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| - So I hit this place today for lunch with some friends, first time dining there.
My impressions are that the atmosphere is great, very modern and upbeat, different from what you'd expect from the typical Italian joint. We ended up dining on the patio, which was a nice experience. The ambiance out there is perfect, you have shade, some trees, nice stone-topped tables and it isn't cramped by the other tables.
We skipped appetizers and decided to go for some of the signature dishes. I went for the lasagna, since I'd seen it raved about in other reviews here. I have to say that I was somewhat underwhelmed by the portion that I got. It was basically about the four inches by 5 inches and about two and a half inches tall. The very first thought through my mind was, "That's all?" To make it worse, they serve it on a plate that is gargantuan, which only serves to make the poor thing look even smaller than it already does by itself. Considering this dish is priced at almost $15, I was really expecting more (a lot more). In terms of the flavor, it was excellent, so no complaints there, but the presentation was definitely not polished or perfected. It really did look on par with something someone made at home, not in a professional setting. Again, for nearly $15, this fell short of my expectations.
The service seemed excellent throughout our meal, with constant and super friendly drink refills and courtesy from all parties we interacted with (including the owner).
Would I go back? Probably if I was someone's guest and they wanted to go there, yes. On my own, probably not likely to return or take anyone else over there. I just can't get past the absolutely ridiculous pricing they have for portions which leave you hungry. I topped out at nearly $25 with tip and all I had was the lasagna and a drink, no salad, no bread, no sides, nothing. I'm sorry, but one should be ashamed to charge that much for so little food unless it is otherworldly good, which this definitely was not. I would give one star for the food but considering we had fantastic service, I offer a second star.
My advice to anyone at Cafepino that is reading this, lower your prices or start giving people more food for the money. Quality is fine, but portions are ridiculous for what you charge. This place could be great if it wasn't pricing itself out of existence.
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