chefs of napoli on 301

[ROCKETMAN]

On wednesday oct. 1st a new itialian restaurant will open on 301 in the strip mall close to floormasters. They have 2 other restaurants in inverness and spring hill which are packed even in off season. Check their website and you will see a huge menu at reasonable prices. They take reservations for any size group , even just a couple. They have over 800 reservations for the new restaurant prior to opening. :2excited:

[pklein9747]

On wednesday oct. 1st a new itialian restaurant will open on 301 in the strip mall close to floormasters. They have 2 other restaurants in inverness and spring hill which are packed even in off season. Check their website and you will see a huge menu at reasonable prices. They take reservations for any size group , even just a couple. They have over 800 reservations for the new restaurant prior to opening. :2excited:

We love their restaurant in Inverness. Good food...good value. Looking forward to having them close by :)

[LianaB]

I love trying new restaurants! Thanks for the info

[kittygilchrist]

What is the nearest east west road intersection w301?

[KathieI]

What is the nearest east west road intersection w301?

Don't know the exact cross street, but its in the same strip shopping plaza as The Floor Shoppe, motorcycle shop and the fitness center. I think a few blocks north of Rainey Trail. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

BTW, I saw the signs that this place was coming in June, so glad they will finally be here. Can't wait to try them.

[BarryRX]

You're right. Just a little North of Rainey rd

[shcisamax]

We've been waiting as well. I guess if they already have 800 reservations, we will be waiting a little longer.

[CFrance]

Bookmarked! Sounds good. And we like to support restaurants that allow reservations.

[Indydealmaker]

I don't know if this is still on the menu, but a couple of years ago I had Osso Bucco at the Inverness location. Sooo Good!

[NYGUY]

We were at that plaza today and someone came out and gave us a menu....it looks good, will be giving it a try!!

[KathieI]

Quite a few of my friends were invited to the "soft opening" tonight. They have all come out and raved about it on Facebook. I'm so jealous.

[tommy steam]

It's great other restaurants are opening up in the area.

[Barkay]

We had the pleasure of dining there Saturday evening in a pre-opening event and everything was wonderful. Very nice decor to set the atmosphere for casual dining, excellent service and outstanding food. We will definitely be going back.

[Whatever]

You're right. Just a little North of Rainey rd

Actually, it is about 3/4 of a mile South of Rainey Trail on 301 in the center of the strip mall and next to Floor Masters. P.S. It is the real deal.

[John_W]

Actually, it is about 3/4 of a mile South of Rainey Trail on 301 in the center of the strip mall and next to Floor Masters. P.S. It is the real deal.

I'm glad you caught that. It's almost across the highway from Terrascape nursery and office. The motorcycle dealer in that shopping center usually has a lot of bikes parked out front.

[Skip]

I don't know if this is still on the menu, but a couple of years ago I had Osso Bucco at the Inverness location. Sooo Good!

Yes, they have Veal Osso Buco at $32. Wow!

Skip

[MikeV]

We have been to the Inverness location and we loved it.

[asianthree]

Do they have a take away menu

[ROCKETMAN]

Ahough they have lot of reservations, I called for 4 people thursday and got in. Owners say almos twice as big as inverness location

[Omike]

Across the road from Pepper Tree apartments

[sbassham]

I was there on Saturday for their Pre-Opening Gala. The food was delish! The service was excellent! And the entertainment was wonderful! I am soooo excited about this new reatuarant!

[jebartle]

The Chef's of Napoli | Dinner Menu (http://thechefsofnapoli.com/menu.html)

[paulascorpio]

800??? reservations!! How many do they seat??
It looks like a small to med restaurant! It's in an average size bay in a small shopping center! If, you take 466A and take the right at the Walgreens at Burnsed (I think it's Powell) and just follow it to 301 then take a right at the light and follow it about 5 minutes, the plaza is on your right. There is a motorcycle place at one end (with trykes and bikes outside) and a golf cart place at the other end!

[sbassham]

I was lucky enough to get invited to the Pre-Opening Gala of this incredible restaurant. The food was delish! The service was top notch. And the entertainment was magical. This restaurant will be around for a long time. The Chef's of Napoli have a new fan! I just hope I can keep my waist line in check as I sample all the items on the menu! LOL!

