Peperoncino — Restaurant in Dr. Phillips

If I could give them a minus 1, I would've.. After me and my 3 year old daughter picked up my husband from work we decided we were in the mood for pasta and since we were close to this restaurant we decided to eat there, We knew from before that they offer lunch special until 3:00 pm, We got there exactly at 2:45 pm. As soon as our server greeted us we informed him right away that we were interested in the lunch menu and since we knew what we wanted, he could place the order right away, however for some strange reason he went and whispered to the chef which is also the owner if he could still offer us the lunch special, his answer was " that the system doesn't allow any lunch orders after 3:00 pm" so I showed him my phone and pointed him the time 2:48 pm at that time and I said "so it's not 3:00 pm yet so we're good, RIGHT? The server yelled " Fantastic" acknowledging that we still had time. He went to the computer and placed our order exactly at 2:54 pm however we noticed something odd right away. First, after the server poured the water, the glass where my husband was drinking had a lipstick mark.. it was absolutely gross so I gave him my glass, we didn't give it much thought because it could've been something that the dishwasher might have overseen. Our server checked in the other two tables couple of times and the Chef disappeared ( for those who have never been here, this restaurant has an open kitchen so you can see the chef cooking) On my mind, I am thinking that maybe he was taking a short break or he went to the bathroom but after 10 minutes passed by I knew something was funny considering that the server wasn't approaching us either, in the meantime I am getting my little girl excited about her spaghetti and meatballs because this is her absolutely favorite meal. Next thing I know, our server came very ashamed to inform us that the chef refused to cook our meals because it was past 3:00 pm, I was shocked beyond belief because at that point everything became clear to me, everything was a set up by the owner/cooker. He disappeared on purpose, He wanted us to order from the dinner menu and pay his overpriced meals that aren't even that great, I wish they would've told us as soon as we got there that they had no intentions to serve us lunch even tho we made it on time, why they let us sit there for all that time? pretended that they put our order in the computer, disappear for 10 minutes then comeback to tells us that unless we were willing to pay for dinner prices they were not going to cook our meals? Why on earth would you make me waisted almost 25 minutes to tell me this?? I immediately told my server WHY? If you entered our order at 2:54 pm why you comeback now at 3:08 pm to tell me this ? His answer was that it wasn't his call, that it was the owner himself refusing to serve us and apologized for it, We were so disappointed for the way they treated us and decided to leave. On our way out the owner behind the kitchen counter made this comment " sorry guys but it's not fair to me" excuse me ??? What isn't fair to you? That we were there before 3:00 pm and if you didn't want to honor the lunch prices to your customers past certain time then you need to be clear and specify that information somewhere at the restaurant or in the menu.. You can't make the rules as you go, it's not good from a business standpoint, it creates confusion and disappointment like in my situation :( And for those reading this reviews, it wasn't about the money because thank to the Lord that's not the issue, it's the principle, the poor ethical and lack of customer service that this business represents, it was the fact that he was pushing me to pay his overpriced dinner dishes when there was no need. First, We weren't that hungry for a big meal, second of all, if I was going to pay those prices, then I would've chosen a more high end Italian restaurant. Bottom line I don't recommend this restaurant if you want to be treated...

