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| - I've heard my friend prattle on about this place and I've also heard a lot of hype. Apparently they serve really delicious pizza or something, so naturally given the chance I figured I'd give it a try.
Party of 4, Thursday evening arriving around 7:30, mid-October.
First, I want to come right out and say that their chillies was quite flavourful and packed a pleasant amount of heat. We quickly consumed the first small bowl and had to ask for a refill, which our waiter promptly filled to the brim. Finished that too, so there's something.
On to the experience -
The location was rather packed, with the line-up extending outside the door. Usually this is indicative of good food and good atmosphere, and my friend assured me that the line will move pretty quick. The nice thing is that while you line-up you can take a look at the stock of items available for purchase including several jars of olive oil, pickled veggies, preserves, and the aforementioned chillies. It is somewhat awkward in that several tables are placed right in the front where we all wait in line (there is literally about a foot and a half between the line of people and the table, just enough for a waiter to swing by or the hostess to take down names of those in line). I felt sorry at first for those tables while we waited, and for good reason. After waiting about half an hour, we were seated in one of those tables.
As an aside, I want to put it out there to everyone who, at any time in their lives, plans to eat at a restaurant. Please DO NOT stand in the door way with the door ajar, neither coming nor going, in nor out. It was unfortunate that we had to be seated so close to the entrance and had to face the inevitable stares from hungry faces, but also had to deal with a persistent draft from inconsiderate people waiting in the doorway. It was a chilly mid-october evening and my food cooled down faster than I could consume it.
With regards to service, they explicitly say they will not make substitutions or alterations - although some people would take this as a "snobby" way of doing things (and I don't completely disagree - each person is entitled to their own tastes and we are, after all, paying them to cook a meal to satisfy ourselves, not their own sense of grandiose) in the end they are equally entitled to make such a policy. It's not a policy that will be very popular amongst some customers, of course. In a sense, it's basically the chef telling you what you want to eat and how you want to eat it. Not the best arrangement, but I had no problems with this.
What I found difficult, however, was the menu. The items were naturally named with "authentic italian names". Although this made it seem more authentic, or "real" or even "classier", it made meal selection an arduous task. Many times I simply skipped over items simply because I could not tell what they were trying to sell me on.
One of the glasses brought with a drink smelled funny - probably from the dishwasher. Otherwise, the plates were large and the table was too small (this could either be taken as a bad thing, or a great compliment...).
To the food -
I'm going to have to be honest and say that the food did not blow me away. The seafood pasta was al-dente, had good flavour, but I felt it did not maximize the opportunity to blend and play with the different flavours that are there. A single scallop, in my opinion, is being chinsy. I chose a simple pizza with spiced sausages and some onions and scamorza cheese. I have no problems with any of the ingredients by themselves, but my expectations was to find a pizza with a fair bit of the toppings scattered about so that I could bite into the pizza and experience the flavours together in contrast or harmony. As it were, there were half-inch thick clumps of sausages scattered sparsely, obvious welts of scamorza, and thin slivers of onions sprinkled about. I found the spreading of the toppings could have been more uniform.
We ordered a 5oz glass of red (cheapest in the full-bodied one @ $9) and a bellini. The bellini arrives in a shampagne glass and was not properly blended, but otherwise the water was great.
The food, while not being terribly ground breaking or awe inspiring, was also not terrible or bland. It had flavour and would have been perfectly fine to match a lower price point. As it were, however, the items tended on the pricey side.
On an aside - I also ordered the grilled calamari - came in 3 pieces on a bed of diced tomatoes and greens. Nothing fantastic, nothing bad, it was a good palate opener but lacked character.
Overall, I think the experience could have been better (we could have had a better table, for one), and I would probably try a pasta next time as it would be more filling than pizza. It did not help that we got a $60 ticket for a poorly marked no-parking zone. Maybe they should stop ticketing the people who fuel the economy, and go solve some crimes, or something...
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