[shcisamax]

I would love to see 301 all the way down through Wildwood to the turnpike become an endless row of restaurants and boutiques. It is affordable real estate compared to TV for non chain (yay) restaurants and shops and is close enough that would be a draw. I hope with Napoli coming, it will be the first of many. And what a boon for Wildwood.

[Indydealmaker]

I would like to see the city of Wildwood budget a portion of their increased tax revenue to developing their industrial job base by subsidizing technical school initiatives. Decent jobs will support decent standard of living.

[shcisamax]

I would like to see the city of Wildwood budget a portion of their increased tax revenue to developing their industrial job base by subsidizing technical school initiatives. Decent jobs will support decent standard of living.

Great idea.

[will1546]

What a waste of my Wednesday night. This grand opening may have been a hit for the owners but not me as a paying patron. The place was mobbed and we should have known it was going to be a long night. Our 7pm reservation turned into an all night ordeal. Finally seated at 8:30pm it only got worse. Basics like water and bread were not brought to the table until the staff was asked for them. I was lucky I had the remainder of my drink from the bar. Our server was courteous and tried her best but it was a losing cause. I cannot comment on the food because it was 10:30pm by the time we were being served, I took mine home. All in all , I would wait at least a month to see if they get their act together.

[Madelaine Amee]

I would like to see the city of Wildwood budget a portion of their increased tax revenue to developing their industrial job base by subsidizing technical school initiatives. Decent jobs will support decent standard of living.

Excellent post!

[Madelaine Amee]

What a waste of my Wednesday night. This grand opening may have been a hit for the owners but not me as a paying patron. The place was mobbed and we should have known it was going to be a long night. Our 7pm reservation turned into an all night ordeal. Finally seated at 8:30pm it only got worse. Basics like water and bread were not brought to the table until the staff was asked for them. I was lucky I had the remainder of my drink from the bar. Our server was courteous and tried her best but it was a losing cause. I cannot comment on the food because it was 10:30pm by the time we were being served, I took mine home. All in all , I would wait at least a month to see if they get their act together.

I am assuming this is a franchise or am I wrong? A restaurant may have excellent food, but the first impression is made by the server.

[mulligan]

I would like to see the city of Wildwood budget a portion of their increased tax revenue to developing their industrial job base by subsidizing technical school initiatives. Decent jobs will support decent standard of living.

And strong unions with effective apprenticeship programs would make it even better. They need to dump Florida's ridiculous right to work law, and change employer's ability to fire someone without cause.

[Moderator]

The topic is Chefs of Napoli restaurant. Please try to stay on topic.

[John_W]

I guess they knew they needed to call in reinforcements. Yesterday, when coming out of the new Publix on Hwy 44 there was a car stopped and a fellow with a heavy Italian accent was trying to find Chefs of Napoli. The people talking to the driver had no clue what he wanted. I gave the driver directions and he said, thanks, come by and I'll give you a free meal. Seemed like a nice guy, he was wearing his white chef's outfit.

[CFrance]

I guess they knew they needed to call in reinforcements. Yesterday, when coming out of the new Publix on Hwy 44 there was a car stopped and a fellow with a heavy Italian accent was trying to find Chefs of Napoli. The people talking to the driver had no clue what he wanted. I gave the driver directions and he said, thanks, come by and I'll give you a free meal. Seemed like a nice guy, he was wearing his white chef's outfit.
Good job, John W. That was true The Villages spirit.:wave:

[Madelaine Amee]

I guess they knew they needed to call in reinforcements. Yesterday, when coming out of the new Publix on Hwy 44 there was a car stopped and a fellow with a heavy Italian accent was trying to find Chefs of Napoli. The people talking to the driver had no clue what he wanted. I gave the driver directions and he said, thanks, come by and I'll give you a free meal. Seemed like a nice guy, he was wearing his white chef's outfit.

Nice job John W - take him up on his offer!

[ROCKETMAN]

They served 550 dinners on wed and the same thursday. My friends went there thursday and had a long wait. Owner apologized and all 4 had free meal and drinks. Have tp give it time to sort out things.

