Ariccia Cucina Italiana — Restaurant in Auburn

Pathetic from start to finish. Don't go expecting anything worth the time invested, and certainly not worth the money. Our server greeted us as "you guys". He then couldn't answer questions about anything on the menu without going to repeat the question to the kitchen, then return with a confused answer. The Tapenade appetizer arrived as a grey, obviously dated mound of overly chopped mush, which had lost its color, and become overwhelmed by the capers in it. The 8 oz glob of spread arrived with only five thin toasted crostinis. So, I explained to the other person who had delivered it, that five crostinis was not near enough to enjoy even a fourth of the portion of Tapenade. Our salads then arrived as we were one bite into the Tapenade. They were again delivered by someone other than our waiter, who had to ask who had ordered what. About five minutes later, our waiter arrived to say he was told that we wanted to order some Focacia. So, we explained that we had only requested more crostinis for the appetizer. We finally brought some untoasted slices of larger bread instead, just as we were finishing our salad. Two bites later, our dinners arrived; again, via a different server, who had to ask who had ordered what. The signature Porchetta roast was so cold that the fat in it was firm. It was laid upon a smear of carrot puree that was actually cold to the touch, as was the plate it was on. The broccolini side was grey in color, and also cold. After watching for our waiter for several minutes, I went up to the kitchen service counter, and stood there ignored for several minutes while the staff stood inactive in some conversation. Finally, another more seasoned server walked up, and asked if he could help me with something. I explained my disappointment with my Porchetta entree, and he escorted me back to my seat, and said he agreed that the entree was cold, and that he would remedy the situation by bringing me a fresh serving. As I waited, our server then showed up, to retrieve my plate, and said they were going to reheat my entree for me. I then explained to him that I was not comfortable with the safety of the portions I had been served, because I didn't know how long they had been at an unsafe temperature. He was confused by my concern, then raced off to the kitchen. The other waiter returned and told me they were preparing me a fresh plate of Porchetta. It then arrived warm, on a warm plate, again with grey broccolini and carrot puree, which was now hot, but bubbly and soured when tasted. The first bite of Porchetta I took tasted as if it had been cooked days before, so I left the entire plate, and our waiter then said he would remove it from our check. At no point, did anyone from management visit our table. Our waiter only said he was sorry that I didn't like my meal. I then pointed out to him that there were reasons all of my four guests had left at least a third of their entrees as well. But, they were too frustrated by then to say anything. The four or so bites I had ingested ended up giving me cramps and diarrhea about four hours later. BEWARE!!! Another thing they need to be told; roasted brussel sprouts are not prepared by throwing them in...

In the past, I have given Ariccia several very favorable reviews, all relating to their special occasion buffets and special menus on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve. This review pertains only to the dining experience my companion & I had there on New Year’s Eve 2018. We booked reservations during the first days of December—so early that Ariccia’s representative took a minute to make sure they could be made that early. She assured me that there would be a special dinner menu for the occasion. Though we arrived promptly at the appointed time, 9:30 pm, we had to wait for the best part of half an hour to be given a table. We considered ourselves fortunate because another couple waiting with us had reservations at 9. When finally seated, we were given copies of the standard menu, prompting me to tell the waitress that we wanted to order from the special, New Year’s Eve one. She replied that it wasn’t available because they had “sold out” more than two hours earlier, having only stocked for 80 patrons. This shocked me because we had been to New Year’s Eve dinners there before and remembered that the crowd was far larger than 80. If they stocked food, as stated, for only 80, then they should have limited the number of reservations for the special menu to 80. Poor prior planning! So, we ordered from the regular menu, both of us having the mushroom & arugula salad, the “pesce,” and tiramisu. The salad was the driest we had ever been served anywhere, seemingly without any dressing, though a very small amount was discovered deep within. We requested additional dressing, only to be given a very small container of what appeared to be pure lemon juice. Protesting that we needed a bit of olive oil, we were told there was none. The pesce, though we had been told by the waitress it would likely be Red Snapper or Mahi-Mahi, was somewhat breaded and so much overcooked and dried-out that we were uncertain as to its identity. The tiramisu was pretty good. We can no longer trust Ariccia to serve from a special menu, or even from a well-prepared standard one, on special days. This year, we will look elsewhere for a rewarding & satisfying dinner on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve, and other special days. Ariccia could be so...

Met my daughter (an Auburn student) for dinner after a conference at the hotel. We had a lovely experience and will absolutely be back and recommend. We had a leisurely dinner, from the focaccia to splitting the crunchy chocolate dessert cake. We split a bottle of champagne and had the relaxed, no-rush to hand us a check experience that is so rare in US restaurants.

The focaccia wasn’t traditional, and a baker would probably say it was too soft, technically. Well, we could have eaten six of them, it was so good. Would have liked a more robust olive oil with it, and I didn’t get a lot of the rosemary flavor as its name promised, but it was a treat to open the meal with. Highly recommend.

She had the beef filet cooked “medium-rare plus one minute,” and it was perfect. She said the seasoning was “a little uneven,”heavier on one side, but I didn’t detect that in the slice I stole. Nicely cooked and super tender. I had the shrimp fra diavolo: spicy sauce and succulent shrimp. I could have taken a little less of the sauce for a lighter dressed pasta, but that is really nitpicking. Dessert: not too sweet and a perfect ending.

The menu is varied, with pizzas, antipasto and vegetables (really likes our roasted cauliflower), but small enough for attention to detail.

Our meal wasn’t cheap: appetizer, two entrees, dessert and a bottle of wine, but it was a great night. A three-hour evening of good food, drink and conversation. Diners around us were having fun. And students on limited … funding … can split an appetizer and a pizza and not feel it too hard in the bank account. Leftovers were packed away and ready for...