Toscano — Restaurant in Boston

There was a ton of excitement over the reopening of this restaurant and I have to say my girlfriend and I were drawn in by the commotion. We were both curious to see if we could establish another quality eatery in the neighborhood especially with winter right around the corner.

Service

Our server was extremely polite but inexperienced. He was not knowledgeable on how to say the Italian dishes nor did he know the specials when he came to the table. Knowing it was our first experience he did make a recommendation of their signature homemade ravioli. The server did not make any recommendations on appetizers or salads which made me slightly disappointed when the next time he came to our table was with our entrees. I thought a small house salad would come with the meal especially for the price.

The Meal

Let’s just say I am Italian and I am highly selective when it comes to both ingredients and preparation. The homemade pasta was doughy and served at best luke-warm in temperature. The filling of spinach and ricotta was slight and with little to no flavor. Italian food is about flavor how about some garlic! Both dishes were plagued with the same problems of no flavor or attention to the quality of the ingredients. The tomato based sauce was a quick pan sauce created with under ripe tomatoes and a clove of garlic that was not even cleaned properly. The dish was supposed to be spicy hot but it lacked any crushed red pepper or heat. My girlfriends brown butter with sage ravioli had a nice presentation but had no flavor of sage. The food lacked a certain passion which is a shame especially for Italian food. I would hope this is just opening jitters but there is a certain attention to detail that is lacking. For Toscanos to be truly successful they need to pay more attention to detail and the quality of the overall experience. We most likely will not be back as there are too many wonderful places to eat to roll the dice and come back to something that is costly and below my...

Our server was cold to us and borderline rude. When I told him I had a dairy allergy he asked several times, “but can you have an eggs?” And I said yes. I asked him for help navigating the menu and he said that almost anything would be safe “just avoid the cream” he said. And then a second later he asked, “but you can have cheese right?” I thought he was joking so I laughed. But then he asked again. And I said, “no… I have a full blown dairy allergy” and I started listing off what is dairy. And then he said okay I’ll let the kitchen know. Still no guidance on what I could eat or if dishes could be slightly altered. He was very friendly and attentive to the three tables around us and when the neighboring table mentioned they had a nut allergy, he was very reassuring saying, “no worried we take allergies very seriously here, I’ll let the kitchen know immediately.” A much more comforting response if you ask me.

I wish I’d taken a picture of my plate because I ended up ordering steak because I thought it would be the safest. My steak was cooked incorrectly and my potatoes were dry, overcooked and under seasoned.

We were the only table he didn’t regularly check on. Instead other servers in the restaurant came over to check on us, but by checking on us I feel like they were trying to get us to leave faster. I had literally just taken a bite and this woman comes over and asks, “can I take your plate? Are you done?” Meanwhile one of the other tables this guy was regularly checking on had been there for a significant time before us.

The best thing about the restaurant was the balsamic vinegar they put on the table.

Oh… and did I mention it was...

What an amazing dining experience. From being greeted by the owner Richard, Manager Amy we knew our evening was off to a great start. The restaurant is beautifully designed and decorated with glass chandeliers and wall sconces, an old wood floor, nicely spaced tables accompanied by a large temperature controlled wine room on display in the center of the dining room. Daniel, our server is a great ambassador for not only Toscano , but for the whole city of Boston. Daniel guided us through the menu and made suggestions for both our wine and meal selections. We stared off with the Burrata Caprese with nice large slices of Heirloom Tomatoes and a fresh locally made Burrata. The Balsamic reduction they serve on the table is delicious and topped off the Caprese beautifully. The Mushroom Risotto with three or four kinds of mushrooms was cooked perfectly and had such an earthy flavor we could not stop eating it. Our entrees were both from the specials for the evening. The 10 oz Filet was cooked to perfection and served with a White Marsala Cream that I could have easily ordered a cup of to drink. The Grilled Seabass with roasted red peppers, roasted eggplant and spinach had the best flavor of any fish we had while in Boston. Desserts with the House Specialty of Tiramisu and a Blueberry tart that were eagerly devoured. Toscano has a great wine selection priced for people that are unfamiliar with wines and for those that enjoy high end wines at reasonable prices. If you are in Boston you really need to dine at Toscano. It will be a mandatory visit for us the next time we are in Boston....