[asianthree]

They served 550 dinners on wed and the same thursday. My friends went there thursday and had a long wait. Owner apologized and all 4 had free meal and drinks. Have tp give it time to sort out things.

It's not even busy season yet. Can't imagine the wait in January

[Shirleevee]

They served 550 dinners on wed and the same thursday. My friends went there thursday and had a long wait. Owner apologized and all 4 had free meal and drinks. Have tp give it time to sort out things.

As a long time TOTV member, here is my Chefs of Napoli story.

We arrived at approx. 6 pm Thursday night and were seated immediately, placed our order and in 15 min got our soup and salads; After numerous failed attemps to find out what happened to our dinner, another waitress (not ours) named Carol was helpful in getting the Manager who promised that we would be eating in 5 minutes, again nothing happened and we decided to get up and leave. We were then approached by the manager and asked to please stay, another promise of 5 minutes.......nothing, so once again we were leaving when dinner arrived at 7:45.....they took 10% off the check and free desserts .......the only one who liked his meal was my husband. Should never have gone to a just opened restaurant, our waitress needed much more training and the kitchen was overwhelmed to say the least.........LESS SALT IN THE FOOD too. I might try it again in the summer when the Snowbirds are gone...........

[Shirleevee]

Quite a few of my friends were invited to the "soft opening" tonight. They have all come out and raved about it on Facebook. I'm so jealous.

Wait until it's old news Kathie, call me for my review

[Uptown Girl]

8 of us went last night (with reservations at 6 p.m.- a very busy time)
4 of us got there 15 minutes before our reservation time- we were welcomed and seated immediately at our prepared table, even though we were not all there at once.
Helpful for both them and us- and a good practice.
The rest of our party arrived exactly on time and found our table easily.

The place was packed and we were taken good care of in a timely fashion. Take out pizzas were being made non-stop the entire time we were there. (They must be pretty tasty!)
Our waiter was attentive and all our food arrived at the same time. Everyone enjoyed their choices, no one in our party had any complaints, whatsoever.

They had special, live entertainment, (which was a nice idea in theory, but added to the very busy atmosphere)
The place was immaculate, despite the hustle and bustle and the 'full house'.

They will do very well, in my opinion� and must be in happy shock over the welcome they have had so far.
I am sure if there are any glitches in their opening days, they will be worked out. Every restaurant makes adjustments in the beginning as they see a need.
The waitstaff was smiling and working hard, despite a possible traffic pattern backup from the kitchen.
I observed their patience with each other, allowing access in serving.
That's good training.

I wish them well! We will return again to Chefs of Napoli. :wave:

[SALYBOW]

Without a reservation we would have waited until 7:30. We went to Francescos and had a great meal.:wine:

[NYGUY]

We happened to be in the area today and decided to stop for lunch (thinking we might not be able to get in for dinner until season is over). Turns out they use their dinner menu all day on weekends rather than using a lunch and dinner menu. That was fine with us since it was 2:00 and we would just consider it our lunchner. The food and service were great....they will do well!!

[paulascorpio]

We are there on Friday nite. It was so busy and the kitchen was slammed. We were waited on promptly but then the timing went down hill.
My husband had the Fish Francaise. The batter and sauce were great but the fish was "fishy". He would have really enjoyed it if, it was made with fresh fish. He said it tasted like it was from frozen plus it had the fishy taste. I had a dish with a type of chicken parm with ricotta baked in the center and a side of cappelini. I had the marinara on both. I did not like their regular Italian sauce but I liked the marina. My meal was good. I also had minestrone soup, it was kind of odd. In a clear type of chicken broth with lots of string beans, corn and some pasta. It tasted sweet and nothing like minestrone. My girlfriend had a baked pasta dish with eggplant. She asked for the marinara sauce and they put on the regular. It was sent back and then, they forgot the eggplant. They took her meal off the bill. Her husband had pasta bolognese. It was served at room temp. It was sent back and and when it was brought back (after a 1/2 hour) there was hardly any meat in the sauce. He said it did taste good. We had the fried calamari for an appetizer and it was very good except for the regular sauce. Tasted like a tasteless pizza sauce. It took 3 hours for dinner. Kim our server was frustrated from all the mistakes, not only with our table but others. She was fried by the end of the evening. If, they get their act together, they have the potential to do a great business. They need organization which will come in time and some of the food needs tweaking. Luigi, one of the owners came over to apologize for the errors and the long wait. He kindly gave us some spumoni ice cream which was very good. I would go back and try it again but, maybe in a month when, they're more organized and the chef's can keep up with the customers.