We had dinner at Peperoncino tonight & it was one of the best meals we’ve ever had! Our experience started off rocky, not due in any part to the restaurant or staff, but rather a very large & rude group of women accompanied by several loud children! These ladies came into a fully booked restaurant with screaming kids and no reservation. They allowed their kids to misbehave & to loudly & repeatedly play rock paper scissors. We hadn’t ordered yet and I told my husband that if they didn’t quiet down, we should just leave. They kept on with this awful behavior for about 10 minutes while the staff tried to accommodate them. We were at the first table by the door, so they were right next to us behaving this way. At that point I got up and politely asked the kids to quiet down and told them they were disturbing our meal and everyone else’s in the restaurant. The kids apologized but the moms actually glared at me! Soon after they were brought to the outside section and again caused a major fuss with the staff. These ladies were so rude, kudos to the staff for keeping their composure and remaining so professional in the face of such disrespectful and rude behavior. This is not a daycare center, nor it is Disney World, nor is it a McDonald’s playground- at these price points, guests are looking for a nice, quiet, upscale environment. We understand that kids will be kids, but parents need to be parents too! These women literally ignored their kids despite multiple guests shushing them & starring. They acted like they owed the place and were disgusted that no one would tolerate their poorly behaved children. If I behaved that way when I was a child, my mother would have smacked the taste out of my mouth! I cannot say how much I appreciated how the staff handled this situation and how pleasant the experience was once these rude folks were gone! Now, on to our dinner- Our server was Daniel and he was wonderful! Daniel is an excellent server, he has a wonderful personality & is so genuine & pleasant. Carlos was also super attentive to us. He came over from the bar several times to check on us and make sure that everything was perfect. Both were not only highly professional & respectful but also incredibly knowledgeable! Jorge was great too- he brought us the most wonderful bread we’ve ever eaten- clearly homemade! We had the risotto with bacon & chicken and it was perfectly al dente! We also had the lasagna which was absolutely delicious. My husband order the amarone but it was 86’d. Daniel recommended the Magliocco Calabria Rosso & it was so good, I got myself a glass too! For dessert we had the pistachio cake with coffee chocolate chip gelato & tiramisu. The pistachio cake was incredible & paired beautifully with the coffee gelato (great recommendation Daniel!) & the tiramisu was quite possibly the best I’ve ever had! Overall, Peperoncino is fantastic, the staff is wonderful & so incredibly patient, and of course, the food is outstanding! Daniel, Carlos, & Jorge, thank you so much for a wonderful evening & see...

This restaurant was suggested by a colleague so we decided as an office to go and try it out. Walking in the place is quaint with a nice boutique feel. Definitely not meant to feed the masses. Maybe about 40 seats give or take. Very nice decor. A little tight between the bar and a couple of seats behind it.

The aromas were wonderful upon walking in. However, it was a Wednesday night, so there were not very many guests. I think people are missing out on a little gem in Peperoncino's. The Happy Hour pricing is very favorable and the apps we had were delicious! I am not a person who likes cauliflower. But the preparation of the cauli app was very tasty. I actually, ate most of it. Apologies to my companions. The other apps were a toasted bread with a sausage spicy spread, a pomodro bruschetta with mozzarella foam, fresh olives and some little peppers stuffed with cheese and maybe a salami of some sort. We also had a salumi board with assorted cheeses, prosciutto and mortadella. Omg!

Now, if you are a person who would rather play around on your smartphone or you demand to be served in microwave capacity, then this is not your place. I like how the servers brought the apps to you as they were prepared, not all at once. It actually gives you time to have conversation and enjoy each app in it's freshest state. The servers work as a team no matter who the table belongs too. So you are always attended. Now again, it was not a very busy night. I can't say how they would respond when under a little duress. But we definitely enjoyed the little details.

The meals were beautiful when sat down in front of us. One of my companions had the tortellini. Very delicious and nicely prepared. Not over-sauced and the pasta was cooked perfectly. Two others had the ravioli with ossobuco jus. The plate was very pretty. The flavors were also nice, but the ravioli was a but thick. So that made it tough to chew. If they correct that, this dish goes from good to amazing. A tad bit more salt would have elevated the dish as well. I and another buddy had the rissoto del'otro (I hope that's right). It had roasted veggies and we added calabrese sausage. While the dish was very flavorful, the risotto was a little under cooked. Just another couple of minutes of cooking would have made it perfect. But overall a very nice plate.

I have to say that the experience at Peperoncino's was good enough to make me want to come back and try other items on the menu. Pricing is reasonable and the food was good. Just needed a little tweeking. They are also opening another side of the restaurant to serve pizza. So we will definitely be going back to check it out. Thanks to Ilan and Sonia for their attentiveness and...