We have been to Villaggio's many times in the past and have always had good food and good service. Owners always made rounds and checked our your food was. It is sad to see an old friend slip so far.
It was my birthday, and my husband asked where I would like to go for dinner. As it had been a while since we had been here......I voted for Villaggio's.......big mistake.
The service was poor. Waiters seemed distracted. I ordered the Surf and Turf for my main course. For starters we had the bruschetta. Very bland chopped tomato; poorly seasoned. The crostini was soggy. You would think the waiter would have gotten the hint when I asked for the Parmesan cheese, and then added salt and pepper and some vinegar. The vinaigrette dressing on the salad was past it's prime as evidenced by the acidic zing. My main course was so bland. Very little flavor. No flavor to the veal or the sauce. The shrimp had a fishy taste and the presentation could have used a little garnish. It was a study in white! I didn't even finish it. Busboy asked if I wanted to take it home. I told him it was a 4 out of 10 and not worth taking home. He shrugged and took it away.
For dessert we ordered Tiramisu. Yet another disappointment. Basically overly sweet custard, something spongy and way too much powdered cocoa on top. No coffee flavor at all. Again, I ate only a few forkfuls and pushed it away.
We had to wave our waiter down to get a check. It was slapped on the table without so much as a thank you. And no one ever asked how our food was.......not once during the dinner! My negative comment to the busboy got a shrug of the shoulders and that was it.
It will be a long time until we consider trying Villaggio's again. Guess they figure after years of producing good food and giving good service, it's time to relax and ride on their laurels.
I can't believe I am saying this, but continue driving north and go to Carraba's. At least they are consistent.
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