[Bonanza]

My husband and I stopped there at 6:40. The only reason we got a parking space was because someone was just pulling out. We could barely get in the door because it was so jammed. After waiting a few minutes the hostess finally came up and I asked her how long the wait was. She couldn't even give me an idea but did say the people over there (she pointed) had a reservation for 45 minutes ago and still weren't even seated.

Hopefully, they will get their act together with reservations. No place is worth that kind of wait. It was so hot, so crowded and simply awful!

[rdhdleo]

I for one am so happy they are here. We were in Inverness yesterday and stopped by the one there because we had heard good things. OMG the food was incredible! BEST pizza since coming to Florida (from Chicago) and reasonable! love love love their sauce! Everyone at our table loved their food. The desserts were to die for the cannoli was excellent and the Lemoncello cake was melt in your mouth delicious! I had the Pizza Margherita got the 16" so I could take a lot home. Well it was huge and delicious! and it was only $13.25!!!! With fresh mozzarella and basil on it!

Please people give them a break, maybe if the entire Villages didn't try to get into a new restaurant the week they open restaurants could handle it better. They apparently had no idea how Villagers can be in that respect. I think they will do just fine. As for those that don't like it that's fine should free up a few tables ;)

[kaydee]

It is so unfair to bad mouth a new establishment. I surely hope that most people will use some common sense and let this new place get the kinks worked out. When I stopped there 2 weeks ago to get a paper menu there was a sign in the window stating they were accepting applications for all positions. I've got to assume that the staff is completely new and some may well be completely inexperienced. Can't we be understanding and cut them some slack rather than bad mouth them?
A slammed parking lot, a crowd of people all wanting to be seated & fed, been open just a few days and yet common sense didn't tell you to go elsewhere? Instead, compose negative posts! Not fair and this is just my opinion.

[asianthree]

We were there last year when a new Italian place opened and the Waite was long the service was so so and the kitchen was slammed. It will settle down I will wait for comments 3 months from now to see how it improves.

[Bobcuse]

We tried Chef of Napoli yesterday. Arrived at 4. Seated immediately. Server was very busy covering many tables but was very courteous, friendly and friendly. Food was OUTSTANDING. Entrees at our table were: Rigatoni with meatballs, Rigatoni al forno, lasagna, and linguini with white clam sauce. All four were excellent. I had the linguini and it may be the best I've had anywhere. The only minor complaint was waiting for our server to get back to us but he was scrambling. We went there for hoping for above average Italian food and were rewarded with that for sure. A great place to dine!

[MikeV]

We tried Chef of Napoli yesterday. Arrived at 4. Seated immediately. Server was very busy covering many tables but was very courteous, friendly and friendly. Food was OUTSTANDING. Entrees at our table were: Rigatoni with meatballs, Rigatoni al forno, lasagna, and linguini with white clam sauce. All four were excellent. I had the linguini and it may be the best I've had anywhere. The only minor complaint was waiting for our server to get back to us but he was scrambling. We went there for hoping for above average Italian food and were rewarded with that for sure. A great place to dine!


I love linguini with white clam sauce. Gotta try this place.

[rdhdleo]

Totally agree! Well said!

[rdhdleo]

:BigApplause:It is so unfair to bad mouth a new establishment. I surely hope that most people will use some common sense and let this new place get the kinks worked out. When I stopped there 2 weeks ago to get a paper menu there was a sign in the window stating they were accepting applications for all positions. I've got to assume that the staff is completely new and some may well be completely inexperienced. Can't we be understanding and cut them some slack rather than bad mouth them?
A slammed parking lot, a crowd of people all wanting to be seated & fed, been open just a few days and yet common sense didn't tell you to go elsewhere? Instead, compose negative posts! Not fair and this is just my opinion.

