3 Forks: Could be better. Could be worse.
I have had great times here and not so great times. Overall, I like it because it is in my town and they have a lot of food I like. The service has left something to the imagination on a few trips, hence the reservation of a couple of stars. The only other negative thing I could say is that the upstairs closes too early.
Pros: Good food. I like the tuxedo chicken myself, but I have tried many dishes that are all well prepared. I also like the "pub" like feel.
Overall: A nice place to try. Not too expensive either
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Via Alto: Clinton, MA
2 Forks: Needs improvement.
We ate here and were underwhelmed. I will agree that the service is lacking. They need to get career wait staff in the restaurant if they plan on being as upscale as the decor suggest.
The restaurant is set in a nice location and has a very comfortable feel to it. At least that was until I got to the table. I took my fiance and her mother and brother out to dinner and we were seated at a booth. The restaurant was not full by any means. The hostess sat us at a booth that was too small on one side. This means that there was not enough room to comfortably fit a person between their body and the table. I am not a large person with a large gut and I am not small either. I asked the hostess and she giggled and told me that they had mesaured wrong. Never offered to move us to a different table. (Note to ownership, build your restaurant correct). I know I seem to be off on a bad start, but I did only give it two stars.
Now for something positive. The food is served in the traditional italian style. Multiple courses. I have been to Italy and this is how they do it. Another issue I saw from another review was the water. Also like in Italy, you shouldn't drink the tap water :). The restaurant should have a bottle of Peligrino sitting on the table for you to purchase at any time.
Ok, more bad now. The food was not very good. The chicken from the chicken parm was thick and had no flavor. The pasta was nice, but the sauce lacked in flavor. It had too little spice, with nothing more than a thick tomato base. The steak was stringy and took way too long to chew. The wine was served in a carafe. This might seem cute, but I want to see the bottle of wine that I just paid $24 for. This is a faux pas as far as I am concerned. The price was adequate if the food was better, however I would have been upset paying $20 for the food as apposed to the $180 I paid for four people.
I will not return any time soon. Better to go into beantown.
We ate here and were underwhelmed. I will agree that the service is lacking. They need to get career wait staff in the restaurant if they plan on being as upscale as the decor suggest.
The restaurant is set in a nice location and has a very comfortable feel to it. At least that was until I got to the table. I took my fiance and her mother and brother out to dinner and we were seated at a booth. The restaurant was not full by any means. The hostess sat us at a booth that was too small on one side. This means that there was not enough room to comfortably fit a person between their body and the table. I am not a large person with a large gut and I am not small either. I asked the hostess and she giggled and told me that they had mesaured wrong. Never offered to move us to a different table. (Note to ownership, build your restaurant correct). I know I seem to be off on a bad start, but I did only give it two stars.
Now for something positive. The food is served in the traditional italian style. Multiple courses. I have been to Italy and this is how they do it. Another issue I saw from another review was the water. Also like in Italy, you shouldn't drink the tap water :). The restaurant should have a bottle of Peligrino sitting on the table for you to purchase at any time.
Ok, more bad now. The food was not very good. The chicken from the chicken parm was thick and had no flavor. The pasta was nice, but the sauce lacked in flavor. It had too little spice, with nothing more than a thick tomato base. The steak was stringy and took way too long to chew. The wine was served in a carafe. This might seem cute, but I want to see the bottle of wine that I just paid $24 for. This is a faux pas as far as I am concerned. The price was adequate if the food was better, however I would have been upset paying $20 for the food as apposed to the $180 I paid for four people.
I will not return any time soon. Better to go into beantown.
Craft Steak: Foxwoods Connecticut
5 Forks
I ordered modestly and got the New York Strip. It was the best strip I have ever had.
Pros:
Amazing decor. The restaurant is designed with semi-private booths around the edge. In the middle are more tables. It is dimly lit (which I like) and there are old Thomas Edison style light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. The staff is very knowledgable. My fiance who works at another high end steak house was able to hold a good conversation with the manager about what kind of steaks to get and where the cattle is raised. She had the bone in New York Strip with the side of Marrow. I had to eat some of hers as well. I couldn't help myself. I can still taste the steak when I think about it. The price is high, but the food, service, and decor all are reflective of the high price. You get what you pay for here.
The staff was also knowledgeable with the wines they served and were able to offer good choices for pairing. The garcon with the water was JOHNY ON THE SPOT. He really kept the glasses full. This is important when eating steak and other fine meats.
We also had dessert which was equally impressive.
Cons: Absolutely nothing. Couldn't find a problem with this place, for the first time in my life I can say that this was a PERFECT dining experience.
We will return again and again and again.
UPDATE: We have returned twice since this review. Still perfect. No changes needed.
I ordered modestly and got the New York Strip. It was the best strip I have ever had.
Pros:
Amazing decor. The restaurant is designed with semi-private booths around the edge. In the middle are more tables. It is dimly lit (which I like) and there are old Thomas Edison style light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. The staff is very knowledgable. My fiance who works at another high end steak house was able to hold a good conversation with the manager about what kind of steaks to get and where the cattle is raised. She had the bone in New York Strip with the side of Marrow. I had to eat some of hers as well. I couldn't help myself. I can still taste the steak when I think about it. The price is high, but the food, service, and decor all are reflective of the high price. You get what you pay for here.
