Faulisi Caffè & Enoteca — Restaurant in Cary

I was very impressed with the decor and layout at Pizzeria Faulisi. There was so much hype around this restaurant on instagram and local food blogs that we waited a bit to check them out. We stopped in on a Saturday night. They do not take reservations just so you know and are closed Monday and Tuesday. They also are not a conventional take-out pizzeria. They focus on their diners and guests at hand and will do take-out if there is time or on slower nights yet take-out is not their priority and will tell you upfront. We did go on the earlier side on a Saturday night and Bond Brothers and the epicurean market next door were just hopping with guests. It was very nice to see such a lively forum in downtown Cary and everything is just picking up on Chatham Street. The hostess was very friendly as we entered the Pizzeria and she told us the wait would be about 40 minutes. We agreed and gave her our name and phone number. We sauntered over to Bond Brother, sat down for a beer and then the phone buzzed with a text that a spot for 2 was ready at Pizzeria Faulisi. Since we weren't immediately ready to gulp down the beer and run over, there was a text 2 option to say that we needed a few more minutes. We made our way over to the restaurant when we settled our tab at Bond Brothers and were ushered to two seats at the bar in the pizzeria. Pizzeria Faulisi is a small restaurant with only a few tables and bar area. The pizza oven is right there in the open by the bar and you can dine and watch all of the pizza baking and salad preparation. On the left side of the bar is where the drinks and cocktails are crafted. I love the decor and use of glassware, freshly cut flowers, and amber colored water glasses to adorn the tables and bar. The menu was presented to us by our fantastic server named Maggie and she was extremely polished and ran the front of the house. I overheard the couple next to us say they knew her from the Durham Hotel so she has been in a hospitality and food service role before and really knew how to make guests feel welcome and had that extra level of service that not many people have. Maggie presented us with a two-sided paper menu with a selection of salads and pizza and gnocchi and drinks. They do not have draft beer (only bottles), red and wine whites served in stemless glasses and craft cocktails that were made with fresh lemon rinds and tasty ingredients. Every time I looked at the bar decor, I felt like I was transported to the 1920's mixed with Pottery Barn. The champagne glasses lined up on the wooden shelving were from the Great Gatsby and they used fresh green magnolia tree leaves and branches to adorn the shelving. The pizza chefs were busy in front of the oven making each pizza. There is no dough flying in the air but more dough being spread out on the silver pans. They then add fresh red or white sauce, cheese and fresh toppings. The gnocchi is prepped in oven-ready bowls and put in the hot oven to cook. It was really neat seeing the pizza being made and everything is out in the open. I started with the salad with pine nuts and lemon vinaigrette and it was a large portion for a starter and I loved the bitterness of the arugula and greens. For pizza, I had the margherita and it came cut into pieces (no scissors). I liked it yet I felt it it needed a little more salt and I don't know if that was the sauce or cheese. The pizza is up there with Tre Froni and Pompieri and the dining experience was very memorable. If you are looking for a nice evening out in downtown Cary with pizza, red wine and really neat decor, come to Pizzeria Faulisia. For dessert, I recommend walking down the street to Fresh for ice cream to finish the downtown Cary experience. Congratulations, Pizzeria Faulisi on a successful venture and really...

Last night--Friday, Feb 8 2019--my wife and I along with another couple made out way to Pizzeria Faulisi for dinner. It was about 7:30 or so. We sat at the bar overlooking the pizza prep area because there was not a table. We had no issues with the seating location. However, I want to give you feedback from my wife and me. The two of us spent $51 plus tax and tip.

PIZZA: We ordered a Margherita with sausage and a Nonna's Lasagne Pie. We were disappointed for several reasons. While the outside edges of the crust was well cooked and somewhat crispy, the rest of the pizza crust was under-done to our standards. It was nearly impossible to pick up a piece without the toppings (as little as it was) slipping off the crust. I started to ask for our pizzas to be cooled "well-done" but decided to take it as you prepare it. While the pizza crust under the topping was not raw, it would have been cooked a more, not to cracker consistency but to allow the slice of pizza to stand alone without having to use a fork and knife to each it. Also, after having one slice of both pizzas, the remaining pizza was nearly cold. I started to ask that it be reheated but stopped short. And, except for the onions on the Nonna's, there was little taste to either pizza. No flavors came through. Actually no seasonings, and very few toppings. In total, we were disappointed in the pizza. That was $31 for pizza which could have been spent for much better pizza at Daniels in Apex or at any Mellow Mushroom location. Next time, if there is a next time, we will ask that the pizza be cooked longer than normal and that if it gets cold then we'll ask that the remainder be reheated. It may have been that the staff was trying to turn out the pizzas very fast. The restaurant was very busy, but as a customer, I'd rather wait a little longer for a better pizza than have the pizza served in record time.

DRINKS: I ordered the Jade IPA. The $6 price was okay. I've paid more and less for the same at other places. HOWEVER: My wife had two glasses of red wine at a cost of $7.00. I doubt she had five ounces of wine in her glass. She actually asked the wait person if there was five ounces in the glass and there was no reply from the wait person, just a blank stare that said: I don't care. It is what it is. There was no answer. No follow up; no asking the person who pours; not offer to add a little to the glass.

This was not the first time we have had your pizza. I ordered it shortly after you opened while enjoying a night at Bond Brothers. The pizza then was more flavorful but still very soggy and flimsy. We decided to give you a second try last night but were very disappointed, especially after spending $51 and giving a substantial $10 tip. (The service was okay except for the blank stare about the wine.) The other couple with us probably spent $45 or so.

I doubt...

So this is a weird one. We've been here a bunch. Their pizza is fantastic, especially the red, white and blue. It's in a great little spot as well.

However. We tried going in today. We had a family of four, and were with another family of five. Admittedly, this is a large party.

We walked in and were told, by the owner, that they couldn't seat us with a party that size. We said 'no worries, we don't need to sit together'.

She then said, in no uncertain terms, that we could not eat in her restaurant. She offered take out, which we didn't want, but that no matter where we sat or how we broke up our party, we could not enter the restaurant, which was empty, at the same time. When we asked why, the explanation was that customers in the past had entered in large parties and behaved badly, pushing tables together, staying for 2 hours, etc...

We said that we could sit apart and wouldn't push tables together, but she was adamant that even if we sat in different sections, we would not be allowed to dine in, indicating that she could no longer trust customers in large parties to behave.

One question is, who are these people coming in and behaving like entitled brats to the point where an owner has to enact a policy like this? Another is, does extreme distrust of customers make for good business?

I don't know. I DO know that if you come in with a group over 6, don't make eye contact or speak to each other or they'll spot you and you'll have to eat somewhere else. God help your party if there are a bunch of kids involved as I imagine it will only make things worse (disclaimer, we had 2 kids in one family and 3 in the other, although there was a family that had 2 as well that was seated while we were talking, so who knows).

I hope in the future that they get over their distrust of people and that people that go there start behaving like functioning adults, because the pizza is great and I'm upset that we can't sit...