:BigApplause:

[sralph99]

We went for lunch today. It was not crowded and is a good time to try out the restaurant. We were served by Kim and three of us shared a large cheese pizza. It's been a long time since I've had a really good pizza pie.

[Skip]

Friends went there and were greeted by patrons leaving the place saying "It's ridiculous - waited too long - we walked out!"

A place that takes reservations should never be overwhelmed.
And they are experienced - two other restaurants.
It's not their first rodeo!

Skip

[DDoug]

Doesnt Bonny go to places outside the bubble. I dont see her commenting.

[bluedog103]

Friends went there and were greeted by patrons leaving the place saying "It's ridiculous - waited too long - we walked out!"

A place that takes reservations should never be overwhelmed.
And they are experienced - two other restaurants.
It's not their first rodeo!

Skip

Let's cut them a little slack. True, the owners have other restaurants but very likely the staff is brand new. Combine an inexperienced staff with hundreds of impatient Villagers and you are looking at a very frustrating dinner experience, reservations or not. Check back in about a month or two. Things will probably run much smoother.

[raynan]

We were there at 4:45 and got right in. Not busy at all. They thought it would be a calm night since the town sq was having Italian Festival. Both of us had veal parmagiana with salads and terrific service by Laura. Nice warm Italian bread. Food was plentiful and very tender veal. Definitely a keeper. Nice to know they take reservations for when the birds come. I think people should give this place a break. It's only been open 6 days and yes they have other restaurants but these servers are new. We had a wonderful dinner and were in and out in under 1 hour.

[Bonny]

Doesnt Bonny go to places outside the bubble. I dont see her commenting.
I haven't gone yet. Want to give them a bit to get everything going. I will definitely go. Several friends really like it.

[BarryRX]

I went there yesterday for lunch. First of all, the directions I gave above are wrong. It is located south of Rainey trail. The restaurant is beautifully decorated inside. I had the eggplant parm and my friend had chicken francais. Both were excellent, as was the service. I highly recommend it.

[chachacha]

was the eggplant parm cooked in layers? that is my pet peeve when they give you a fried piece of eggplant with a little cheese and sauce and call it pamigiana! :)

[RedChariot]

I went there yesterday for lunch. First of all, the directions I gave above are wrong. It is located south of Rainey trail. The restaurant is beautifully decorated inside. I had the eggplant parm and my friend had chicken francais. Both were excellent, as was the service. I highly recommend it.

Can you give directions from 466A? Thanks

[Shirleevee]

Let's cut them a little slack. True, the owners have other restaurants but very likely the staff is brand new. Combine an inexperienced staff with hundreds of impatient Villagers and you are looking at a very frustrating dinner experience, reservations or not. Check back in about a month or two. Things will probably run much smoother.

Or try lunch, we did after an almost 2 hour wait for our dinner last week.......much better. The food is really good, still alittle to salty, but nonetheless good.

Just a note on Parm......eggplant or chicken, I always take the mozzarella off, my family only topped it with grated cheese and that is how I make it home:wave:

[BarryRX]

Can you give directions from 466A? Thanks

It's a little tough because 466a is still closed to 301. But when heading west on 466a, make a right on Powell and follow it all the way around to 301. Then head north on 301. Restaurant is in a strip mall on your right next to a motorcycle store.

[RedChariot]

It's a little tough because 466a is still closed to 301. But when heading west on 466a, make a right on Powell and follow it all the way around to 301. Then head north on 301. Restaurant is in a strip mall on your right next to a motorcycle store.

Thank You

[Skip2MySue]

I went there yesterday for lunch. First of all, the directions I gave above are wrong. It is located south of Rainey trail. The restaurant is beautifully decorated inside. I had the eggplant parm and my friend had chicken francais. Both were excellent, as was the service. I highly recommend it.

And this comes from the food Guru who has lots of experience. Hasn't been wrong in my book yet :wine:
Skip 2

[Skip]

And the Gourmet Club is giving it 14 1/2 Stars. Almost their highest rating.

