We were excited to try this modern Italian restaurant however it did not meet our expectations..food was mediocre and not anything special. Service was very good. Unfortunately we will not return since it was half an hour away..disappointed
CDW1
Food was very good. Portions were very generous. We were celebrating my dad's birthday, and they made it a very nice meal. Ralphie was the star! He was friendly and welcoming. He opened early for us because there was a glitch in the Open Table reservation app, but he honored the reservation anyway. That was so great since we were coming from the York, PA area for this event. He took care of us until the server arrived. She was also great. Friendly; good recommendations; attentive without hovering. Our group had the chicken parm, a pasta dish with a pork ragu sauce, and ravioli. All very good. The smoked burrata (appetizer) and meatballs (side) were also delicious. For dessert, we had the tartufo and lemon sorbet; both also excellent! Grazie and brava to Ralphie and his team!
Tara Solan
We just had our wedding shower there which was about 75 people. The owner went out of his way to make sure everything was how we wanted it (even ran to get us cake plates we forgot) The food was amazing and they gave us so much. Everyone was coming up to me complimenting about how great the food was. Best eggplant I’ve personally had out. The servers were so helpful even helped me set up my centerpieces, as I was running late due to a huge accident on hooper. Main server was also very sweet and appreciated. I believe this was their first big party and I think it went great. I would def recommend this restaurant and they gained a few new customers after this.
Charlene Solan
We just had a wedding shower for our daughter,Tara, & son-in-law,Dave. First, Ralph, the owner couldn’t be a nicer guy. He is very pleasant & goes out of his way to make you happy. The servers were especially helpful in setting the tables up & with the arrangements. The food was delicious & we received many compliments from the guests. You can’t go wrong having a party there or just going out to eat there. Very happy with the whole party.
Jimmy
Very nice surprise. The food was excellent, our waitress was fantastic, she was always there but not in your face. The owner is a great guy. We will return for sure.
Big Shirley
Overpriced for the area and level of food. Everything was average and lacked seasoning. There was zero lamb flavor in their cavatelli dish which is pretty hard to do unless you lack the technique in making it. This is because they used ground lamb and cooked it in the sauce. Traditionally you brown a cut of lamb, then add in tomatoes and the acidity from the tomatoes breaks down the lamb. When you see ground meat you know it’s wrong. And when they offer you grated cheese from restaurant depot (which is a cellulose blend) you also know they are cutting corners. The owner can claim anything they want but I know the products they’re using when I see them. If you can’t grate fresh parmigiana then stop with the gouging. This is another overpriced restaurant using LOTS of gimmicks to impress the locals who don’t know the difference. When I go out for Chinese food I know I’m eating at the right place if there are mostly Asian families eating there. If I go for Mexican food I know I’m eating at the right place if there are mostly Mexican families eating there. You also know your not getting authentic Italian food when you don’t see any Italians eating there. Let that sink in. Oh, I wanted to comment on what the owner said in a review I saw. He said it’s common to serve in the pan. The issue is you serve in a spotless sauce pan meaning it’s nothing more than a gimmick. Sautéed food is prepared in a sauté pan. He also said food costs are high on homemade pasta. That is not true compared to purchased pasta. Pasta dishes have the lowest food costs per plate in restaurants but this place like many others now seem to think asking $30+ per plate is deserved because of “food costs”. Food costs have risen and some food costs have come back down however you don’t see anyone reflecting those new lower costs. I’m in the business, I know food costs and this place is making excuses to warrant higher prices. Oh, when asking $12 per dessert I expect something way better than what we got. Do yourself a favor and skip their desserts, I’ll leave it at that. Lastly, the acoustics are horrendous and you can barely hear the staff when they visits the table. I couldn’t hear the person sitting next to me. I would not return or recommend this place. I was also not surprised when I started looking at reviews and saw similar reviews on the food (over salted) from such a new place. You might be the right place for holiday city but not a northern NJ palate of Italian descent.Reply to owner,Wrong, nobody at the table ordered calamari and nobody made any complaints about anything to the server, so try again. What it does tell everyone is you must get plenty of these same complaints(none of which you addressed in my review). Maybe try fixing the issues people are taking their time to write about and calling a staff meeting to fix them and less time writing replies. As for who I am, I’m not a restaurant critic and never stated or had a desire to be one, I’m a chef/owner with 35 years experience who’s also hired to fix kitchens (as a restaurant consultant) by owners willing to acknowledge their issues and who are looking to fix them. My prediction for you based on your attitude and lack of concern is you will continue to get worse reviews as time goes by. Your replies will get more aggressive but you will do nothing to fix the problems. Word will spread about the quality and gouging and your numbers will decline. There's too much competition to have your attitude and I can go to a pizzeria and get a better entree at half the price. So stop pretending to be high end by simply adding micro greens to average food (gimmick) or over explaining simple menu items to confuse the locals (gimmick). Also the phony “first and second course menu options” when they are all entrees!!! You’re not serving a tasting menu or family style dinners. ?
