David N.
Yelp
A few years ago, we took a trip to Niagara Falls and ate a terrific meal at Massimo's. I mean, it was honestly one of the best and tastiest dining experiences of our lives, so when I discovered that Massimo Capra had another restaurant a mere 20 minutes away from our apartment, I knew we'd be eating there sooner or later.
We arrived right on time for our reservation and were shown to a small table with two other tables a few inches away on either side. This meant that we could hear every single word uttered by the diners on both sides of us, which ensured that the evening was hardly the romantic dinner we had been counting on and hoping for.
(It's also worth noting that the restaurant was really, really hot and humid, to the extent that when I went to the washroom, my face was all flushed. And I was pretty sweaty by the time we left, too.)
Adding insult to injury was our server, who was extremely apathetic and unhelpful. I was planning to order a few drinks over the course of the evening, but she didn't even ask if I wanted a cocktail or wine at any point. And then when I took the initiative and said I wanted one of their cocktails, the Purple Butterfly, I was told that they don't have that anymore. Why is it on the menu, then??
Anyway, we decided to start with an order of the Mix Olives ("Warm Gourmet Olives, Rosemary Lemon, Garlic, Peperoncino") and the Insalata Napoletana salad ("Blended Lettuca, Radish, Onions, Tomato, Green & Black Olives, Pickled and Roasted Peppers"). I'll admit that I enjoyed both of these dishes. The warm olives were very tasty, and I liked the inclusion of garlic and peppers in there, too. The salad was just as good, as it contained plenty of tasty components.
For my main, I went with the Tagliatelle Al Ragu ("P.G.P. Tagliatelle, Beef & Pork, Pancetta, Crushed Tomatoes, Wine, Soffritto") and it was a disappointment. The sauce itself was decent but hardly spectacular, while the pasta was wildly, wildly overcooked. It was just so soggy. I couldn't believe they felt comfortable serving pasta that badly cooked to a paying customer.
So yeah, I guess our experience as Massimo's was an outlier. Either that or the management at Capra's is just completely inept. I doubt we'll ever return.