Dettera Restaurant & Wine Bar — Restaurant in Ambler

I have always enjoyed going to Dettera and never had a negative experience until tonight when I dined there with two friends. Things did not get off to a good start when the gentleman to whom my friend gave our reservation for a booth at 6:15 (we actually arrived around 5:50 to an approximately quarter-filled downstairs) three days ago apparently neglected to enter it in his computer. It didn't appear to be a problem to me as the restaurant had many tables and booths, and we were eating pretty early.

I have no idea why it took five minutes to figure out what must have happened despite my friends' being very clear about time she called, etc. Instead of being apologetic, the young woman (of three) who was handling us appeared to feel inconvenienced as she searched for a table. When my friend mentioned that she had asked for a booth, the young woman said a booth would be impossible--which was understandable since the reservation had gotten lost.

We were led to our table upstairs. I noted no fewer than six booths available but assumed they were reserved though only one had a reserved sign. Our service was fine. The food was good as always. My friends particularly liked their pasta dishes. We were there almost an hour and a half. The upstairs was a little over a quarter full. There were many tables and some booths available.

As we were leaving, four of the six booths that had been empty upon our arrival were still empty. When we passed the hostess area, I asked the same young woman why we could not have been seated at a booth--pointing out the four empty ones. She seemed almost indignant that I had raised this question to which she replied, "they are reserved." to which I replied, "they have been empty the entire time we have been here." To which she said more forcefully and more indignantly, "they are reserved."

Messing up a reservation or not having a booth are not huge problems and would not prevent me from returning to a restaurant. What put my friends and me off was the negative attitude displayed by the main hostess. Not one of the three hostesses smiled at us at any time when we arrived or left the restaurant. At no time was any one of them warm or accommodating. I got the distinct impression that we were not welcomed--which was a first-and something I will surely consider when anyone suggests Dettera for dinner...

We went to celebrate my wife's birthday. I sat at the bar waiting for my family to arrive and had a couple of drinks. I ordered a Caesar salad - never came.

My daughters have egg & dairy allergies, so I asked the server making my drinks if she knew anything about the menu., she did not. I spoke to the manager who assured me that whatever we wanted, the chef would handle it and there would be no cross contamination. He also told me that the dinner rolls contained egg & dairy.

Our server came over about 10 minutes later to speak with me at the bar about the allergies before my family arrived. She made some notes, and went to talk to the chef. She came back to tell me what to stay away from, and what to have. I had a couple of appetizer options., great! However, I was not impressed with the dinner options.

Meanwhile, I knew my family would be starving so I wanted to order a couple of appetizers and have them at the table as they came in so they could begin eating. However, the bartender insisted that I wait because they come out very fast. So I offered a compromising statement of, how about we make the order in about 10-15 minutes? Again she insisted, no, I think you should wait until they get here. Remember, I’m still waiting for my Caesar salad…,

We were seated and I mentioned to my server about ordering a Caesar salad but it never coming. I had sat at the bar for about 45 minutes. She came back to tell me that the order was never put in.

We ordered the appetizers - they did not come out fast, and actually took longer than expected. My family was starving! My Caesar salad finally arrived - dry & bland! Had to ask for salt, pepper and dressing.

My daughter with the dairy allergy ordered the one pasta dish that she could have, and when they brought it to the table, it was covered in CHEESE!! Had to send it back and wait for another dish to be prepared.

My other daughter ordered a burger medium well, and it was literally oozing red!

The trout I ordered was very boring and bland.

All in all, if you/your family have dietary restrictions, this is NOT the place to go! I should have called first.

Unfortunately, we won't be back. Highly...

We had a fantastic experience at DETTERA this past Saturday evening. The short version of our experience: Delicious food, cooked to perfection. Every dish full of flavor and great service. We had a wonderful experience and we will be back again soon.

The longer version: We wanted to treat our friends to an evening out as a thank you for their recent help with a home project. DETTERA was the right restaurant to treat them to an impressive dinner. Our reservation was confirmed in advance and when we arrived, we took advantage of the free valet option to park. I hadn't been to DETTERA before so I was interested to see the inside of the building, the outdoor seating space and bar area. I will be coming back to sit outside under the lights when it gets warmer!

Upon arrival at our table, we were greeted by our server who was very helpful to point out wines that I he recommended based on my preference.

As a table we ordered a few appetizers to share including grilled asparagus, shrimp, baby octopus and oysters, all of which were cooked to the right texture. Most surprisingly, the octopus (which I hadn't had before) was delicate and delicious. If you like oysters, I recommend you try these - the balance of lime juice and salt was on point.

I ordered the NY Strip with fingerling potatoes and mushrooms and I have to say, Wow! That may have been the best steak I have ever had. It was seasoned and cooked just right. The potatoes and mushrooms, also cooked just right, complimented the sauce it was paired with. Another note worthy dish - my neighbor ordered the duck breast and said it was fantastic.

We decided we had to order dessert - Bittersweet Chocolate Pate with Peanut Gelato, caramel and sea salt and the Butter Cake; Both were the perfect ending to a delicious meal and were full of many flavors paired together. Even though we were all very full, the desserts were gone quickly.

We enjoyed AMAZING food and had a great time with our friends at DETTERA. I have recommended my experience to my coworkers and friends and will plan to be back for dining...