Viron Rondo Osteria — Restaurant in Cheshire

Heads up!! I had the most unexpected, unpleasant experience last Sunday, Mother's day... at Viron Rondo Osteria. While having lunch w two friends outside, the smell of poo was in the air, wafting over and over us throughout our meal. It was gross! I thought at first a person might be sick or maybe a baby is in distress, but not so... The table next to us also notably picked up on this distasteful, no pun...stank! It was the smell of "manure!" I went inside and spoke w Ava. She thanked me for telling her and apologized, saying, "Yes, that's the restaurant's landscaping." Landscaping outside during service time?! It was very unpleasant to sit outside expecting to enjoy the fresh air, culinary delights and friendship, while smelling manure!! I know other customers were also affected by the looks on their faces. I have asthma and I am very sensitive to chemicals and strong odors & allergic to certain grasses/trees. I was hoping once this situation was brought to management that it would be corrected and the smells would stop! Shortly after this...I experienced a chemical smell hitting and drying out my nose, moving into my sinus and giving me a headache. I told my friends I had to go. When leaving, I observed a woman working in the garden by the umbrellas. She was wearing gloves, repetitiously grabbing a handful of the powdered substance from her bucket and tossing it about the plants with a poof as it hit the ground, aerating the powder! I asked politely while moving on, if that was fertilizer that she was working with and she gave me a cold stare, no answer. I covered my mouth and nose and moved quickly to get out of the area to the parking lot. Perhaps she did not hear me, perhaps she didn't understand. I was asking to know what substance was being used in case I had a severe reaction! I did bring this to Ava's attention again, as I called inside to the restaurant once I was in my car. Again, Ava simply apologized, thanking me, saying it was their landscaping. Unbelievable! I told her the smells were terribly unpleasant, and that *the chemical smell I sensed effected me; drying out my nose, giving me a headache and that it was the product being openly tossed in the garden that I sensed. Ava delivered an apology, thanked me and rushed me off the phone. If she hadn't sounded so nonchalant and pretentious, I would have felt that she possibly cared; my dining experience was obviously interrupted and I was now, not feeling well. I left with a growing headache and could sense the chemical moving further in my nasal passage. At home, I needed to rinse my nose and sinus, drank more water to help with my sensitivity in hopes of flushing/diluting the advancing reaction. I got stomach sick and thereafter fell asleep with a headache and feeling that my system had been attacked! This passed after several hours but left me very annoyed. ANY functioning restaurant should use common sense, proper sanitation practice; including chemical usage and practice therein during food service to the public. One should not allow, much less, schedule "landscaping" during outdoor meal service. I am beyond disappointed that my sense of smell was obliterated halting what was to be a pleasant afternoon luncheon and leaving me feeling physically ill but even more so... that my efforts in bringing this unfolding situation to Ava's attention was essentially blown off. Shame on you, VRO... your clientele deserve better than dining al fresco and having to breathe in the stench of manure and fertilizer effecting their sense of wellness! *Anyone, of any age, could experience a serious adverse/allergic reaction when put unknowingly in this exact situation! Be responsible and manage the timeliness of this maintenance service, a.k.a. "landscaping" and be more responsive with immediate corrective actions to anyone bringing you their concerns while at your establishment. Again as an individual having asthma and great sensitivity to smells, chemicals etc., I do not appreciate being placed at risk and my expectation of...

Ambience ✔️ creative, interesting and fresh menu options✔️ warmly welcoming immersive atmosphere providing indoor outdoor seating options in the massive number of seats found within the unassuming green shack like exterior which extends out into a combination indoor/outdoor garden setting practically overflowing with dramatic and powerful landscape design elements that have started trending post COVID but minus all of the snobbery and elitism typically inherent in some many VIBE FORWARD establishments.

Although I could have done without the one trend I just cannot get on board with....this insistence that bathroom facilities have beautiful design elements effectively HIDDEN in the barely lit interiors. It's a shame, no one will recognize your vintage drawer pulls, or the orchid garden taking up residence in the too dark for comfort ladies room. Give me the ugly overhead lighting if this is the only other option. But it's only the bathroom... a minor complaint at that, so let's talk about the rest of the amazing surprises that await.

The ambience is both inherently chill, and classically beautiful without seeming to even try all of which translates to an environment in which you are instantly at ease, you can expect the headiness to seduce you into believing for at least the length of a single satisfying meal, that all your worries have fallen away.

The menu is GORGEOUS and bigger than expected while still being small enough to allow for each item to get the attention and intent it deserves.

