Il Palato Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Clayton

I have not been to this restaurant (IL Palato) but have had very bad experiences with its sister restaurant, Tavalo V in the Loop. Here is the problem and why I am posting on IL Palato. First, Mr. Del Pietro owns and controls both restaurants. Second, what we have experienced with Tavalo V in the Loop is that Mr. Del Pietro continues to compromise this restaurant. Several years ago, they stopped serving cappuccino or espresso and the staff simply told the patrons that they are "waiting on parts" until that excuse just grew too old and they started saying "we don't have espresso or cappucino." Then it was the draft beer. The staff told the patrons that the draft system was being repaired. This, again, was a lie. This was 8 months ago and they still do not have draft beer. Lastly, on our most recent visit for dinner, we were served bad salmon. What is becoming apparent is that Mr. Del Pietro is bleeding this place because of the proximity to the Pageant and Delmar Hall. Why have quality product if you don't need to? The reason I am posting on IL Palato is that if this is the standard that Mr. Del Pietro holds for a sister restaurant, how can one trust him on this other newer restaurant? If quality food and quality restaurants are a passion for Mr. Del Pietro, then it should be apparent in all of his restaurants. It is not. I would recommend that you go to restaurant owned by a person who is passionate about food and the restaurant experience. I do not think this applies to the restaurants owned and managed by Mr. Del Pietro. Just to be clear--the service at Tavalo V is excellent--we love the staff and they do a great job. But they only have limited resources with...

i have NEVER been more offended. We made a reservation months in advance, arrived on time only to be told there would be a 20 minute wait for our table. Having just had back surgery and arthritis and scanning the room there were no open tables at 7pm so it seemed unlikely one would open up soon. Moreover there were several empty tables, and when my husband pointed to those was told “they are for reservations” at which point my confused husband said but WE have a reservation we made months ago! Then I kindly asked if there was a place or chair to sit on because all the bar seats were taken and we just knew it was going to be 45 minutes at least. There were many chairs right outside in their unused patio due to cold that could easily have brought one into the spacious room. However, the host got very annoyed and said “you can wait for a seat to open up or you can leave, in fact please leave.” If this guy is not the owner he should be promptly fired. so we actually ate here 2 months ago and it was ok, but I recall mushy gross polenta. I recommend going elsewhere! It is unclear why this place took offense to us from the moment we walked in, but if I had to guess they are racist, ageist or sexist here, and made us feel as such, given they did have information about us from out booking, and that we were appropriately dressed, polite and respectful to our reservation time, one can only surmise that they favor locals & discriminate against...

Upon walking into this restaurant, there was an upscale but young vibe. The floor to ceiling glass in the front brings in so much natural light that makes it such a bright and beautiful atmosphere. There is outdoor seating, which is a nice option. There are tables away from the natural light so that there can be some more privacy for a more intimate meal, if desired. The food was impeccable with a well thought out menu, including options for all "palates". (See what I did there?) The servers know the daily specials very well, are just the right amount of attentive, and are quick to recommend wine pairings with your order. Every item ordered by our party was raved about. I was trying to be healthy and ordered the Pollo (Chicken), which was savory, juicy, and perfectly seasoned. Other members of my party were particularly fond of the eggplant appetizer, although I didn't try it personally. Portions were a decent size, which was a nice surpise! I have two negative comments. First, is that one person had a piece of plastic in their cannoli. He didn't want to make a big deal about it, so I am not even sure if he told anyone about it. To be fair, the actual cannoli was good enough that he ate another one even after the plastic incident. Second, the bartender did not seem well-versed in cocktails that were not on their menu. These were both minor items to us, but I would be remiss if I didn't...