Liam G.
Yelp
We had a mixed experience at Oro. Going into it, I knew to expect some service hiccups as I had read other reviews. I am here to report that they are 100% correct. Here's what Oro did well, could improve, and failed miserably at.
The good:
The ambiance was spot on. Upscale decor, not too loud or dark inside, and friendly staff. I was impressed when we walked in. The food was also delicious. We had some olives to start, then pasta bolognese, branzino, and spicy broccolini with Calabrian chilies. The broccolini was the star, I don't understand how it was seasoned so well! The branzino was also phenomenal (one of the best I've ever had), and the bolognese was spot on. The olives were slightly warmed and a great salty snack to start us off.
The bad:
As others have noted, the pacing is way off. Things happened too fast, then too slow. For example, we wanted to order a second round of drinks to pair with our dinner but our server was rushing around covering too many tasks. When we finally got his attention to bring us a menu, it was again another few minutes before he returned to order. By the time we got our drinks we had already received our main course. Also he absent mindedly took my wife's wine from the first round before she was done with it. We only realized because he set it at the bar across from our table and we could see a few sips left. Oro has to work on their pacing, it matches the vibe of a Chili's more than a "fine dining establishment" as the hotel next door calls them.
The ugly:
The broccolini (a dish that was labeled as GF on the menu and was noted for a gluten allergy by our server), came to our table with panko breadcrumbs on it. Again it took me a few minutes to get the attention of our server, who then took a few minutes to identify the issue with the kitchen, who then took another few minutes to bring out a replacement. We were halfway done with our main course when the fixed dish came out. The explanation for the panko was a "last minute" addition by the kitchen. If the dish had not been marked as GF on the menu, I would have understood, but that's not something to mess around with. The staff were very apologetic, however they did not comp the dish. I don't expect that these days, but it would have been nice and in keeping with their "fine dining" image.
Overall I would recommend you wait on this restaurant for at least six months. Let them work out the kinks, then come back.