From a wide variety of FANTASTIC salads, which may be ordered in individualized servings(enough to feed two generously) or served family style (generously proportioned for four or more ) The standouts here are the Caesar salad with a silky garlic spiked dressing made ultra lux with the addition of copious amounts of freshly grated grana padano cheese, the crystalized and umami rich padano is a strong supporting character that married wonderfully with the strong garlicky profile of the dressing, creating a new twist on a classic standby that proves perfection can be improved upon . In addition to the not to be missed Caesar salad, is a greekified version of a classic spring mix salad.

The supporting players again so familiar but combined to provide excitement when that first bite confirms attention to detail MATTERS, and the kitchen staff is investing time and attention in every detail, in order to confidently provide a standardized assembly dressed perfectly with not too little, and certainly not too much vinaigrette...and gently tossing to achieve a balance of flavors, textures, and colors while maintaining the integrity of individual elements. Lovely! Pasta and pizza and grilled entrees abound, I went for a classic bellwether the linguine carbonara. A dish if not done perfectly, becomes a gloppy greasy mess...but their version was prepared with the simplicity that good carbonara relies on and the results were mind-blowingly delicious- one of the best restaurant pasta dishes I have had in years. Bravo 👏 The orecheitte with sausage, white beans and broccoli rabe was another lovely combination of simple, well prepared pasta that allowed each ingredient to shine as well as support the others. A balanced respectful hand, is turning out confident food with gusto at Viron Rondo Osteria. Desserts are not made in house but sourced with the same care, as was evidenced by the mile high slice of heavenly Pink Berry Cheesecake that is enough to share with a table of four after a beautiful pasta dinner.... don't miss out on this treat, as it's not all that easy to get outside of NYC.. and it's worth every damn calorie. If you are not walking away from this place fat and happy...the fault lies with you alone. I am counting the months until I return to CT for a second trip to Viron Rondo,... I am thinking the wood fired pizza is calling my name gently, beckoning my return...and who am I to resist that siren call? Not a doubt in my mind, I will...

(Last visited May 26, 2023.) My wife and I have heard so much about this place so on a random Friday evening we managed to snag a reservation to finally check this place out! Here's how it went.

Atmosphere/Appearance: This place is BEAUTIFUL. It's also huge AND very popular. Parking was a bit of a nightmare to be completely transparent. There is a parking lot directly next to the restaurant, but that was filled to the max. Then there's like, an overflow lot behind that one, but it's backed up against what looks like shipping containers, a cinderblock factory or something. Lol. It's a little sketch, but we weren't the only ones that needed to park that far away. No worries. Once we finally made it to the exterior host stand we were told we still had to wait for our table to be ready and it was SO BUSY. Like, impressively busy, plus it was really nice out so folks were sitting outside. So there's like 4 different seating areas here. Two of them are outside with one of them being right up against the street, but kinda separated by foliage and such. The 2nd outdoor seating is around the side of the building under a series of different shape coverings which is where we were finally able to be sat. Then there are 2 more indoor sections, but I cannot reiterate how big this place was and how busy it was!

Service: I can't remember who took care of us, but from what I can remember, we had little to no issues here.

Food: So... we heard the food here was really OFF THE CHAIN. My and my wife's experience differed just a bit. They start you off with fluffy rolls and an olive medley. Everything was delicious and we had no complaints here! Next up we had to try the famous "My Mother's Chips". These are thin, crispy eggplant and zucchini slices that have been battered then deep-fried. They're also served with a cucumber-yogurt dip. These were so phenomenal and I understand the hype, but unfortunately, it was my favorite thing that I had all night... For my entree I went with the Grilled Lamb Chops. These come with parmesan-rosemary petite potatoes, broccolini and a red wine demi glace. These lacked a bold flavor that I was really looking forward to. I've had lamb chops from other establishments with much more flavor than these had. It just is what it is. My wife felt the same regarding her salmon. For dessert we went with their cheesecake that's served with some fresh berries and syrup! This was delicious and an excellent sweet finish to the meal.

Value: This isn't a cheap place, so bring the wallet for sure. Our cocktails were $15.00 a piece (I've since forgotten what they were despite the pictures I have, but they just looked juicy in the pictures). My Mother's Chips were $19.00, my lamb chops were $47.00, my wife's salmon was $34.00 and I don't remember what the cheesecake was, but I'm sure it was like $10.00 or something. SO yeah, it was a pricey dinner, but I think it was worth it. The quality of the food was there, just the flavors weren't for us for some things.

In conclusion, I liked it here. I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5. The parking situation, the price, having to wait so long for a table we made a reservation for and the lack of flavors in some things we ate bring the score down. However, I would totally come back to try some other things though! The atmosphere is off the chain and that was my favorite part of the...