. "0"^^ . . "0"^^ . "1"^^ . "1"^^ . "2015-02-21T00:00:00"^^ . . "This restaurant is vastly overpriced especially for Madison. They are charging Chicago prices for pitiful portions. We came here for Valentine's and we had a reservation. Came at the reservation time and ended up having to wait awkwardly by the entrance for more than 15 minutes. When we did get our reserved seat at the bar, it was a spot cramped between two couples. I had a hard time getting on the seat and the servers didn't help at all. There was a lot of waiting throughout the meal because they were understaffed. Waiting to get water, waiting to make our order, waiting to get our food, waiting to get our check. Here is what was wrong with this restaurant in list form.\n\n1) Inattentive wait staff. Our waitress was incredibly inattentive, was reciting the menu without really wanting to have a conversation with us. She also came across as a snob and maybe a little culturally incompetent. When we said water is just fine, her attitude shifted 180 degrees and she was less interested in engaging with us. We are still paying customers, please treat us with some respect.\n\n2) Food was a big MEH. For this price and the item descriptions, I expected something great, similar to Porta Alba. I was sorely disappointed when I got my Rabbit Tortellini. It was like 15 pieces of tortellini in a generic cream sauce with truffle oil. There was zero presentation, just a lump of tortellini in sauce. There was way too much oil and taste was subpar to me. In fact I hated it so much I switched dishes with my SO who got a spicy seafood mix pasta. It was a-okay, not very spicy. They gave only a handful of shrimp and mussels, mostly just squid rings which are cheap. Plus, the shrimp and mussels that were in the dish were TINY! For the price we were paying, this is absolutely ridiculous. I can make a much better dish myself for less than half the price, without having to suffer through the bad service. I was so hungry after the tiny portions, I had to order a wild mushroom soup, which was the only good dish of the night. Still, not good enough for me to be a return customer. Also, the bread that came with the soup was badly burnt! \n\n3) I didn't like the atmosphere at the bar area at all. It was terrible sitting at the exact area they put all their sauces, and mixers, etc. Plus, we were jam packed like sardines at the bar - my SO for a while was very uncomfortable bumping shoulders with the guy next to him, but it was better after I moved to the left a little. Also, for a V-Day date I want some personal space. This restaurant decided to cash in instead of giving their customers a good experience, thus overpacked the bar area with too many bar stools for the small space. Also I should say the curtains at the entrance really threw us off. It looked like a coat storage space, not a welcoming entrance. The whole set up of the restaurant leaves much to be desired for. Not classy at all. I would even call it pretentious - trying to be a five star restaurant but really more of a two star based on its food, service, decor, and music. I mean, heck, they use Pandora for their music. How cheap is that??\n\nTL;DR - Disregard the five-star reviews. This restaurant is overpriced, has bad service, subpar food, and mediocre atmosphere. Instead, go to Muramoto down the road, Old-Fashioned or for good Italian, Greenbush Bar on Regent."^^ .