Orlando
This was our first time eating here but it will not be the last. Our party of four very much enjoyed sharing the meatballs and calamari appetizers. Everyone raved about their entrees and vowed to return. Brian was very attentive without hovering. Prices are very reasonable for the quality of the food. Location is a strip mall with plenty of parking.
JohnG
Service was very good. Food was overpriced for what it was. Chicken parm was tough. Calamari was also pretty chewy. Mediocre at best.
carol stauffer
Very disappointed w the food. Atmosphere was lovely and our server v sweet but two items we ordered were disappointing. The burrata salad was described coming w a cherry tomato salad. Two little cherry tomatoes sliced in half w a couple leaves of lettuce. Burrata looked impressive served in a smokey dome but burrata was cold, just like a ball of cold mozzarella! Should have been warm and creamy and they served it w 3 paper thin crusts of bread. My seafood dish over house made pasta had a watery anemic sauce lacking in flavor. I asked if they could spice it up a bit when I ordered as I love Victoria fra Diavalo sauce. Not a drop of spice and chunks of fish that were added were cold. Overall very disappointed. We wont be back. Ps the pasta was the best part of my dish it was the sauce and some of the seafood that was disappointing. Burrata could have been warmed just before smoking to yield its creamy texture. The presentation was awesome.
Joe Tumminaro
Food was good. The Crema di Parmigiano was really good. The Calamari Ripieni was good, but definitely would have been better if served over pasta. Instead it was served over vegetables of the day which were two pieces of brocolini and a potato. I asked the waitress to sub pasta, but she said that the kitchen was too busy to make pasta. At $35 a plate I should have at least gotten what I wanted. Also noise level was very high.☆☆☆ UPDATE ☆☆☆So my wife and I gave it another try, because Ralph, the owner, very graciously offered to buy my next meal. I really wanted to like it and be happy, so I could give them a 5 star review. Unfortunately, this didn't happen. I had the linguine ai frutti di mare. It was good. Fresh fish and tasty sauce. My wife had the Fettuccine alla Bolognese, but instead of Fettuccine, she wanted rigatoni. The waitress was very accommodating, but when the plate came out, the rigatoni was under cooked. Not aldente, but hard. It just needed another minute or two in the water to be perfect. We sent it back and told the waitress no big deal, just have the chef cook the pasta a few minutes more. Nope, second plate was exactly the same, pasta too hard and undercooked. So my wife says just make it with the Fettuccine. They did and it was cooked fine, but she really didn't enjoy it. At this point I tell the waitress who I am and expected a visit from Ralph, but this didn't happen. She took my dinner off the bill and charged us in full for my wife's meal. Sorry but we tried.
