"My review of Trattoria Stefano: Often, when you return to a place cloaked in fond memories of nostalgia, it lets you down. It's like seeing an old flame thirty years later, and you question the original infatuation. Well, Stefano's stirred my passions as if 15 years meant not a thing. After strolling Sheboygan's beautiful revitalized waterfront, we drove to Stefano's, parking in their rear lot. The restaurant looked the same, and we found two empty seats at the large front room bar. Ashley, behind the bar, was gracious and helpful, and we ordered wine from Stefano's eclectic offerings. While not as groundbreaking as 20 years ago, the wine list is still interesting and has reasonable pricing. We ordered Caesar salad, two pastas, the stuffed veal chop, a sausage dish, and the Tiramisu. The Caesar was fantastic and unique, with a sublime crunchy taste. That alone was worth the price of admission, but the veal chop was a stunning crescendo, maybe the best I ever had. Pastas were as good as I remembered. The ragu was simply delicious. My spouse thought her sausage dish was okay but nothing special. Tiramisu was ordered to go back with us to Milwaukee. Later, the restaurant was so packed on a Tuesday night that Ashley left to help out in the kitchen. Greg aptly took over, and the service did not miss a beat. The one discordant note was when I asked to tip the kitchen staff. Ashley led me to the kitchen, and I passed over a $20.00 and received nary a smile or thank you. Perhaps they were too exhausted. However, it was a wonderful evening, and hopefully, it will be repeated soon. Oh, the pricing was very reasonable."