The staff was also knowledgeable with the wines they served and were able to offer good choices for pairing. The garcon with the water was JOHNY ON THE SPOT. He really kept the glasses full. This is important when eating steak and other fine meats.
We also had dessert which was equally impressive.
Cons: Absolutely nothing. Couldn't find a problem with this place, for the first time in my life I can say that this was a PERFECT dining experience.
We will return again and again and again.
UPDATE: We have returned twice since this review. Still perfect. No changes needed.
Villa Banca: Nashua, NH
1 Fork.
1 Fork for the building itself.
My fiance and I went out to eat here one Wednesday evening. Not many people in the restaurant and the service reflected that. Our server was great but not over the top.
The setting is nice. We liked the idea of the converted bank. they even left up some of the old signs that showed where the safety deposit boxes were. Nice touch. The furniture and table settings were sub-par for such a nice setting. Paper tabel cloths? This isn't a bbq joint? Is it?
Ok, now the food. We ordered calamari to start. Poor calamari. We asked if it was frozen and we were assured it was fresh. NOT FRESH. it was frozen, then reheated and tossed with some banana peppers and loosely thrown on a plate. No presentation.
Starting to lose faith. Don't worry, whatever faith was left was quickly scattered when the main course arrived.
Pasta, with sauce, and "spicy" italian sausage. 2 entire links on the plate. My dinner was cooked, then put under a heat lamp where it left a nice crusty hard shell to the sauce that was over the pasta. Also, disturbed by the unnaturally dark color of the tomato sauce. No thank you. I ate as much of the pasta as possible then decided to try the "grilled" sausage. Guess what, it was boiled. Then tossed in a pan to sear it on one side. It was boiled for so long that the sausage was soggy.
My fiance had Linguine with alfredo sauce and chicken. It was edible at best, but tasted like a jarred sauce. Ragu alfredo and boiled pasta would have been the grocery store equivalent.
We left Villa Banca with a bad taste in our mouths... literally. We will not be returning.
1 Fork for the building itself.
My fiance and I went out to eat here one Wednesday evening. Not many people in the restaurant and the service reflected that. Our server was great but not over the top.
The setting is nice. We liked the idea of the converted bank. they even left up some of the old signs that showed where the safety deposit boxes were. Nice touch. The furniture and table settings were sub-par for such a nice setting. Paper tabel cloths? This isn't a bbq joint? Is it?
Ok, now the food. We ordered calamari to start. Poor calamari. We asked if it was frozen and we were assured it was fresh. NOT FRESH. it was frozen, then reheated and tossed with some banana peppers and loosely thrown on a plate. No presentation.
Starting to lose faith. Don't worry, whatever faith was left was quickly scattered when the main course arrived.
Pasta, with sauce, and "spicy" italian sausage. 2 entire links on the plate. My dinner was cooked, then put under a heat lamp where it left a nice crusty hard shell to the sauce that was over the pasta. Also, disturbed by the unnaturally dark color of the tomato sauce. No thank you. I ate as much of the pasta as possible then decided to try the "grilled" sausage. Guess what, it was boiled. Then tossed in a pan to sear it on one side. It was boiled for so long that the sausage was soggy.
My fiance had Linguine with alfredo sauce and chicken. It was edible at best, but tasted like a jarred sauce. Ragu alfredo and boiled pasta would have been the grocery store equivalent.
We left Villa Banca with a bad taste in our mouths... literally. We will not be returning.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Welcome
Welcome to our blog. Everyone seems to have an opinion about restaurants. In this economy there are a lot of new restaurants popping up. We are going to attempt to review as many as we can to help people decide what they might like in a dining experience.
Background: Nate is a restaurant General Manager and has experience in Hospitality dating back 13 years.
Carolyn is currently a sautee cook at a high end restaurant in the area and is also a culinary student at Johnson and Wales. She has a passion for cooking rivaled by only those at the top of the culinary world.
Criteria: We will rate using a 5 fork system.
We will offer pros and cons. A restaurant will receive
1 Fork for service
1 Fork for atmosphere / decor
1 Fork for Beverage
1 Fork for Food quality
1 Fork for Food Presentation
We will also add as much insight as possible as to why we rated a restaurant the way we did. We would also love outside opinions. It does happen from time to time that a restaurant has a really good or really bad night and we can only eat so much. So pleaes feel free to contribute. If you are a business owner we would like to hear from you as well. Enjoy the blog.
Background: Nate is a restaurant General Manager and has experience in Hospitality dating back 13 years.
Carolyn is currently a sautee cook at a high end restaurant in the area and is also a culinary student at Johnson and Wales. She has a passion for cooking rivaled by only those at the top of the culinary world.
Criteria: We will rate using a 5 fork system.
We will offer pros and cons. A restaurant will receive
1 Fork for service
1 Fork for atmosphere / decor
1 Fork for Beverage
1 Fork for Food quality
1 Fork for Food Presentation
We will also add as much insight as possible as to why we rated a restaurant the way we did. We would also love outside opinions. It does happen from time to time that a restaurant has a really good or really bad night and we can only eat so much. So pleaes feel free to contribute. If you are a business owner we would like to hear from you as well. Enjoy the blog.
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