The service was outstanding, by far the best service I've experienced recently. The hostess was very friendly and helpful (explaining BYOB and how to order from Spirits right from the table). The wait staff was extremely attentive and friendly. The food was good. We had the calamari appetizer to start. I would say it was average. The rings were very small, but tender, the marinara served with it was very good. I had the Bolognese, it was good not great. My date had Chicken Parm, again it was good, not great. For dessert we shared the chocolate lava cake. It was served with chocolate ice cream. It also was good. I will say the portions are large and the prices fair. Overall it was a good experience, nice date night spot. Will return.
The service was outstanding, by far the best service I've experienced recently. The hostess was very friendly and helpful (explaining BYOB and how to order from Spirits right from the table). The wait staff was extremely attentive and friendly. The food was good. We had the calamari appetizer to start. I would say it was average. The rings were very small, but tender, the marinara served with it was very good. I had the Bolognese, it was good not great. My date had Chicken Parm, again it was good, not great. For dessert we shared the chocolate lava cake. It was served with chocolate ice cream. It also was good. I will say the portions are large and the prices fair. Overall it was a good experience, nice date night spot. Will return.
babs
Seventh visit - will be our LAST! Completely changed. Fav appetizer smoked burrata came out solid. No smoke under the glass, no moist center. Meals were served at different times and all but one had problems with 4 having to go back to the kitchen - including a RAW pork chop. Waitress was completely embarrassed and continually apologizing. In the past all tables were full, this time restaurant was half empty. Never once did the manager/owner come to the table to apologize or make it right. I ALWAYS come with a group of 6 or 8, bringing you many new customers and you have now lost a loyal one!
KeriH
Second time there, fantastic service and delicious homemade food. A bit loud, high ceilings and music along with people talking made it a bit difficult to hear our conversation. Other then that, everything was great.
DonC
You would not expect a place like this in a strip mall, albeit a new and upscale one. One of our guests is from the Caribbean and the chef came out and prepared him a special dish that wasn't on the menu. I'm not a fan of the industrial decor, in a full restaurant it is noisy, but it reminded me of a restaurant you would find in the city. Our waiter was amazing and the food innovative
We were excited to try this modern Italian restaurant however it did not meet our expectations..food was mediocre and not anything special. Service was very good. Unfortunately we will not return since it was half an hour away..disappointed
Food was very good. Portions were very generous. We were celebrating my dad's birthday, and they made it a very nice meal. Ralphie was the star! He was friendly and welcoming. He opened early for us because there was a glitch in the Open Table reservation app, but he honored the reservation anyway. That was so great since we were coming from the York, PA area for this event. He took care of us until the server arrived. She was also great. Friendly; good recommendations; attentive without hovering. Our group had the chicken parm, a pasta dish with a pork ragu sauce, and ravioli. All very good. The smoked burrata (appetizer) and meatballs (side) were also delicious. For dessert, we had the tartufo and lemon sorbet; both also excellent! Grazie and brava to Ralphie and his team!
We just had our wedding shower there which was about 75 people. The owner went out of his way to make sure everything was how we wanted it (even ran to get us cake plates we forgot) The food was amazing and they gave us so much. Everyone was coming up to me complimenting about how great the food was. Best eggplant I’ve personally had out. The servers were so helpful even helped me set up my centerpieces, as I was running late due to a huge accident on hooper. Main server was also very sweet and appreciated. I believe this was their first big party and I think it went great. I would def recommend this restaurant and they gained a few new customers after this.
We just had a wedding shower for our daughter,Tara, & son-in-law,Dave. First, Ralph, the owner couldn’t be a nicer guy. He is very pleasant & goes out of his way to make you happy. The servers were especially helpful in setting the tables up & with the arrangements. The food was delicious & we received many compliments from the guests. You can’t go wrong having a party there or just going out to eat there. Very happy with the whole party.
Very nice surprise. The food was excellent, our waitress was fantastic, she was always there but not in your face. The owner is a great guy. We will return for sure.
