OK, I will admit that I have only eaten in Cavey's French restaurant once so I am going to give it another chance, especially because I've heard such good things about the Italian side (such as the service is less snooty, and the place more upbeat and approachable). I have dined in some of the finest French restaurants in the country in both New York and Las Vegas (Jean George, le Bernardin, Bouley, Campagne in Seattle, the Picasso in Las Vegas, Le Chateau, Jean Louis in Greenwich, etc., etc.), so it's not like I don't have enough experience or finesse to handle such a place. That said, I found the food at Cavey's excellent but the atmosphere and the service a bit on the strange side. I have never enountered a snootier wait staff anywhere, and when you consider that this is Manchester, CT, and not New York or Paris, you have to wonder why. I am not exactly a dolt or a rube. I am well spoken, well dressed and attractive. So it really bugged me at being treated like some sort of of classless idiot. I was especially insulted by the sommelier, who almost refused to serve me a glass of port wine because I ordered it with dinner. He seemed outraged at this, insisting that it was not a dinner wine, which is true, but is that a reason to insult my choice and almost refuse to serve it to me? I know it's not a dinner wine - I just happened to feel like a glass of port. That he assumed that I didn't know that is insulting. Honestly, I felt pressured to order wine in the first place. I am not really a wine drinker - I prefer mixed cocktails. But then after finally giving in to the pressure to be insulted like that was almost over the top! Who did that guy think he was? Obviously the staff there does not have the class it thinks it has. Next time I will dine in Cavey's Italian side. I'm giving it 4 stars on the food alone (the r@ck of lamb was divine) but as for the service, well ... I might feel differently next time. I won't let one bad experience deter me.
Pros: Great Food
Cons: Weird atmosphere (French side), snooty wait staff
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