Strings Italian Cafe Jackson — Restaurant in California

It's no wonder, in a small close-knit community like we have in Amador County rich-with multiple generations of Italians, that a place like Strings, ostensibl,y seems like a can't-miss business It has recently been awarded by tourism sites as well as the local paper sponsored publicly voted list of favorites as best Italian Restaurant. That's a biggy around here, considering the community's long standing loyalty with some of the oldest businesses having stayed in the familys even until the present..I remember thinking when Strings first opened a few years ago they will make it or break it on the merits of the food and the experience, but without the benefit of...tenure. The shopping center location makes it very convenient (close to where highways 88 and 49 intersect/merge) and right off the bat, the appearance from the outside is very clean, meticulously primped, and free of blemish. However (it must be said) it is a rather unromantic rectangular beige shoe box of a building (no outdoor seating) with little to prepare you for anything culturally significant to Italy whatsoever aside from the Italian flag colors wrapping around the shoe box like a ribbon, which has the effect of making it look like something one might find under an Italian giant's Christmas tree containing 2 fantastically stylish gargantuan dress shoes.., and that impression you get is not brilliant... nor will it last very long, because everything is about to improve dramatically . The moment you enter the door the smells of PROPER Italian cuisine hit you like an avalanche of freshly-made-marinara-sauce-scented, down feathers (only much more pleasant than that image now seems while I think of it). Of course the have traditional Italian pop favorites at the "just right" volume level. The hostess, waitresses, kitchen staff VERY professional but not short or cold... How else to say it? Service was as nice and attentive and helpful as could possibly be expected and desired. In fact the food. Honestly the kind of Italian food you would find in a little mom & pop restaurant in North Beach, San Francisco.The salad was served family style (one large bowl) along with a basket of fresh bread. Our entrees arrived hot and fresh and beautiful... My calzone was big and meaty enough to feed me for two separate meals and absolutely delicious. I sampled my date's salmon which was exquisite as well.. I don't know how that other franchises are doing in the "Strings" constellation of stores throughout the land and the Jackson store is the only one I've been in. When I asked for the salad dressing recipe, my server told me they get it from a common source with the other Strings franchises (for uniformity). So all of the other Strings restaurants are all following the same food menus and offer the same entrees I hope it follows they have the same hiring practices and have the great staff comparable to what this store had. So the approach to the store's parking lot all the way up to the entrance is nothing to feel strongly about plus or minus. but once you're in it's just delightful and STAYS that way all the way through... even the bill is easy on the eyes. You just can't go wrong. My family has added Strings to our "HOT" list of places we love to eat and we WILL be...

I was very excited to try this restaurant as my family was in town visiting, which as we all know is rare in these times and I had heard that the food was good. Let me begin with the appetizers: The salad was positively sad and limp though the house dressing was tasty. The stuffed mushrooms were saved by the fact that it was a mushroom. I was extremely disappointed by the artichoke dip that was swimming in grease in it's container. My entree was the breaded calamari, fettuccine alfredo and veggies. The calamari was completely tasteless, which was confirmed by others in my party, who were experiencing the same with their various dishes. The fettuccine itself was cooked properly however the alfredo sauce was skimpy in quantity so difficult to rate it. The mixed veggies were tasty though a bit overcooked. I realize that a to go order suffers a bit in the transition from a seated dining experience to curbside takeout, which I made allowances for, but I will not be a returning customer. My garbage disposal seemed...

What a disappointing experience. The food was decent, but the service was terrible. It probably just depends on which server you get. The dark haired server seemed ok, but unfortunately we got the young blonde one. Completely inattentive and SLOW. Had to ask and wait for drink refills. Extreme delay waiting for the salad. Asked for a salad refill and it never came. When I mentioned that later she said she got busy. The place was almost empty. But the worst part is we went there for my daughter’s fifth birthday. She wore a special dress, sash, and crown. Zero recognition of her birthday from the staff. Instead of waiting for the sever to be my cashier I used the QR code on the receipt to pay which went smoothly until we got to our car and were LITERALLY chased down by the manager who thought we left without paying. Holy crap what a disappointment. NEVER GOING...