Casa D'Angelo in Mentor, Ohio
Today, Tuesday, August 1, 2006, I finally had the opportunity to go to a restaurant that has been around for some time but has recently been touted in the media as being, “A Great Dining Experience.” Well, let me tell ya. I beg to differ. While it was not horrible, or anything near, it was certainly nothing like what I was expecting. From the hostess with horrible bruises (or something that looked that way) on her arm to the server who was impatient at first then inattentive when she should have been, as well as not responsive to a customer request. Then comes the food. How freaking boring can a meat sauce get, one might ask? Go no further than Casa D’Angelo in Mentor, Ohio. It tasted like someone opened a can of tomato sauce and added some ground beef. Period! No other spices.
My companion and I went to the Mentor, Ohio Casa D’Angelo at approximately 3:45. There were two other tables when we arrived. One was a four top that had completed their meal and were talking; another was a two top that was ordering when we came in, then us. In other words it was not busy, in fact the dining room was so small, it would have been difficult TO be busy unless everyone came in at once. Although the food was not bad, it was quite bland to my tastes, at least that which I was able to order.
On you’re the take-out menu it is written, “Our food is prepared fresh and made to your exact specifications.” That is not how it worked for us. From our server, Denise, we ordered one Linguini Grachio con Spinaci (linguini with lump crab meat and spinach in olive oil), and the Pork Parmigiana special, which came with a side of pasta and mini house salad. While looking at the menu we noticed that there were six of, “…Casa D’Angelo’s Famous Sauces,” displayed prominently at the top of the first page. To my way of thinking, this is something of which they are proud. So, due to the two things about the menu already mentioned, I asked for my pasta to be served without sauce and asked to have the sauce on the side, meat sauce, and to have a small amount of one of the other sauces, the Verdure Sauce, on the side as well. I was told they could not do that. The server told me that they cook the pasta with the sauce in order to get to the correct consistency so she could not give me sauce. BUT, she was happy to charge me $3.50 to have a side of more pasta with that sauce. I have never heard of a restaurant cooking their pasta with the sauce, but beyond that, don’t tell me you will make things to my specifications and then tell me you won’t. I just wanted to try the sauce to see if I might return. After the horrifically bland meat sauce, I don’t think I will. Also, Of our four slices of bread, our server didn’t seem to notice we were out, Oh, Wait, how could she have? She didn’t come anywhere near us, after the initial 30 second how is everything question, until at least fifteen minutes after we had completed our meal, only three were good. The last one was so hard it could have broken the window we sat beside.
My companion’s Linguini, to me, was also quite bland, though with only olive oil it should have been. The crabmeat was much too fishy for my liking as well.
I would have to be shown something substantial in order to change my mind about Casa D’Angelo. Again, although the food was not bad, it was just not good enough to be getting positive press.
My companion and I went to the Mentor, Ohio Casa D’Angelo at approximately 3:45. There were two other tables when we arrived. One was a four top that had completed their meal and were talking; another was a two top that was ordering when we came in, then us. In other words it was not busy, in fact the dining room was so small, it would have been difficult TO be busy unless everyone came in at once. Although the food was not bad, it was quite bland to my tastes, at least that which I was able to order.
On you’re the take-out menu it is written, “Our food is prepared fresh and made to your exact specifications.” That is not how it worked for us. From our server, Denise, we ordered one Linguini Grachio con Spinaci (linguini with lump crab meat and spinach in olive oil), and the Pork Parmigiana special, which came with a side of pasta and mini house salad. While looking at the menu we noticed that there were six of, “…Casa D’Angelo’s Famous Sauces,” displayed prominently at the top of the first page. To my way of thinking, this is something of which they are proud. So, due to the two things about the menu already mentioned, I asked for my pasta to be served without sauce and asked to have the sauce on the side, meat sauce, and to have a small amount of one of the other sauces, the Verdure Sauce, on the side as well. I was told they could not do that. The server told me that they cook the pasta with the sauce in order to get to the correct consistency so she could not give me sauce. BUT, she was happy to charge me $3.50 to have a side of more pasta with that sauce. I have never heard of a restaurant cooking their pasta with the sauce, but beyond that, don’t tell me you will make things to my specifications and then tell me you won’t. I just wanted to try the sauce to see if I might return. After the horrifically bland meat sauce, I don’t think I will. Also, Of our four slices of bread, our server didn’t seem to notice we were out, Oh, Wait, how could she have? She didn’t come anywhere near us, after the initial 30 second how is everything question, until at least fifteen minutes after we had completed our meal, only three were good. The last one was so hard it could have broken the window we sat beside.
My companion’s Linguini, to me, was also quite bland, though with only olive oil it should have been. The crabmeat was much too fishy for my liking as well.
I would have to be shown something substantial in order to change my mind about Casa D’Angelo. Again, although the food was not bad, it was just not good enough to be getting positive press.
posted by johnathan e at 3:00 PM
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