The Great Impasta — Restaurant in Brunswick

This review is different from the others because, "The Great Impasta", in my experience, was NOT GREAT in any way! They never responded and never prepared food for our event! It was our Son's 40th birthday so my husband & I wanted to host a lunch for 12 people on October 6th. The only thing our Son asked for was TGI seafood lasagna. So, I first sent TGI a message via their website alerting them to our planned lunch date along with my name and phone number. I never got a response but that didn't really concern me. I knew that, according to their website, I had notified them in plenty of time. So, a week and a half before my occasion, I called the restaurant to place my order. Keeping in mind that the staff is busy during lunch and dinner hours, I made sure I called around 3pm in effort to call at a convenience and non-busy time. The female that answered the phone told me that I was calling "too far ahead" of my event and asked if I would call back the next week to place my order! Really??? One and a half week ahead was too early to place my order??? Ok. It was starting to feel like I've never tried so hard to give a business my money. So on Thursday Oct. 3rd I called TGI around 11:15 am to place the order. There was no answer and the message said the machine was full so I could not leave a message. I assumed that I misdialed and tried again later that afternoon around 3pm. Again, no answer, not able to leave a message. So, I went on TGI website again, sending them an email with my urgent request. Please call me or respond to my email. But, they did not. On Friday Oct. 4th my Mother drove to the restaurant in hopes that she could find out what the issue was. A sign on the door just said "closed" but a man opened the door and asked if she was there to pick up an order. She explained that I had been trying for over a week to place a catering take out order but that NO ONE HAS RESPONDED! The man assured her that the owner would call me but he never did. So... that's why I say The Great Impasta is NOT GREAT AT ALL.

We will forever be grateful to DaVinci's in Lewiston!!! Not only did they answer their phone, their staff spent a good amount of time on the phone with me as I tried to put together a new menu of food choices for our guests. DaVinci's staff helped to reassure me and calm my stress over TGI "fail". I drove to Lewiston Saturday Oct. 5th, picked up my sizeable order, (with ease) the staff carried it out to my vehicle for me and their food was outstanding! Don't put your hopes on The Great Impasta to provide food for your catering event. They certainly didn't show me that they wanted my business even though I put forth all the...

The Great Impasta, despite its promising structure and inviting outdoor space, left much to be desired in my recent visit. Upon arrival, I was informed by the hostess that I would need to wait in the lounge as the restaurant was full—a wait that extended for about 15 minutes. This would have been acceptable, had it not been for the empty table I noticed during my entire wait, leading me to question the necessity of the delay. Given the apparent popularity, a reservation system seems essential, yet it is notably absent.

The service experience further diminished the evening. While I was eventually served complimentary appetizers, they arrived without silverware or even a napkin, necessitating a frustrating effort to catch the attention of the busy waitstaff. The appetizer itself was excessively oily, raising concerns for anyone with dietary restrictions or health concerns. When my main course finally arrived, I was asked to reuse my fork due to a shortage of silverware—a rather disappointing oversight for any restaurant.

The saving grace of the evening was the food itself. The carbonara was exceptionally well-prepared, a comforting dish that demonstrated the kitchen’s potential. The affogato I had for dessert also exceeded expectations, providing a satisfying end to an otherwise underwhelming experience.

Ambiance: 4/5 Service: 2/5 Food Quality: 4/5 Value for Money:...

I want to start off and say I have been coming here for about 10 years. Once they changed owners and redesigned things inside everything went downhill. I have had many great meals here before but tonight was not that night. The last 2 or 3 times my food has been okay at best but tonight was beyond disappointing. My boyfriend and I ordered takeout and it was some of the worst food I have gotten in a long time from anywhere. I ordered the Vitello Picatta and asked for sauce on the side. When I opened my bag at home I noticed both my pasta as well as my boyfriends had a very large amount of red sauce on our meals. I don’t understand why any normal human with a decent palate would ever serve red sauce with a lemon-wine sauce? Keep in mind the menu online says not a word about red sauce being added to every pasta dish. The lemon sauce was very very oily, the veal was lazily cooked & bread was very dry as well. I understand when you order takeout the meal won’t be as good as the restaurant but the quality is severely lacking for the price. When returning for a replacement meal I again was not impressed by the food or the service. I did not get an apology, the manager ignored me, after clearly stating multiple times to not have red sauce added I could still hear the cooks and servers asking about adding red sauce. For $55 I expect a bit...