Skip 1

[beachx4me]

Food is great!!

[Shirleevee]

And this comes from the food Guru who has lots of experience. Hasn't been wrong in my book yet :wine:
Skip 2

Had lunch there yesterday and was not as happy as I was on Monday.....Kathie, HELP!

[KathieI]

Had lunch there yesterday and was not as happy as I was on Monday.....Kathie, HELP!

Phyllis (Shirleevee) had a better experience on Monday at lunch with her husband and thought that it would be safe for us to go there yesterday to celebrate my birthday at lunch. These are my comments:

a) Deco is very nice and could be a nice place to go to
b) Service was amateurish to say the least
c) antipasto was full of lettuce, not much of anything else
d) Phyllis ordered eggplant rollatini with a side of sauteed spinach. The rollatini was okay, but she said taste this spinach. I almost gagged. It was beyond salty, incredibly bad. Sent it back.
e) I ordered baked ziti as long as it was made with ricotta in it, which I was assured it was. It arrived, a sparse portion of ziti with the brownest (red) gravy I have ever seen, it looked burned. There was no ricotta but a small portion of mozzarella lumped together so you knew it was cooked in a microwave. I love baked ziti but this rendition bared no resemblance to anything I've had in the past.
f) the bread was doughy in the center, I made a cute little dough ball out of it.

I must agree with Phyllis, it was God awful. Not impressed at all and I will probably never go back. Did I tell the manager, not yet, but he is going to get a very professional letter from me explaining that if that keeps up, he will be out of business very soon.

[ROCKETMAN]

I am glad some people gave it one chance and won't go back to make room for the patrons who love the place. Talking to the owner most of the employees are new, hired only with a resume. Will take time to keep the good ones and get rid of those who are not up to his standard. Kitchen will only improve with time.

[gmracket]

Please wait for a long long time before going there. We went ...it was overcrowded. They had added several more tables just to cram people in and that's not a good idea with a new restaurant. You start slow until you are a little more established. We left after an hour waiting for just our salad. The waitress said we were not the only ones to do that. Sorry to say I will never go back ...I'm sure it's good but that's not a good way to start

[Doro22]

Oh yummy! We went for lunch today...just in the nick of time, as it was starting to get really busy by the time we left. Food - great! I had the pollo balsamic. Very tasty & well prepared. The chicken was tender & juicy, cooked just right. Hubby had the pasta with meatballs & the meatballs were delicious, as was his soup. I had house salad...very very good. We really liked the bread...nice & crusty outside & soft inside. Perfectly baked. The portions were generous, & we each took almost half our meals home for dinner this evening. As we get a little older we find we just can't or shouldn't eat such large meals as in our previous lives. Good experience in dining. I think we are just going to have to adjust our eating schedule for off times as this winter season gets really busy. I could see as we were preparing to leave our waitress was getting slightly overwhelmed & scurrying to get all her tables taken care of in a timely manner.

[CFrance]

Oh yummy! We went for lunch today...just in the nick of time, as it was starting to get really busy by the time we left. Food - great! I had the pollo balsamic. Very tasty & well prepared. The chicken was tender & juicy, cooked just right. Hubby had the pasta with meatballs & the meatballs were delicious, as was his soup. I had house salad...very very good. We really liked the bread...nice & crusty outside & soft inside. Perfectly baked. The portions were generous, & we each took almost half our meals home for dinner this evening. As we get a little older we find we just can't or shouldn't eat such large meals as in our previous lives. Good experience in dining. I think we are just going to have to adjust our eating schedule for off times as this winter season gets really busy. I could see as we were preparing to leave our waitress was getting slightly overwhelmed & scurrying to get all her tables taken care of in a timely manner.
Doro, what time did you go? We like to eat a late lunch out rather than dinner. Then have a light dinner at home or none at all.

[Doro22]

We were there at 1 pm, & left by 2 pm. Lovely experience!

