her stuff. She would walk by without disturbing us, but would glance over at our dishes, and then take a quick glance at myself and my date to see if there was anything we wanted, but not interupting us. When we needed something...a quick eye contact was all that was needed to get her attention, and we were once again welcomed with a smile. Her attentiveness, but unobtrusiveness made our lunch very private, while still being constantly "served" when needed.
Our lunch came to $50 with tax and tip, so this is not a cheap place, and probably not a "regular daily" lunch spot. But if you're celebrating something with that special someone, I would recommend this place. Some "yelpers" compare this to Moxies and Milestones, but I think it's a notch above, and not in the same league as those chains. The Turtle Jacks next door is more on the level of Moxies and Milestones, but not Fraticelli's!
On leaving, we were greeted with another big smile from the same hostess....braces and all... :-)
P.S. The only reason this is a 4-star and not a 5-star rating is because I've only been here once. A 5-star rating should be earned with consistency (food and service), so now I have an excuse to return many more times ;-)
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