The Grotto is Newtown's answer to Steven Starr, the Philadelphia/New York restauranteur. When I first visited The Grotto 2 weeks after it opened, I was intrigued to see that it was marketing itself as a hip alternative to all the Italian restaurants in Newtown/Yardley. It has a prominent bar, hip but historic interior, and attractive young hosts/hostesses. Its location on the main drag of Newtown makes it an easy spot to walk by and stick your head in, even if just for a drink at the bar. But my being impressed with The Grotto pretty much stops there. When I ate there with three friends, there were more typos on the menu than in a 10th grader's English paper. When we brought it up with the waiter, he explained that the restaurant was aware of it and that this was just a draft copy; the final menus were being printed. WHAT? The desserts and appetizers we had that night were delicious, though, and we soon forgot about menu mishap. The 2nd time I ate at The Grotto, I ordered the same dessert as the first time, but this time it was still frozen in the middle -- apparently they don't make their own desserts and order them from somewhere in New Hope. My dessert apparently hadn't defrosted completely. But, the appetizer that I ordered -- a succulent scallops in rich, creamy mushroom sauce -- was still divine. All was forgiven. The 3rd time I ate at The Grotto, this time with my husband, he ordered their ""Rapini"" pizza, which is simply broccoli rabe, garlic and hot chilies. When my husband noticed there were no hot chilies -- the only reason he wanted the pizza -- and asked the waiter about them, he was told that the hot chilies were just red pepper flakes, and he was offered a handful of them. My husband was appalled. The 4th time I ate there, they had taken off the popular scallops appetizer. And now their menu is more boring than when it first opened. It's too bad The Grotto cares more about how it appears than how it functions.
Pros: Location
Cons: Food not consistently good, overpriced, host staff more concerned about they way they look than work
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