03/04/09

What a let down.

by LuckyOswald

I used to frequent Abboccato any time I traveled to the city with my partner. After contacting our favorite server before our most recent visit - he informed us he was no longer employed at Abboccato - nonetheless, my partner and I gave it a try.

We could not help but compare our last visit with our visit this Friday:

In the beginning things were okay - it took nearly 10 minutes to get the drinks we ordered and about another 15 to get around to having our order taken - first let down. We were on a time limit and rather than rush our waiter we went straight for entrees. I figured I would try something new, despite being warned before by our normal server, I ordered the Sweetbreads; it was incredibly salty, overcooked and simply put, not worth it's dollar. My partner ordered the Grilled Baby lamb chops at medium rare temperature; it came to the table nearly well-done and over-all bland. Combined with a poor pairing and terrible preparation, that's the second let down. Our last server gave us the impression to trust our waiter - a mistake I will be sure not to make again.

In closing, we were offered the common diner phrase of 'anything else?' - if we were offered espresso or cappuccino we more than likely would have obliged. The biggest insult of the night which is against fine-dining protocol, whether you've worked this field or not, was having the server remove our paid check before we even left without saying a word.

That is my last visit to Abboccato, and I will be sure to deter my friends from visiting. Your new staff has a lot of kinks - you all made a careless mistake in firing those previously employed.

• Pros: Ambience & Decor Are Gorgeous
• Cons: Poor service; lack of knowledge and poor management

02/07/09

Amazing Crispy Calamari Salad!

by hubriis

We enjoyed a meal at Abboccato while in town for a conference and while one of our party was not happy with the meal, the rest of us really enjoyed our dinners.

We started with the Crispy Calamari Salad which was dressed with a gorgeously tangy but slightly sweet lemon aioli that made you want to lick the plate clean. I could gladly have made a meal of that salad and gone home happy. Next up was a nightly special, squash soup. The soup had a wonderful velvety texture and tasted like a nice squash soup...not amazing, but quite good.

My main course was Breaded Veal Scallopini with prosciutto, Piemontese cheese and Marsala. The breading was just on the side of too much but the veal combined with the prosciutto and the cheese for a wonderful flavor combination in the mouth. The arugula and cherry tomatoes that accompanied the dish provided a nice clean balance.

We finished the meal with a glass of limoncello (lovely) and a cheese plate which included three Italian cheeses. The cheese plate was delicious but none of the individual cheeses stood out. By far, the best part of our meal was the calamari salad.

12/08/08

Service needs a lot of improvement

by RBH4

The service was terrible. We waited for 5 minutes before being able to get someone's attention in order to just get our menus. They took all my flatware away thinking I ordered soup for my app. When the app's came and they realized that's not what I ordered, I needed to ask for a knife and fork two times and they acted annoyed that I asked. Not a place I would return to again.