[ROCKETMAN]

Phyllis (Shirleevee) had a better experience on Monday at lunch with her husband and thought that it would be safe for us to go there yesterday to celebrate my birthday at lunch. These are my comments:

a) Deco is very nice and could be a nice place to go to
b) Service was amateurish to say the least
c) antipasto was full of lettuce, not much of anything else
d) Phyllis ordered eggplant rollatini with a side of sauteed spinach. The rollatini was okay, but she said taste this spinach. I almost gagged. It was beyond salty, incredibly bad. Sent it back.
e) I ordered baked ziti as long as it was made with ricotta in it, which I was assured it was. It arrived, a sparse portion of ziti with the brownest (red) gravy I have ever seen, it looked burned. There was no ricotta but a small portion of mozzarella lumped together so you knew it was cooked in a microwave. I love baked ziti but this rendition bared no resemblance to anything I've had in the past.
f) the bread was doughy in the center, I made a cute little dough ball out of it.

I must agree with Phyllis, it was God awful. Not impressed at all and I will probably never go back. Did I tell the manager, not yet, but he is going to get a very professional letter from me explaining that if that keeps up, he will be out of business very soon.

I dubt they will be out of business ever. Two week open and never going back. More room for everyone else

[rp001]

I had a late dinner there last night. My wife had grouper and I had veal. The fish was fantastic but the veal was mediocre. The chef stopped by our table twice. The service was extremely slow but they've only been open a couple of weeks.overall I think it is by far the best Italian fare in the area and will be back, probably after the season. As soon as folks find out about this place it's gonna be swamped even more than now, so please only gripe or say nothing.

[NYGUY]

Like last weekend, we were in the area again, and again stopped for lunch. Decided to try the pizza this time. The sauce was very good but the pizza itself was too doughy. We will stick with other menu choices in the future but definitely will be back again!!

[beachx4me]

Had a late lunch there recently, service was great, food was great too. Can't wait to go back!!

[Villager Joyce]

Ate there Monday evening. Food was delicious. Waitresses were so overwhelmed it was incredible. The space is entirely too small.

[ltckochde]

Two couples-7:15 reservations last Fri. Large group 12+ seated*6:30. We were seated as the large group was ordering. *Overall, very slow service. Took forever to get drinks - the groups waitress noticed us and said she'd pick us up and took our drink order. So, she was taking ours and the group's orders together. We ordered 2 shank specials, veal parm, and lasagna. Lots of problems with the big group. Two walked out mid-service. Three NEVER got their orders. Heard two men tell the waitress to cancel their orders. Many of the others asked to have their food packed up to go. Meanwhile our table - after some time waitress said-out of shank-we reordered. Strangely, a while later the waitress brought over two shank orders (those cancelled from the big group?), the parm and the lasagna. My wife couldn't eat the shank - cold, dry, hard. The lasagna looked like a cheesy/tomato paste about *3/4" thick (poor quality especially given the $14 cost). My parm side had the wrong, and very cold pasta. Brought the waitress over, she scraped my pasta side off my plate promising to replace-(never replaced). She apologized, *said she was brought in from one of the other locations, *they were having trouble holding wait staff, and one other waitress that night walked out mid-service, so they were shorthanded. We were there about 2+ hours, the large group about 3 hours. A big guy came out of the kitchen and told the big group he'll take 20% off the bill. We asked for the same discount when we got our bill-which, of course, was not correct-wrong food, wrong drinks. In total frustration, *the waitress just gave us a dollar figure-we accepted and tipped well, given poor food quality and wait staff being shorthanded was not her fault. Epilogue-as we exited, five people were standing outside. A man with a white apron asked about our evening-I reiterated our experience and said we'll never be back. The lady next to him said- "he's the owner". I said I wish him well, but he has to get a handle or he won't make it.

[MikeV]

We had lunch there today and we loved it. We feel it is much better than most other Italian restaurants around here. I am 100% Italian and my wife is half Italian so we know a little about Italian food.

[Futurevillager2013]

Went there Sunday night and had a 6:00 reservation. There were three hostesses who were so confused they were giving away each other's tables. There were alot of angry folks there including us who waited over an hour to be seated. When finally seated it took over an hour for our food to arrive. The food was not great. The bread was good but I've had better Italian food in Ricciardi's in Brownwood and I am 100% italian. My friend ordered Veal Milanese and it was too breaded veal cutlets with no sauce. We all were disappointed. There were also many around us who were complaining about the long wait and poor service. Perhaps lunch time is better but they shouldn't be taking reservations if they are not going to honor them. We got there at 5:50 and finished dinner at 8:45 and will not be returning anytime soon.

