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| - A few months back I went to Il Vinaio on a whim for supper with a friend of mine. The restaurant was nearly empty, but our waiter was excellent, our food was served promptly and was delicious. I also ordered a glass of Sangria which was heavenly. I half-joked to the waiter that I wanted to buy a gallon of the stuff to take home with me for a get together I was having that night, and the waiter and staff were so accommodating. They sent me home with 5 freshly made bottles of sangria and a container of fresh sliced fruit garnish. It was a very good experience and I have been trying to get some of my friends to join me for a meal there ever since.
Well, last week I got together a group of 8 diners and we decided to go there for dinner. Two of the diners would be enjoying their last dinner there before returning home to England. I realized several hours before dinner that there would be an Oktoberfest Beer dinner that evening, and called to make sure that regular service would be offered. It was, and I reserved a table for 7pm. Three people were there right on time, and the rest of the party arrived a little bit late but staggered, no later than 7:20. I'm not sure if our waitress had never waited table before, or was just highly incompetent at her job, but the entire meal was a disaster from the beginning. The beer dinner taking place in the center of the restaurant was not as busy as I had expected it to be, and there might have been a couple of other tables in the restaurant, I'm not sure. Our waitress didn't get all of our orders taken until after 7:45. Bread arrived 10 minutes later, stale and cold. A couple of friends ordered pitchers of Sangria, which was not quite as good as the batch that I'd purchased previously, but still very good. However, the pitchers were tiny, filled to the top with ice, and $34 each. Most of our water glasses remained empty for long periods at a time while our waitress was nowhere to be found. The food was also very inconsistent with my first visit - I had tried the mac and cheese which was delicious and rich, and my friend that ordered it received a bowl of runny cheese-milk with noodles in it. The sauce on the mac and cheese was identical to the "fondue" appetizer she'd ordered. I ordered a grilled flatbread with cappicola, and what arrived was a glorified tortilla with some cheese and ham sprinkled on top. It was not a $12 meal. Some of the food was delicious, but the inconsistency was truly astounding. My husband's sirloin burger was cooked perfectly and was delicious. Another friend ordered the antelope burger, and stated that he preferred his meat as rare as possible, but as he'd never eaten antelope he would like the chef to prepare the burger as he recommend it be eaten. The burger came out well done, tough, and underseasoned. I also had this item on my first visit, ordered medium, and it was perfect. Our food did take a very long time to come out, which I could attribute to the kitchen being tied up cooking for the beer dinner. However, we were a large, paying party who made sure that regular service would be an option before we came. There were so many more issues with the food and service. I was appalled that I had so highly recommended the restaurant and taken a large group there. It was a disappointing meal for every single member of our party. This review would be much longer if I detailed each member's order and the multiple issues with each.
I am not a confrontational person. I have worked in food service before and the experience we had was inexcusable. My husband picked up our portion of the check and I left as a couple of our more confrontational party members said something to the waitress. Nothing was comped, no apology was given or explanation made, and none of us will be back. I had such high hopes for this restaurant after my first visit. I am saddened that my second experience was so disastrous. Downtown Mesa needs good local businesses and restaurants, and I was so excited that this would be one. If this is a typical experience I expect they won't last another year. Please, show me this was a fluke!
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