restaurant calisto — Restaurant in Amsterdam

Went there for dinner, when coming in the floor staff team of 5 employees is just in a moment of shifting from lunch to dinner. Arrived there 18:30. Strange. As they set up all the tables before settling the people to the tables. Making people need to stand there in a cramped entrée. You would think with a team of 5, things go quickly, but nothing is true as we waited for 10. Tables are cramped back to back, if you a big bigger it will be hard to dine here. The wine list is good, but the prices are also high, nothing friendly compared to market prices. Also strange thing is the cutlery, for the 4 course they count on that you use one set. Nothing against it, but I have a rest to put the dirty cutlery on instead of just on the table. Crazy never seen this. The food proportion is strange some dishes are small some are big, For example the steak tartar is middle course, a pasta dish as 2 course of the 4, is large a main course size. But the main is just a quail small piece and a leg. Dessert is a small slice of cake, not even a scoop of ice cream. Not even this, but also some plate are more than others, in sauce and protein. How the restaurant operates is even combine like 26 pax at the same time. They even have in-between course time to relax (no activities in the kitchen). Some tables do not have an extra course and need to wait very long, and those that finish quickly mean also need to wait longer. Also, it should be alright if those who finish the fastest will get the first course dishes. As it is vague how the process is as we get our dishes but our neighbor took like 5-8min later (even though they didn't have the previous extra dish). The kitchen staff is 3 people and 1 dishwasher, compared to the floor staff (5) who do not even need to poor wine or water.

After 5 courses (including an extra course and starter), we did not feel fed and therefore went to another restaurant to satisfy our appetite.

Flavors are ok, but the balance is not there like in sauce and thickness of the pasta, in preparation time (pasta too long too short).

Will I come back not soon, except if I see any improvement or clearly...

The restaurant's atmosphere was inviting and cozy, with a pleasant ambiance that made for a comfortable dining setting. The staff were attentive and friendly, creating a positive first impression.

Sharing Plates Dilemma: However, the concept of sharing plates proved to be more confusing and frustrating than anticipated. As a party of two vegetarians and one meat eater, we expected the sharing plates for the set menu to accommodate our diverse dietary preferences. Unfortunately, the portions were divided into two for the three of us, leaving us with an uneven distribution. It felt disheartening to see half of the plates dedicated to meat, forcing us to share one portion amongst two people due to our dietary restrictions. The staff also kept placing the meat dishes in front of the vegetarians.

The menu, though promising, fell short of expectations. Repetitive combinations of nuts on raw vegetables and an abundance of artichoke became a noticeable pattern. The pesto pasta, in particular, left much to be desired, resembling a simple home-cooked student meal. The disappointment was further compounded by the prices charged for these seemingly small and unimpressive dishes which we were splitting.

We were all a bit confused as to why, without wine us two veggies paid over 100 euros for some bread, two tiny veg dishes shared between us and some simple pasta.

Calisto has potential but needs significant adjustments in its food concept and...

We had a lovely dinner, however, two hours into our dinner (we had just finished our mains because it was taking some time), a waitress we haven't seen all evening came up to us and said "girls, I need your table". It came as a huge surprise since no one informed us that we had to leave after two hours. This also happened while we were just ordering our desserts... Apparently they use a 2-hour time slot, which is not mentioned on the website nor instagram. So when we asked this waitress where we could have our desserts, she said outside. Please mind it was pouring rain and completely dark outside.

It would have been so much better if this was communicated in a timely, nice way. She could have asked how our evening have been and kindly inform us that she would need our table in a little while. Instead, she bulldozed to our table completely ruining our dinner experience in the process. I understand how the multiple shifts/an evening system works, but I have never experienced something like this. The fact that people on the waitlist are given priority over seating customers finishing their meal is already difficult to grasp, but the rude way in which we were treated really tops everything. The food was very nice but please don't go here if you want a full...