Quality Italian — Restaurant in Denver

If this wasn't such a high end restaurant, I'd probably give this place four stars, but because it is such an exclusive and expensive place, I have much higher expectations. I have eaten at Quality Italian multiple times (at least 5 or 6 times since it has opened). I have a girlfriend who lives in NYC (where Quality Italian originated) and everytime she comes out to Colorado she likes to host a dinner for several people at this restaurant. She must easily spend $1000 - $2000 per dinner (if not more). The food has always been impeccable. Given that I've eaten here so often, I've tried just about everything on their menu. The service, however, is terrible. Absolutely terrible! Especially for this caliber of a restaurant. I have no idea why their wait staff is not better trained or at least in a better mood. We have had a variety of different servers over the last several visits so this isn't just "one instance"....it is a consistent issue that needs to be fixed because when you are shelling out hundreds of dollars on a meal, you want excellent service, not mediocre or poor. Since I have not been the one hosting (or paying) for these dinners, I decided not to write a review...just enjoy my meal. Last night I went to Quality Italian with a colleague, and again very poor service. Except this time I paid for my own dinner and the bill was $200 for the both of us. I just felt like for that amount of money, I should have better service. Our waiter acted like he wished he was somewhere else. He smirked more than he smiled. He answered our questions about menu items with a condescending tone. He was just overall, unpleasant. To be honest, this was not the worst service I've had here. The time before, our waiter brought out our dinner and everyone's dinner was lukewarm or cold. He gave me truffle butter and told me it was horseradish. He couldn't answer simple questions about the menu. He dropped silverware on my friend's injured leg (she even warmed him when she first sat down that her leg was injured and please try to steer clear of it). I can't say this will be the last time I eat at Quality Italian because my friend is loyal to the restaurant, and will probably continue to host dinners here. I will say, this is the last time I eat here and pay for the dinner myself. It is just not worth the money, when the service is less...

I normally don’t post negative reviews, in this case no one on site cared to check how was our experience so I figured I’d leave my feedback here. We went to this restaurant to celebrate a birthday and being a foodie myself I was excited to try this place seeing all the rave reviews. At this point not really sure what the hype is about. It was a Sunday evening, we waited 20 minutes to get seated for our 7:45 reservations, not an apology or acknowledgement for the wait. The service was quick but mediocre at best- let’s just say it was basically taking our order and dropping off food. Not even close to providing an “experience “ as you would expect at a highly rated restaurant. Great looking, warm brioche type rolls were served unfortunately not done enough, doughy in the inside. We shared a caesar salad that was nice. For main we had the veal milanese- dry and tough and the dover sole that was a oily with a mushy crust (assuming seared with a flour dust that didn’t come out great) - we asked our food runner what the sauce was that he was pouring on it at the table and he had no idea. Our server came by once to see how we are doing- in the kind of manner that you can tell she doesn’t truly care but it’s part of the mandatory steps of service. We didn’t even eat half of our food- could have been a red flag in my opinion, not to her. Moving on - we asked if there is anything special they do for birthdays (shouldn’t she inquired whether we were there for a special occasion??) and she told us yes and proceeded to order a complimentary birthday dessert that was dropped off by the food runner, one scoop of vanilla gelato with some cocoa dust and happy birthday written on the plate. Wow. Very generous- not. The server took a second to briefly swing by and say happy birthday. Definitely not the experience we imagined. I am taking time to write this review so hopefully it will result in better training on customer service and how to wow...

The food here was delicious but pretentious—well-balanced, yet lacking that extra something to justify the cost. The ricotta for the table, the salads, and the meatballs were the highlights of the evening. However, my biggest issue with this restaurant is the charge per drink: each nonalcoholic beverage was $4.

Now, tell me why my party of three paid $18 for two Cokes and $12 for one Arnold Palmer? That’s highway robbery and epitomizes what I disliked most about my dining experience here: pretentious and unjustifiable charges that scream money-hungry, rather than providing a unique or charming experience.

I left full and satisfied with the food, but I also felt like I was price gouged by someone’s wealthy uncle who seems charming but is actually a robber baron in disguise.

I recommend coming here only for the most special of special occasions to justify the cost. In the meantime, try other amazing Italian restaurants in the Denver metro area like Odyssey, Venice, and Un Dici, which won’t leave you feeling robbed and offer equally amazing Italian food we all know and love.

Maybe because it's in the Cherry Creek area, this restaurant believes it must carry the Cherry Creek cost and expenditures. But when it becomes clear they are nickel-and-diming their patrons as they do now, one can surely expect to be charged for even admittance in the future if they keep on this path.

I would much rather be a patron of restaurants that can at least act like they are thankful for one’s patronage while still desiring the coin in their wallets.

If it came down to choosing between Quality Italian and Tavernetta (knowing I’m spending a hefty amount of money), I would choose Tavernetta time and time again. At least they seem thankful and excited to have me dine with them—something I did not feel at Quality Italian. And no, I am not talking about the staff—they were pleasant. I am talking about the very people who created this ‘elite’...