Sorrentino’s Century Park — Restaurant in Edmonton

Well, where do I start....I have been fine dining in Edmonton for about 15 years. During that time I have found found a couple of places that were my go to, but sadly over time things have changed. Cafe DeVille was one, it closed its doors. Another go to was the Wildflower Grill downtown, went there about a month ago after not having gone for a couple years...well I didn't even bother with a review, ownership has changed and I'll never go again. So my well had kind of run dry, until last night. I moved to the south side of Edmonton last July, to the Blue Quill area. Travelling around my new neighbourhood I noticed a sign that was conspicuously inconspicuous, if you know what I mean, kind of out of the way unless you're looking for it, on the northeast corner of 23 and 110 st. Having run out of other places to go for a fine dining experience, and quickly losing faith I'm Edmonton and its ability to.provide me with the foodie experience I require, me and my friend decided to give it a go.

I had called ahead to make sure they weren't packed full, as it was Grey Cup Sunday. Upon walking into Bistecca, we were immediately greeted by Josh, he had taken my reservation, and immediately remembered my name when I said our reservation time....BAM, great first impression. We were seated, and to my mild suprise, Josh was also going to handle serving type duties, along with his already tiptop maitre'd services. He took the the to explain the menu, and their different foods, as I had said we were first time diners at Bistecca. Now I have this thing where I like to read all the one star reviews on a place before going, I want to see what peol saw as issues, then I will watch for and evaluate based on this. I mean why bother with 5 star reviews, they all say the same thing, but 1 star....well then you're into the meat of any issues.

We started with a appetizer sampler, as suggested by Josh, and I also had the mussels....sorry I can't resist them if on menu. The mussels were delicious, huge and fresh. The broth was to die for, and bowl was empty of both mussels AND broth when I was finished. My only issue was that there was no bread served with the mussels, it had come before, and was warm, so wanted to eat right it straight away. The appy sampler was okay, we had smoked salmon, calamari, chicken fried bacon, and a beef skewer. This was OK, its for two people, and was fine, but I think the way to go is to just get one full appetizer, as its easier to be good at one thing than, than four at a time.

On to mains, I ordered mid range California Cabernet with dinner. I ordered the lamb shank, and my friend had the ravioli, which we were told is made in house. As I went to cut my first bite of lamb, knife in hand I tried to cut into lamb....... No need for cutting, it was so tender it literally fell off the bone...WOW, haven't had lamb that delicious since Cafe DeVille was open going back 5 years at least. My friend had the ravioli, and of course I sampled it.....best I've ever had. Sauce was absolutely fantastic, I am assuming its homemade, it was to good to be otherwise, ravioli was cooked perfectly al dente, it was heaven.

When I go out for nice meal, I want the experience to couple with the food and take me to that happy place where your serotonin and wine compliment each other and you're kind of floating as you leave, Bistecca did that for me. Josh was fantastic in his role as server, conversationalist, and chief minister of food joy. I don't want to be a nitpicker like those one star reviewers, there were a couple of things that I personally would like to see, bread coming with mussels, a rim of sugar and some cinnamon on my Spanish coffee, but that's about it. As for the low reviews, one of them was that the server tried to upsell the customer. Josh suggested a wine that was 125 a bottle, and I'm sure it's a great wine, but I wasn't offended by that one bit, ultimately its my choice, and it certainly took nothing away from the experience. Bistecca knows how to treat you, food...

