Capo Restaurant & Supper Club — Restaurant in Boston

I would give it a 3.5 but I can't...it's not quite a 4 which I reserve for meals I would definitely go back for but I don't think I gave Capo a fair chance. Let me tell you why.

I may seem crazy for thinking this but I don't think pasta is great. THERE! I said it. It's a vehicle for other flavors and an unhealthy vehicle at that. I don't think I truly appreciate freshly made pasta. I would choose potatoes or rice 10/10 times over pasta.

With that being said, I came here with some coworkers for a work dinner on a Wednesday evening at 6 PM (it wasn't very busy but we did see a daddy-daughter date which was adorable!). I looked at the menu and saw that a bone-in pork chop was on the specials menu. I love a good Italian bone-in pork chop (I had an amazing one at Carmelina's) so I thought I would be ordering it. However, on Wednesdays at Capo, for $30, you can do all-you-can-eat pasta and try different types each time (except the lobster gnocchi). This ain't your Olive Garden all-you-can-eat folks! I announced that I was considering it to the group and a coworker who doesn't know me very well said "You don't look like you can eat a lot." Bear in mind, I am a skinny guy; however, that is thanks in large part to my Usain Bolt-esque metabolism (and my general sense for eating healthfully). Eating large portions is something I pride myself on and I wasn't about to let my coworker besmirch my name. Not today. Not ever. So though I probably would have enjoyed the pork chop more, I went with the all-you-can-eat pasta.

I started with a full portion of the Short Rib Ravioli. That was my first mistake...always do the half portions for this so you can try as many flavors as you can (like tapas but pasta tapas). It was rich and delicious and I scarfed it down pretty quickly. To my surprise, the waiter was actually really attentive and as I was almost done with it, the waiter came by to ask if he should put another pasta order in. This time, I went with the Sausage and Cavatelli, but only a half portion. The sausage was well-cooked and the vodka sauce was creamy. I can't decide if I liked this or the Short Rib Ravioli better. By the time I finished the second plate, I could feel my stomach slightly full...maybe because it was a lot of pasta and I'm not used to eating pasta but I was more full than I expected. I did eat a big lunch...maybe that was filling me up! Anyway, I couldn't let myself call it quits after 2 plates, NO SIR! So I ordered a half portion of the Cacio E Pepe which everyone seems to gush over (not at Capo specifically but the dish in general). It came and by this time, I was overloaded on salty, savory, umami that it was just hard to eat. The mushrooms were so salty that I just wanted to devour some ice cream to counteract the saltiness (don't worry, we ordered ice cream later). I finish most of the plate (except the salty mushrooms) and put my napkin on the table in surrender. I felt I had sufficiently impressed my coworkers with my eating ability, the irrational goal of the evening.

Then we ordered dessert and that secret compartment in my stomach opened up...we ordered the mini cannolis (YUM!), the Nutella gelato (good not great), and the salted caramel parfait (also good not great). I had bites of it all. You truly have a second stomach for dessert (ask a doctor). I would have gone with the cheesecake (I'm a cheesecake guy) but now that's just something to go back for.

The next morning, I was still so full that I skipped breakfast after my workout (and I NEVER skip breakfast) which I think shows how full I was. When I said at the beginning that I don't think I gave Capo a fair chance, it's because I ordered all-you-can-eat pasta and I don't really love pasta. I think it warrants a trip back to get that pork chop and the cheesecake. Time to plan my...

Unfortunately I cannot give a great review. The service was a little slow at first, but eventually picked up as our waitress got settled. There were some big tables and birthdays going on. However our waitress picked it up and stored a birthday cake for us and she was very friendly. She is the reason the review is two stars and not one. The food for most individuals in our group ended up being fairly salty. My lasagna didn't taste like much as a result. Fortunately for those who ordered seafood, it seemed these dishes tasted fresh and not saturated with a salty flavor. However, one individual ordered what I believe was a lobster + pasta dish - he only received a couple pieces of lobster. Lastly, our group attempted to go into the downstairs supper club where there was supposed to be a DJ. The employee regulating entry at the top of the stairs said we should have placed our name on the list for entry when we arrived for dinner and that they were completely full. He said to talk to the hostess and maybe something could be done. Understanding he was simply doing his job, we didn't attempt to give him a hard time. We talked with the hostess and luckily she could get us on the list! 10-15 minutes later we received a text from the restaurant saying we were in! We quickly finished drinks we just started at the bar and arrived at the hostess stand SIX minutes after receiving the page. The hostess was not friendly and bluntly told us our spot for 12 people to enter the downstairs supper club was given away because we took too long to respond. It made us feel like they never had a spot for us in the first place. A very unfortunate experience considering we were celebrating a close friend's birthday. We were all excited about experiencing Capo but were largely disappointed. Will not go back - Boston has too many other fantastic restaurant experiences to potentially go through that...

I really enjoyed Capo, minus a few minor gripes. Much like their Southie sister restaurant Lincoln, the restaurant is both beautiful and cavernous. Also like Lincoln, the high ceilings and floor to wall tile and wood result in an acoustical nightmare. Maybe it's just my age showing, but trying to have a conversation at my table resulted in every other sentence starting with "What!?" Now, the target demo for this restaurant is prob 25 looking to party and I'm 47 looking to sleep, so it probably isn't a completely fair complaint. The prices here are completely reasonablr and for the portions you get I would say it's actually a great value. Charcuterie board is interesting, diverse and beautiful. The Pizza was very good - it was a weird blend of NY style with that minamalist Neopiltan taste of plain tomato and buffalo mozarella. But I really enjoyed it. The polenta dish is a dense creamy cake with crispy prosciutto on top - it's incredible. The brussels were very good but very very oily making it hard to eat more than a few despite the heaping portion. Service here was mixed. There is an army of staff, and I found that generally the service was good but the bussing was off and empty dishes and glasses lingered on our table for most of the meal. The biggest issue I has was with our $85 bottle of Cab Franc being warm. This is a cardinal sin, especially at an Italian restaurant. It was actually warmer than room temp which was a huge dissapointment. Despite myissues with Capo, I overall really enjoyed the meal and would return. I would love to try other dishes here. The food here is very good and well priced, but if you want to hear your table I recommend going up a few blocks to their...