Overpriced for the area and level of food. Everything was average and lacked seasoning. There was zero lamb flavor in their cavatelli dish which is pretty hard to do unless you lack the technique in making it. This is because they used ground lamb and cooked it in the sauce. Traditionally you brown a cut of lamb, then add in tomatoes and the acidity from the tomatoes breaks down the lamb. When you see ground meat you know it’s wrong. And when they offer you grated cheese from restaurant depot (which is a cellulose blend) you also know they are cutting corners. The owner can claim anything they want but I know the products they’re using when I see them. If you can’t grate fresh parmigiana then stop with the gouging. This is another overpriced restaurant using LOTS of gimmicks to impress the locals who don’t know the difference. When I go out for Chinese food I know I’m eating at the right place if there are mostly Asian families eating there. If I go for Mexican food I know I’m eating at the right place if there are mostly Mexican families eating there. You also know your not getting authentic Italian food when you don’t see any Italians eating there. Let that sink in. Oh, I wanted to comment on what the owner said in a review I saw. He said it’s common to serve in the pan. The issue is you serve in a spotless sauce pan meaning it’s nothing more than a gimmick. Sautéed food is prepared in a sauté pan. He also said food costs are high on homemade pasta. That is not true compared to purchased pasta. Pasta dishes have the lowest food costs per plate in restaurants but this place like many others now seem to think asking $30+ per plate is deserved because of “food costs”. Food costs have risen and some food costs have come back down however you don’t see anyone reflecting those new lower costs. I’m in the business, I know food costs and this place is making excuses to warrant higher prices. Oh, when asking $12 per dessert I expect something way better than what we got. Do yourself a favor and skip their desserts, I’ll leave it at that. Lastly, the acoustics are horrendous and you can barely hear the staff when they visits the table. I couldn’t hear the person sitting next to me. I would not return or recommend this place. I was also not surprised when I started looking at reviews and saw similar reviews on the food (over salted) from such a new place. You might be the right place for holiday city but not a northern NJ palate of Italian descent.Reply to owner,Wrong, nobody at the table ordered calamari and nobody made any complaints about anything to the server, so try again. What it does tell everyone is you must get plenty of these same complaints(none of which you addressed in my review). Maybe try fixing the issues people are taking their time to write about and calling a staff meeting to fix them and less time writing replies. As for who I am, I’m not a restaurant critic and never stated or had a desire to be one, I’m a chef/owner with 35 years experience who’s also hired to fix kitchens (as a restaurant consultant) by owners willing to acknowledge their issues and who are looking to fix them. My prediction for you based on your attitude and lack of concern is you will continue to get worse reviews as time goes by. Your replies will get more aggressive but you will do nothing to fix the problems. Word will spread about the quality and gouging and your numbers will decline. There's too much competition to have your attitude and I can go to a pizzeria and get a better entree at half the price. So stop pretending to be high end by simply adding micro greens to average food (gimmick) or over explaining simple menu items to confuse the locals (gimmick). Also the phony “first and second course menu options” when they are all entrees!!! You’re not serving a tasting menu or family style dinners. ?
This was our first time eating here but it will not be the last. Our party of four very much enjoyed sharing the meatballs and calamari appetizers. Everyone raved about their entrees and vowed to return. Brian was very attentive without hovering. Prices are very reasonable for the quality of the food. Location is a strip mall with plenty of parking.
Service was very good. Food was overpriced for what it was. Chicken parm was tough. Calamari was also pretty chewy. Mediocre at best.
Very disappointed w the food. Atmosphere was lovely and our server v sweet but two items we ordered were disappointing. The burrata salad was described coming w a cherry tomato salad. Two little cherry tomatoes sliced in half w a couple leaves of lettuce. Burrata looked impressive served in a smokey dome but burrata was cold, just like a ball of cold mozzarella! Should have been warm and creamy and they served it w 3 paper thin crusts of bread. My seafood dish over house made pasta had a watery anemic sauce lacking in flavor. I asked if they could spice it up a bit when I ordered as I love Victoria fra Diavalo sauce. Not a drop of spice and chunks of fish that were added were cold. Overall very disappointed. We wont be back. Ps the pasta was the best part of my dish it was the sauce and some of the seafood that was disappointing. Burrata could have been warmed just before smoking to yield its creamy texture. The presentation was awesome.
