Amanda A.
Yelp
We just dined here for the first time on Friday night and had a pleasant experience. The service was friendly and the food was fresh and tasty. However, I have to say - I feel this place is WILDLY overpriced.
I don't say that lightly; I know many restaurants have had to endure a lot of hardship over the past year+. I can only imagine what it's like to have to function at a reduced capacity with all of the additional trouble and expenses. But taking into consideration the food portions, the restaurant itself (ambiance, decor), and comparable restaurants in the area, I cannot justify the prices at this place.
The restaurant itself is a very unassuming lone building on a corner lot. Inside, the ambiance is decently casual with somewhat dated decor. It was actually a bit louder inside than I expected, considering the limited capacity. We sat at a table that had bench seating on one side and chairs on the other. The bench was unfortunately pretty uncomfortable; I felt like I was sitting very upright and couldn't relax at all in my seat. No tablecloth but nice marble-looking tabletop. Nothing on the table except a small candle (not even salt and pepper).
The waitress was very friendly and attentive. She was also decently knowledgeable about the menu; no complaints on the service.
While we enjoyed most of what we ate throughout the night, the price of the food for the portions we got was just absurd. I even looked back at photos of the menu here on Yelp to compare: in November 2019, there was a menu photo showing some similar menu items, and comparing them to what's on the menu today, here are some of the differences:
- Meatballs - $11 then, $16 now
- Sweet Italian Sausage - $12 then, $25 now
- Cavatelli with broccoli rabe & sausage: $15 then. Cavatini now (no sausage), $21
Many of the other menu items seem to have got up on average $2-3. That may not be an absurd increase over an 18 month period, but I think the prices were high to begin with, especially with everything being a la carte, which is what really gets you.
Regarding the portions, while many of them are arguably appropriate for a single person's sitting, they just don't match the price. For my dinner, I had the Fettuccini ($25) and was able to finish the whole thing, no problem, after also having mozzarella, prosciutto and bread for an appetizer. It was delicious, and I appreciate that the pasta is made in house, but for a simple dish with just lemon, parm & pepper, the price was too high for the portion I got. We also had Nettie's Hot Vinegar Chicken, which was delicious, but that dish ($27) served by itself + a side of the Beans & Brussels ($14) = a $41 entree, still with no starch. It's just too much.
The Sicilian Orange Cake and Chocolate Espresso Ice Cream were tasty desserts, and the coffee was very good. But all of that + 2 glasses of wine and a mocktail put us over $200 after tip for a dinner for 2. While the food was good, we unfortunately just can't justify going back any time soon.