"IL Vicinato, how I LOVED this restaurant! Back 36 years ago, ever since I worked as a busgirl, back when the original owners and chefs, Jim and Ivo, were there, it was a true authentic Italian family restaurant and experience. The ambience was home. The food was divine! Everything on the menu WAS heavenly, made from scratch and fresh ingredients, highly flavorful and fragrant right from the moment the dish was placed in front of you. Salad or soup was served with every entree. The second owner, Felipe, did a very respectful and well job maintaining the authenticity and heart of IL Vicinato. This past weekend as we dined there, was very disappointing to say the least. From the look of the restaurant, painted black, was too dark. The modern look is not so much my complaint; I appreciated it as it could have used a new look , but the food was tasteless compared to the original recipes. The veal ravioli was undercooked with an under seasoned meat sauce. The Chicken Vesuvio (one of my favorites) for many past years rated as the best chicken vesuvio in Check Please!, and many others, this time, the dish lacked flavor. I should have done my research to realize that there is a new owner, Leo. He has obviously made it his and dismissed the reason what made IL Vicinato superb. New photos of his food on the internet show a house fish with a side of green beans that look like they came from a can. The green beans they used to serve were fresh, perfectly steamed, and delightfully seasoned. Fried zucchini, a favorite appetizer of ours, is not even on the menu any more. Leo should have renamed the restaurant when he took over. If people say today, The food is great at IL Vicinato! , that is only because those poor souls did not get a chance to taste the real delicious food that IL Vicinato used to serve. For those of us blessed to have dined there for previous years, when Jim, Ivo, and Felipe were in charge, the regulars, we understand. As for my family and I, we will not be coming back. The family ambience, the way the food was served, and most especially the flavors of the food are gone. IL Vicinato 's heart in the heart of Italy is broken."