Food was good. The Crema di Parmigiano was really good. The Calamari Ripieni was good, but definitely would have been better if served over pasta. Instead it was served over vegetables of the day which were two pieces of brocolini and a potato. I asked the waitress to sub pasta, but she said that the kitchen was too busy to make pasta. At $35 a plate I should have at least gotten what I wanted. Also noise level was very high.☆☆☆ UPDATE ☆☆☆So my wife and I gave it another try, because Ralph, the owner, very graciously offered to buy my next meal. I really wanted to like it and be happy, so I could give them a 5 star review. Unfortunately, this didn't happen. I had the linguine ai frutti di mare. It was good. Fresh fish and tasty sauce. My wife had the Fettuccine alla Bolognese, but instead of Fettuccine, she wanted rigatoni. The waitress was very accommodating, but when the plate came out, the rigatoni was under cooked. Not aldente, but hard. It just needed another minute or two in the water to be perfect. We sent it back and told the waitress no big deal, just have the chef cook the pasta a few minutes more. Nope, second plate was exactly the same, pasta too hard and undercooked. So my wife says just make it with the Fettuccine. They did and it was cooked fine, but she really didn't enjoy it. At this point I tell the waitress who I am and expected a visit from Ralph, but this didn't happen. She took my dinner off the bill and charged us in full for my wife's meal. Sorry but we tried.
Restaurantji Recommends
The service was outstanding, by far the best service I've experienced recently. The hostess was very friendly and helpful (explaining BYOB and how to order from Spirits right from the table). The wait staff was extremely attentive and friendly. The food was good. We had the calamari appetizer to start. I would say it was average. The rings were very small, but tender, the marinara served with it was very good. I had the Bolognese, it was good not great. My date had Chicken Parm, again it was good, not great. For dessert we shared the chocolate lava cake. It was served with chocolate ice cream. It also was good. I will say the portions are large and the prices fair. Overall it was a good experience, nice date night spot. Will return.
The service was outstanding, by far the best service I've experienced recently. The hostess was very friendly and helpful (explaining BYOB and how to order from Spirits right from the table). The wait staff was extremely attentive and friendly. The food was good. We had the calamari appetizer to start. I would say it was average. The rings were very small, but tender, the marinara served with it was very good. I had the Bolognese, it was good not great. My date had Chicken Parm, again it was good, not great. For dessert we shared the chocolate lava cake. It was served with chocolate ice cream. It also was good. I will say the portions are large and the prices fair. Overall it was a good experience, nice date night spot. Will return.
Seventh visit - will be our LAST! Completely changed. Fav appetizer smoked burrata came out solid. No smoke under the glass, no moist center. Meals were served at different times and all but one had problems with 4 having to go back to the kitchen - including a RAW pork chop. Waitress was completely embarrassed and continually apologizing. In the past all tables were full, this time restaurant was half empty. Never once did the manager/owner come to the table to apologize or make it right. I ALWAYS come with a group of 6 or 8, bringing you many new customers and you have now lost a loyal one!
Second time there, fantastic service and delicious homemade food. A bit loud, high ceilings and music along with people talking made it a bit difficult to hear our conversation. Other then that, everything was great.
You would not expect a place like this in a strip mall, albeit a new and upscale one. One of our guests is from the Caribbean and the chef came out and prepared him a special dish that wasn't on the menu. I'm not a fan of the industrial decor, in a full restaurant it is noisy, but it reminded me of a restaurant you would find in the city. Our waiter was amazing and the food innovative
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