Wow. I haven’t left many reviews across the various platforms. And when I do, I try to focus on the positive reviews. That said, I felt I should jump online to leave a review of our experience this evening. Initially the service was warm and welcoming. We ordered a rosso vino della casa for the table. A solid house wine. Not too complex, fruit forward, very accessible. I ordered the Risotto alla crema di scampi, my wife ordered the Rigatoni Carbonara, and my daughter ordered a gluten-free pasta with a cream sauce. The food was okay. Not bland, but nothing particularly remarkable. The prices were reasonable, but be aware there is a two euro charge per person for bread & service. The bread was not what you would expect from a quality Italian restaurant. Again, just okay.

My primary concern is not with the food itself. Had the service continued as it had started, I’d likely not leave a review at all. Nothing outstanding, but nothing offensive. Unfortunately, the service took a turn toward the end of our meal. This is not my first trip to Italy. I have been here several time over the years, and have grown accustomed to a different pace of life, particularly as it applies to a celebration of food and conversation. That said, something must have happened toward the end of the meal that shifted the tone. I’ve run through the interactions to see if there was possibly something I or my family may have done to cause offense, but came up empty. After we finished our food, we waited quite sometime before I could catch our waiter’s attention to request a check. Nothing unusual there—a different pace of life. I asked for the check, and he asked if we would like dessert or a drink before we left. He mentioned Panna Cotta, which I didn’t see on the menu. So, I said “Sure!” and ordered an espresso and a panna cotta. The espresso came after a few minutes (it was excellent—of course), but no sign of the panna cotta. We waited over 20 minutes, nothing. Finally I was able to catch his attention again and (politely) asked for the check. He went, brought the check, dropped it on the table and walked away. In almost every situation I’ve been in throughout Europe, the service person then waits to either take cash or to process the card payment right away. But he left—and did not return. We waited another 20-30 minutes. I had my credit card out and obviously held above the check indicating I was ready to pay. Our waiter walked by our table several times, made no eye contact, and helped other tables around us. The most surprising was when he served the table directly next to ours and I strove to get his attention (politely) and he walked away. Another employee noticed either that I had put on my coat and hat and was ready to leave or that my wife was getting visibly upset at this point and rushed over to attend to the check. I was on the verge of just putting money on the table and walking out.

Again, a strange experience. Do I recommend Pasqualino Al Colosseo? I cannot. The food was baseline satisfactory. Whatever happened at the end of the evening was bizarre and soured the whole evening. I hate to say anything negative, but this stood out as such an unusual situation.