rev:text
| - Dined here last night at the suggestion of a friend, so there were three of us. Fun location in Little Italy, with sidewalk seating available so that you can people watch while you eat, and the weather was great, especially for July.
We were seated, and given menus and waters, and it was a few minutes before the waiter checked back, which was good, because we needed some time to consider the menu. He asked if we wanted drinks, and we ordered a bottle of the house Chianti, and then asked him to tell us about the specials for that night. About 3 minutes later, he stopped by and asked if we wanted anything to drink. We looked at each other, and him, and said "Just that bottle of Chianti". He apologized and said that it had just slipped his mind. (No big deal - it happens.)
We got our wine, and put in our order for a Mastroianni salad, Fettuccine Fellini with Shrimp, Ravioli Di Summer with Marinara sauce (which the waiter suggested), and Vitelo di Verona.
A bread plate was dropped off, and an older gentleman stopped by the table with a big bowl of Cacio e Pepe, and offered samples. We enjoyed that part of the evening, although I see that that particular dish gets less enthusiastic reviews from other Yelpers. The same gentleman (apparently the owner) stopped by a second time while we were waiting for our meal and offered another sample. We tried to engage him in conversation, complimenting the pasta, but he didn't seem particularly friendly.
Our waiter forgot to bring the salad, which our friend didn't even mention, and instead brought our main courses after about 20-30 minutes.
Our friend enjoyed the fettucini with shrimp, and said the pasta was excellent. My husband, who ordered the Ravioli with marinara, thoroughly enjoyed his dish as well. I tasted the ravioli, and I have to say that the marinara sauce was excellent. I had the veal, which wasn't great. I found it to be on the tough side, and really bland.
When the bill arrived, not only were we charged for the non-existent salad, but the total was increased by $10 in addition. Fortunately, our friend looked over the bill carefully, and got it corrected.
It was a pleasant evening, but I don't see any of us looking to go back again in the near future, as there are plenty of other places in Little Italy to try that may offer better food and service.
|