La Grassa Pastificio — Restaurant in Cary

We were looking forward to trying this place based on the positive reviews. Unfortunately, our experience was not what we were expecting. I recently had surgery on my ankle, so my friend and I arrived 5 min early. The staff saw us outside, but did not offer to let us in until exactly 5:30. I understand the importance of getting ready to open, but I was pretty surprised they did not let us in 5 min early considering I was using a scooter and had a boot on my leg. Although it was slightly uncomfortable for them to find us a table, since we didn’t have a reservation (in an entirely empty restaurant), I will say the place was decorated very nicely. When we ordered we found out they did not have the Tagliatelle Bolognese. This was the main dish we wanted to try, as it is such a staple at Italian restaurants. While we were bummed, we picked some other options. First, our salad (the Insalata), and an order of the focaccia bread came out. The salad was missing the focaccia croutons mentioned on the menu. When I asked, I was told they were out of those too. The waitress did offer to bring us more focaccia, but we had already purchased a loaf, and wanted to save room for the main course. The salad was decent, but very dry. We asked for an extra side of dressing, which helped a lot. The focaccia was really delicious (hence the 1 star). Next the entrees came. We got a few things to try (Risotto, Melanzane Parmesan (Eggplant Parmesan) and the Rigatoni Salsiccia). Unfortunately, the Eggplant was burnt, and both the Risotto and Rigatoni were under cooked. The Risotto was also very soupy. The friend I was with is Italian, and we both appreciate our pasta al dente, but the Risotto and Rigatoni were both hard and crunchy. Our server was very kind with all of the issues we experienced. She offered us free dessert, but at this point we decided it best to take the check and go. She gave us 25% off of the three entrees. While that was very kind, we ultimately spent $100 for an order of focaccia and one salad. I rarely write reviews, even more rare a negative review, but we felt it was important to share our experience as it was so vastly different than what we were...

Absolutely loved this place! Small but not cramped, this place is intimate. We were greeted at the door as soon as we entered. Was a good thing we had reservations because the place was almost fully booked for Friday night and while we ate several couples were turned away or opted to wait outside in the freezing temps for a table. The waitress explained the wines were ordered by what I would call light to most robust from top to bottom. They had about 20 wines and a few beers. Almost all if not all wines were available by the glass which is a great way to see which you like if you're not familiar with Italian wine. We started with the arancini, served with two on a tomato sauce, which I thought was perfect but the one my husband had he felt could have been cooked longer. We also got the focaccia and it is worth paying for. So crisp but soft and the right amount of seasoning. I opted for the tagliatelle bolognese which is my test of an Italian place since I make a darn good version at home and it was incredible. My husband got the four cheese gnocchi and loved it. He also ordered the broccolini to get something to help break up the richness of the gnocchi and it was very good. And he finished with tiramisu. I'm not a fan of tiramisu because I feel it is usually very mushy but this was a good version and I enjoyed stealing a few bites. Can't wait to go back!

We've now eaten here numerous times and it never dissapoints. I love the bolognese! We enjoy the cannoli as much as the tiramisu. And since the first visit the arancini has always been piping hot. One of the recent new seasonal dishes is the Sepia which is cuttlefish ink pasta with calibrian tomato sauce and shrimp. It has a...

I was really disappointed with my dining experience at La Grassa. We ordered the focaccia, gnocchi and risotto. The focaccia was doughy and the bottom was soggy. The risotto is listed to have scallops on the menu, but the dish came out with shrimp only. Our server did NOT notify us of this before placing the order which I found disrespectful. (Aside from this she was very kind and attentive) I have seen other reviews with this same issue so I am not sure if being uninformed as a patron is protocol for this restaurant. On top of that, the owner/main chef walked around greeting the two other patrons but completely ignored my partner and I- if you are going to greet patrons (which I find quite personable and kind), why ignore one table? The restaurant is very small so we both felt disrespected by this as well. The owner left before our food was served, which took 45 minutes. The restaurant had one other group of patrons who came in after us, so I was disappointed by how long it took for the food to come out as well. My gnocchi dish was served in a small half melted cheese heart attack soup. The food quality was the most disrespectful part of it all, for me. I come from an Italian immigrant family/chefs/restaurant owners but I would not even put the quality of food and service on the same level as Olive Garden ESPECIALLY FOR THE PRICE. I know what to expect from a restaurant of any kind and this simply was not acceptable. I feel very, very disrespected and upset with my experience at La Grassa. I was there to celebrate an anniversary after a long, productive day and now I am just sad and...