IL MITO CAFE — Restaurant in Delafield

I want to highlight the good things first: the outdoor seating is delightful, especially under the porch roof. The open windows make the inside fresh on a nice day. The service was good. This is dog friendly and the busser was kind enough to bring out two bowls of water unasked. The atmosphere is nice and not too loud for conversation. The shrimp salad was wonderful and the iced tea had a pleasant hibiscus flavor to it. The pricing is reasonable. Now I need to address the items that didn't work out so well: The caesar salad dressing was more vinaigrette than caesar and while the presentation was beautiful the flavor did not wow me. The crusty bread slices are not worth mentioning. I received an il Mito gift card for Christmas and showed our waiter at the start. He told me it was no good in Delafield, only in the Tosa location. When I got this gift card it was supposed to be honored at the Zesti location in Hartland, (same owner/company) but we found out quickly that that was not an option. So I called il Mito in Tosa and asked if it was good there. Shortly after this call the Delafield location opened with the same name, same owner/chef and I called to verify the card was good there now too. Yes I was told, 3 different times. Today we were told no. We asked for the manager who was already our server and he said I was told wrong and that they had different computer systems. Good for him, he accepted my gift card this one time. Shortly after this he came back to the table and told me there was no money on the card. I showed him the receipt and he took it and the card back with him. When it was time to pay he told us he would again honor it but wanted my name and phone number "in case." In case what?? I was offended and made sure to take a picture of the card and receipt before he took them away "in case" they decide we were out to cheat them. So, the meal was ok, the atmosphere very nice and the pricing appropriate. But the hastles all around il Mito and Zesti is not worth my time and effort. Sadly, we will go elsewhere for a...

Cool ambiance, but loud both upstairs and down. I like that they have space upstairs for parties of 4+ We went on Saturday with friends. Our reservation was at 7:30 and we were promptly seated, but that is when the promptness ended. The staff was polite, but overwhelmed. We waited for quite some time for drinks and to have our order taken. The appetizers were okay, but for the price, small and uninspiring. The fresh made guac was pretty decent, a bit heavy on the lime juice, but only 10 or so chips came with it. We had a lot of guac left after the chips were gone, but instead of asking if we'd like more chips (or better yet bringing a basket unprompted) the server asked how it was and took the remainder away. Dinner was the same, you pay big city prices for food that is not on that level. For $32 my husband ordered the "rack of lamb" it was not a rack, but 3 lollipop pieces of the rack and over cooked. I had the blackened scallops, which were not blackened, barely spiced, however they were cooked perfectly. I don't like cilantro, and occasionally I had a bite with it, it was very bitter and unappetizing. I will give it 3 stars, probably should be 2, but there were bright spots in the meal. I don't think we will go back for full dinner, but maybe sit in the bar and split an order of...

We had a nice dinner here. The patio was wonderful on a summer evening. We had a reservation for Friday night, but I think we could have walked in without a wait as a party of 2.

Service was good. Water was refilled and the wait staff asked if we needed refills on our other beverages. They were very accommodating as we took a little extra time reviewing the menu. They also seamlessly split a salad we decided to share.

The food was decent, but not as well executed as I would like. The table bread were quartered ciabatta with a garlic infused olive oil. It was delicious, but not for the faint of heart. The short rib was tasty, but a little dry. The osso buco was decent but dry. Both of those dishes should be braised for maximum flavor, tenderness and moisture. I felt like both dishes were probably roasted and then finished with their respective sauces. I could be wrong, but it didn’t seem like the flavor had penetrated past the surface. The risotto side was unexceptional, but the mashed potatoes were good.

Overall, I think this was a 3.5 experience for me. The pricing was fair for downtown Delafield in my opinion…$85 for two drinks, a salad and two...