Insalata Di Finocchio
Ascari King Street

Ascari King Street

620 King St WON M5V 1M6, Toronto, United States

Wine • Pasta • Italian • Bar-lounge


"Nov. 5th was a birthday celebration that I hope no one gets to experience at this restaurant. Here is how it went down: Around 5pm I called to let the restaurant know our group of 7 will be late at our table because the traffic was especially bad that day When 5 of us were at the table we were continuously urged to order by the manager (not our server) who bluntly announced: BECAUSE you guys were late you should probably start ordering already so you can BE OUT of here by 7:30 . We knew that the table was reserved for us for 2 hours but we did not need their rude service to keep reminding us that we needed to leave which we had no intention of staying after 7:30pm anyways. Please refer to the $100 cake I ordered days ahead and brought to the restaurant to be cut after supper. I specifically told them not to not cut or distort the cake before we take some photos with it! Second photo is them bringing it in after ripping 1/2 of the decoration off which is OBVIOUSLY suppose to be PART OF THE CAKE in the shape of a flower HENCE WHY it costed me $100. Not only did they seem unapologetic, they even seemed annoyed when I pointed out that THEY made a MISTAKE. Instead, the manager who tried to solve the problem was rather annoyed at me just trying to enjoy a damn birthday cake on my birthday. We sent it back calmly, asked them to please try their best to put it back in its original shape. Then the manager comes out holding the cake in the third photo and says there was some miscommunications about the cake but here it is and oh, no sparklers allowed and leaves abruptly... Each of one us were speechless because of how REMORSELESS the manager was for ruining someone 's cake without considering taking 2 seconds to ask us whether they should distort the cake before bringing it out. We were later told they asked the HEAD chef and he/she told them to just rip it off. HELLO??? Did you forget this was my cake and I specifically told you guys to NOT do anything to it? WHO in their right mind would just go ahead a destroy a beautiful piece of artwork like that without consulting the owner?! We confronted the manager who continued to talk over everyone at the table trying to shut us up when all we wanted was a sincere apology! Yet the lady keeps changing the subject to I know it doesn 't look like the original because we removed the box, and we removed the ballon. She continuously avoided apologizing and was repeatedly discourteous towards us purposely ignoring the fact they just ruined my birthday cake, and night with the audacity to not own up to her actions! We were also aware there was a $5 cake cutting charge per person that we accepted. And this is what they 're capable of! In conclusion, I beg of you to give the other restaurants a chance instead of Ascari. This is not how you do business in any type of industry, especially when we come here on a very special occasion. There are restaurants who are truly sincere and tries really hard to provide good value and service for people in the city. SO please, I beg of all of you, please don 't support bad businesses anymore! Give others a chance and soon enough bad businesses like Ascari will close to make space who restaurants who are deserving!!! Note to restaurant owner: It is very sad to see the reputation of your restaurant defeated by letting someone who undoubtedly unfit at their job (or any position) represent the entire restaurant. There are many outstanding talents out there who can handle this situation maturely with integrity and good manners. Please view this experience as an opportunity to grow!"

Piccolo Forno

Piccolo Forno

3801 Butler St, 15201, Pittsburgh, United States

Wine • Beer • Pizza • Pasta


"I walked in and was seated right away, which was a great start. It was a weeknight, and I arrived later in the evening. My server was friendly and welcoming, which I appreciated. Unfortunately, that’s where things started to go downhill. I ordered my meal and asked if I could have some bread while I waited for my entree. The server informed me that they serve everything at once. I was taken aback and hoped that didn’t mean desserts would arrive alongside the entrees. The restaurant is small, so I understand the efficiency of serving all at once, but it left me sitting there feeling hungry and frustrated. It didn’t seem to be the server's fault; it sounded like policy, as I overheard her explaining the same thing to other tables who also inquired about bread. Honestly, in the time it took her to explain this, I would have happily gone to the counter myself to grab a basket of bread. When my entree finally arrived, it took about 10 minutes, which is a reasonable amount of time. I did receive the bread, but unfortunately, it was just mediocre and a bit stale. I was hoping for a great entree to redeem the experience, but it fell short. The dish was barely warm, and the pasta had a gummy texture. Overall, it was a disappointing meal. I must emphasize how nice my server was, which added a positive element to the experience. I’m willing to give this restaurant another chance in the future because I truly want family-owned establishments to thrive and hope this was just an off night."

Pepolino

Pepolino

281 W Broadway, 10013, New York, United States

Pizza • Fusion • Tuscan • Italian


"Most of our group chose the Insalata Mista con Pachino e Scaglie di Parmigiano. Dan Cole selected the Antipasto Toscano, which included an assortment of Italian cold cuts, bruschette, cheeses, and olives. I opted for the Insalata Dei Medici, a refreshing mix of cubed beets, carrots, zucchini, and potatoes dressed with basil and balsamic. For the main course, we had a wide variety of choices. Annette ordered the Branzino al Forno, featuring imported sea bass with oven-roasted vegetables. Dan went for the Polpettini Di Vitella E Ricotta, which consisted of veal and ricotta meatballs in a tomato and basil coulis. Cole enjoyed the Petto Di Pollo ai Porcini con Fontina, chicken breast sautéed with porcini mushrooms and Fontina cheese. Arlee chose the Pappardelle al Pepolino, which came with a tomato sauce and fresh thyme. I selected the Cinghiale, homemade pappardelle served with a wild boar ragout. Everyone was ecstatically pleased with their main dishes. For dessert, we had three options: Torta Ricotta (ricotta cheesecake), Torta Di Cioccolato Amaro (bittersweet chocolate cake), and Panna Cotta Toscana con Salsa Di Fragole (Tuscan panna cotta with fresh strawberry sauce). Everyone except for me chose the bittersweet chocolate cake, while I opted for the panna cotta with strawberry sauce. It was so delicious that everyone wanted a taste, leaving me with very little! I did manage to sample a bite of the chocolate cake, which was quite rich. The trip to Tribeca was definitely worth it, and I wholeheartedly recommend Pepolino Ristorante, which boasts two floors of indoor dining as well as outdoor sidewalk seating."