wow. Booked a reso for 2 for 6:30 pm to celebrate Wife's Birthday.We arrived just before and the place was full, even the porch.We stepped in past the foyer, and were greeted by a rather boisterous and animated older man, reminded me of "Mr Six" of the "Six Flags Amusement Park" commercials. A hostess seated us shortly after 6:35 pm. In a few minutes, a server came (no introduction). He was nice. We saw the menu online,so we ordered drinks and food right then. I ordered a glass of Chard and a Cosmo for the Wife.We also ordered the Brie Bruschetta and a lobster/salmon croquette from the "small plates" menu.Also, Veal Meatballs in truffle cream fonduta w/oyster mushrooms, and Mussels in white wine, then Beef Short Rib w/ Mushroom Ravioli, and Salmon& Prawns w/pasta. About 5 minutes later, server returned to say that there were no mussels. Wife quickly changed her app to the shrimp/calamari tempura. Some 20 minutes later, we got our drinks. My Chard was good, Wife said her Cosmo was good.We observed the room as well as the comings and goings of both the Staff and Customers. We didnt see many people eating OR drinking, but rather, a lot of pacing Staff. Mr.Six (Manager/Owner Walter Siegert) seemed nervous and panicky as he bounced back and forth and all around both sides of the restaurant carrying a small, empty plate. About 45 min. in, server brought us a piece of bread each, with olive oil and vinegar to dip it in. Feeling quite peckish at this juncture, we scarfed that down pretty quickly. The Server said "I have seen your food". (Nice. I guess that should pacify us then?) Approximately one hour in, we got our "Bites" ( the tiny 2 bite appys, slightly smaller than a spring roll ) Server apologized for the wait, claiming that "it would have been here sooner, but one of the other servers stole our apps to serve his/her own waiting table(s). My bruschetta was like a bias sliced cut of a breadstick, nearly devoid of brie, but had some procuitto and a dab of fig jam. Tasty though! My Wifes Lobster/Salmon Croquette was awesome! In hindsight, we should have ordered 24 of those! About 20 min later, we got our true appies, yay. My meatballs (3) were done far too long, as they were nearly anhydrous and granular. The "truffle sauce fonduta" had some flavour but the consistancy of watery cream of wheat. Wife was very unhappy with her "Dried Up Fried Squidy Bits" and cold vegetable tempura. She did manage to ingest two shrimp. We got the attention of the "Mr. Six" who had no problem taking the dish from the bill and offering "Mussels"in its stead. My Wife explained that we were told that there were no mussels. Mr. Six said that there were mussels! My Wife said "OK". As he bounced away, I noted that he hadnt asked if she wanted them in white wine, or tomato sauce. I knew at this point that he had no intention of ordering the mussels from the kitchen, indeed, Mr. Six was probably doubting his life choices at that point, wondering if he should have stuck with his first career choice, ticket taker at the movies. At approximately 8:20 pm, my Wife and I stood up, put on our coats, and she then proceeded to tell Mr.Six that this had been the worst dining experiance she had ever had and that we were leaving. "Ok, no problem!" he exclaimed as he bounced away... We saw our server as we were approaching the door, he said "Oh, are you guys leaving?" I slipped him a 20 dollar bill for his attempt at service. Cant really fault him though, if there is no food or drink to serve. I can only assume there is a vast shortage of Chefs/Cooks at this establishment, or maybe "Skip the Dishes " takes a front seat, like many places who had to sell their souls during Covid. Perhaps the problem lies with coordination of reservations vs resources? I did get an email from "Open Table" some 45 minutes after we left, stating that the restaurant had "cancelled" our reservation???? Can't imagine ever returning. Beginning to doubt if we will even bother with the Sorrentino Group, though that wouldn't be fair. I hear the West end...

Our engagement dinner is in 2 days and all the other places I had booked totally failed me. But this is about Sorrentinos.

Sorrentinos was truly amazing in accommodating my party of 20 in such short notice. They were even able to accommodate more guests for me but at this time I found it was too late to invite guests last minute. Side note: Most restaurants can only have guests of 12 or even less. Otherwise you’ll have to rent the whole venue for a hefty fee!! No way!

Walter was the one who had assured me that he was going to make sure our evening will go smoothly. He was very clear of what we can do prior to our booked time. He gave us an hour to set up. As you can see on my photos.

It was honestly super splendid. The food was amazing!! Everyone had such a great time in our isolated, semi-private area.

My sister even hosted a few games for my guests to play while waiting for the food to come out and as well as while the guest are finishing up.

I do wish that we had a dedicated server that checked up on us right from the start. I found myself looking for a server to start our drinks and ordering food. But I believe they just opened and we were a big party. On their part they must have been giving us all the space we need. As long as we let them know we are ready!

Overall, it was an excellent service. As soon as I got their attention they were super prompt and accommodating. They even took group photos for us.

The manger was remarkable! He did not promise to get us table cloths but he totally delivered!! It made our set up even more presentable. I even requested an extra table for props and gifts. He came through!! Thank you so much!!

I would definitely recommend this restaurant! Especially, if you have a large party of more than 20! It’s prefect for...