[RedChariot]

Went there Sunday night and had a 6:00 reservation. There were three hostesses who were so confused they were giving away each other's tables. There were alot of angry folks there including us who waited over an hour to be seated. When finally seated it took over an hour for our food to arrive. The food was not great. The bread was good but I've had better Italian food in Ricciardi's in Brownwood and I am 100% italian. My friend ordered Veal Milanese and it was too breaded veal cutlets with no sauce. We all were disappointed. There were also many around us who were complaining about the long wait and poor service. Perhaps lunch time is better but they shouldn't be taking reservations if they are not going to honor them. We got there at 5:50 and finished dinner at 8:45 and will not be returning anytime soon.

Similar situation for us this last Saturday night. Had a reservation for 8 people for 6:30. Seated at about 8 pm. Another large group was seated for an hour and had gotten to bread but no water/ drinks. Waiter disappeared. Another table felt sorry for them and offered to share their pizza. There was a loud confrontation in the waiting area. Disgruntled people waiting forever. The 3 hostesses had no clue on how go handle this onslaught. On 2 occasions a tray of glasses crashed and broke on the floor. Another large group again waiting a long time were having difficulty standing so long because there were no seats left in waiting area. I honestly have never seen such a disorganized restaurant. Food just ok. Not worth the ride. Can you imagine this place in January when the season is in full swing?

[CFrance]

Do you think they are overbooking, or is the kitchen slow? It seems very strange for this to be going on for so long. Perhaps they should stop taking reservations until they figure out their timing and get the staff better trained.

[RedChariot]

Do you think they are overbooking, or is the kitchen slow? It seems very strange for this to be going on for so long. Perhaps they should stop taking reservations until they figure out their timing and get the staff better trained.

Anyone hates to see a business struggle like this one. Owner has other restaurants? How are the other ones doing. Surely the owner knows this is happening. His experience should allow for knowledgeable intervention. If the total chaos I experienced and observed on Saturday continues, this restaurant might not do so well. I wish them success. The area really needs fine dining. I realize that's a pipe dream.

[Indydealmaker]

Anyone hates to see a business struggle like this one. Owner has other restaurants? How are the other ones doing. Surely the owner knows this is happening. His experience should allow for knowledgeable intervention. If the total chaos I experienced and observed on Saturday continues, this restaurant might not do so well. I wish them success. The area really needs fine dining. I realize that's a pipe dream.

It is possible that the relatively large number of restaurants in this area have sucked the job pool dry. What you could be seeing is newly trained employees that are just not up to the job.

[JSR22]

Tried this place yesterday to see what all the hype was about. Got a seat quickly but there was absolutely no room in between our table, the table behind us and the table next to us. We could feel the breath of the people around us due to the extremely tight space! Wonder how they get away with this?

The bread came out quickly. It was good but very cold.

Then we waited forever for the salad, which was extremely small. Low and behold there was a piece of plastic in mine. I immediately told the waiter who took it from me and put it in his pocket but did not tell management anything about it.

Well, things happen so we waited for the food to arrive in anticipation of a good meal. Nope! That was not the case. My husband ordered the rigatoni with smoked salmon and it was absolutely horrible that he could not eat it. I had the chicken parmesan. The chicken was ok but the tomato sauce was from a can. I am Italian and know when sauce is cooked from scratch. Our grandson had the cheese pizza and it was the soggiest pizza we had ever seen!

Management came by our table when were almost finished eating to ask how we liked our meal. I had to be honest and told him of everything to include the piece of plastic in my salad. He offered us a free dessert but we don't eat dessert. We took the check, paid it and left NEVER to return again.

Don't waste your time!! This was such a disappointment and not real Italian homemade food!

I agree with your opinion of the tomato sauce. My friend thought it tasted like Campbell's tomato soup. The service was awful. Tried to speak to the manager but we were pretty much ignored. Will never go back.