Quattro — Restaurant in Boston

From first approach of the server, his wry smile felt judgy and fake. The vibe he gave was an assessment of how much cash he was getting off of the table. Now I’m a former server myself, so I understand the game. I had the capacity, the depth if pocket and presence of mind to leave him a generous tip, but he was insincere and “upsold” us bottled water that we did not order to rack up $20 on the bill because we didn’t order alcohol. His first question when he approached the table was if we wanted still or sparkling water. We responded with still (non-sparkling). Everyone around us had normal ice water in a glass, and that is what we were expecting. Instead he brought imported mineral water from Spain. I did not ask for that, I asked for ice water. I assumed, since I didn’t ask for or specify special water that maybe it was the trademark of the establishment to serve bottled water. Until I got the bill. So shady and disingenuous. I understand that culturally, a meal in an authentic Italian restaurant is a more slow-paced experience, however we visited at lunch. He was just outright SLOW, inattentive and did not read the table well. We were ready to order our food after waiting for him to approach the table for 15 min, but he messed around with drinks for another 15 min. So annoying. Then, when asking for a side of cream sauce with our ravioli dish, he said the kitchen couldn’t accommodate that request. I understand that asking for a modification on a menu item can be interpreted as an insult. Totally get it. However in this case I didn’t ask for modification to the recipe, I just asked for an additional side of sauce. Seems to me that if you want to make good money as a sever, you take care of the customer. We were dressed nicely but casually as we walked the freedom trail through the city that day. This place left a bad taste in my mouth (not from the food -the flavor profile was great - but the service tainted the whole experience) and I likely won’t be back despite the claim of the best pizza in the city. You see, in the midst of the Italian district, there are MANY options to try next. Do...

Last winter, walking in the North End, we saw chickens on a rotisserie behind a grill bar in a lovely, warm-looking, cozy restaurant at the corner of Hanover and Parmenter. Poking in the door, we were greeted warmly and with kindness, by staff who seemed excited to discuss the menu, taking pleasure in their work. I like rotisserie chicken (when it’s cooked with care and imagination), and from the color of the chickens on the spit in the glow of the fire, I thought this might be a special place. It is, and it’s known simply as Quattro. The menu is diverse - photo attached - and a blackboard of weekly specials. Today was the day we finally made it in to dine, 2 seasons later… It had been on my mind since that winter day. Starting with 2 breads and 2 dips (Italian baguette and sourdough loaf, olive oil and pesto), it was apparent the focus is on quality at this wonderful restaurant. Part of the DePasquale collection of restaurants, which also includes Maré, Boston’s highest-rated restaurant, it’s one of many highly successful restaurants in their orbit (photo attached of the entire collection). We ordered a Caesar Salad and the rotisserie chicken, and shared the order without any complaint or reaction from our waiter, who was friendly and helpful throughout, taking the time to answer my questions about their process making the sauce (“au jus” on the menu) accompanying the chicken (it’s reduced chicken marrow stock). The sides and salad were also great, but the chicken was by far the best I’ve had anywhere, including my own kitchen. The first bite revealed a Mediterranean-style marinade or baste that left a dark, slighly lemony/rosemary/salty/peppery crispy finish on the skin, while the meat of the entire serving was tender, moist, flavorful, and perfectly cooked - truly awesome. Please excuse the term, but the first bite gave me a foodasm…beyond my wildest expectations. I’m looking forward to the pizzas, pastas and...

Server atrempting to upsell in a dishonest way is creating a bad experience in this restaurant . Begins by asking if we want still or sparking water, to which I reply I’d like regular tap water. Two minutes later I overheard the table next to us shocked that the bottle of water the waiter had offered and brought them was ten dollars. However, I was shocked when as myself and my boyfriend place an order for one main each and just tap waters ( clearly we are students and not celebrating anything fancy) the waiter asked us if we would like to add an appetiser to share before our meal came out and that it was extremely popular and most people get it before their meal. We presumed that the wait time for our main must take a long time and decided yes we would take it. However, bread was brought out for free which we had not been told by our server, and then the appetiser he had suggested came out. It was two slices of bruschetta with some cheese and prosciutto on the side. My boyfriend thought the bread was stale and didn’t eat his share. Once we asked for the bill we were shocked to see that the appetiser cost more than each of our main dishes, it was 26 dollars for some bruschetta! I could not believe that a server would not be transparent about the expensive price when it cost more than each of our main courses especially when it is clear we are not trying to spend too much by not having drinks or desserts. If I had been home in Europe I would have left no tip at all, in fact I may have even asked for it to be taken off the bill, but I was so shocked in the moment. Unfortunately for the server, I did not include the price of the bruschetta when totalling the standard 20 per cent of the tip, as I did not want to make his effort worthwhile. Apart from upselling the bruschetta, he did not replace our cutlery and we had to ask for cutlery for our main and he did not check on us once during the meal. ...