Valentino's Eatery — Restaurant in Florence

We visited Valentino’s a couple months ago. We visit the area regularly through the winter months. There is a 1 star review from another patron that tells of her experience about staff and management being spiteful and rude towards her complaints. Well apparently she was not wrong. I think we ended up with the exact same server. A little older and darker hair. Her presence there is awkward, unorganized and she doesn’t dress like the rest of the serving staff.

When we walked in we were advised to sit where we want. There was confusion on drink and food specials. Once we had chosen a bottle of wine (recommended as a special) we were delivered an open bottle of wine (no cork) and zero wine service steps. She told us if we don’t finish the bottle, she has the cork behind the bar; even though we specified we’d be taking the bottle home with us prior to ordering. The wine tasted stale and nothing like the samples we were given previously. Our assumption, based on the ordering experience and that we heard her hollering to the staff in the back as to the whereabouts of the wine she had just sold us, tells me she grabbed an open bottle that was from an event days earlier. When we informed her that the wine taste was not correct, she got embarrassed/upset.

We still carried through with our dinner order after enjoying a pretty tasty appetizer (credit to the chief) We ordered a surf/turf of sea scallops and on-the-bone ribeye that came out looking like a piece of meat on the Flintstones. It was beautiful. I noticed right away it had been thoroughly charred which made me nervous because I specifically and detailed my order that I don’t like my steak much above rare. When I cut into my steak it was a heavy medium to medium-well. When we informed her of the problem, she asked us what we want her to do about it; lol. We said we’d like a new steak prepared rare to medium rare. No kidding, with in 5 minutes she brings us a new steak that looks completely different from the steak before; shape, size and color. No big, awesome bone like before. This steak was also a medium to medium well and had a smoky flavor to it; nothing like the steak before. There was a cheaper, flat-iron steak on the menu also. We know for sure this is what was delivered to us as our second steak, because subsequently the nearby table had a delay in their food delivery and the thing they were waiting on was a flat iron steak!!! LOL!! When we told her about it, this was the last straw for her. That’s when the owner got involved. He had a pleasant manor about him. He was kind and apologetic. However, when we informed him that the second steak was completely wrong, he told us that we were wrong(in a nice way) and that it was a ribeye and that the temp was a medium rare LOL! He did comp the meal and the wine and offered a free desert. I will say that when the owner got involved he had no previous knowledge of the mistakes because we could hear the “server” trying to explain everything to him really fast. So he tried I guess.

From that point on the the other server staffed that night (total sweetheart) made the rest of our experience as good as she possibly could. Side not: the restaurant was only about half full at best and our original “server” spent most of her time attending to a couple at the bar top (seems to have been regulars based on the deep conversation they were having with our “server”). Our check back times were awful. I had to get out of my seat twice to go get things we needed to eat.

Now for the worst part lol. I noticed my girlfriend starting to become agitated. She said the female “regular” was staring at her and making disgusted looks; shaking her head and rolling her eyes. My back was turned so I did not see this. When we stood up to leave, I turned around to all 3 of them scowling at us. A fight may have broke out between the drunk male “regular” and myself had I said anything or approached them. Most uncomfortable dining experience ever. This place has potential if they fire the crazy lady. Price is no concern to us if...

Update Jan 6 2023. Yum! My wife had the Alfredo (huge serving) and I had the baked haddock prepped with an Italian seasoned crumb. My fish was fresh, moist, tender. Large portion. Our fried calamari appetizer was light and perfectly seasoned. Not easy to pull off. Too many restaurants kill the flavor by over-seasoning. Not here. For dessert we shared a Tiramisu Gelato. Crazy creative and very satisfying. My coffee was the real deal - fresh and strong. Incredibly attentive, friendly service, fair prices. We called ahead for reservations and I suggest you do the same. Several customers who walked in without reservations turned and left after being told about the wait. Tonight is Saturday and that makes a difference. Maybe easier to get a table during the week? Pics attached.

UPDATE APRIL 26: We're back! This time for dinner. Still a solid 5 stars. This is food enhanced. This is added value. My wife had the Caesar Salad and I had the Veal Piccata prepared traditionally with mushrooms, capers and a sauce from butter, lemon, garlic and white wine. The amount of veal I received was surprisingly large. My wife's Caesar was over-dressed which made the romaine soggy by the time she finished the huge portion but the flavor was spot on and as expected, the plate was served well chilled. My veal was tender and the taste was robust and very savory. My veal came with a side of angel hair pasta prepared as it should be - al dente. My order came with a side salad but it wasn't made with boring lettuce or even romaine. They serve crisp, chilled spring mix which has a pop and a special freshness. We started the night with a fried calamari app. Really tasty. Not salty. Not overly breaded. Not greasy. Just perfect. a great dinner was topped off with a shared slice of cheese cake. Any restaurant can place a slice of cheese cake on a plate and serve it and most patrons would be happy. Valentino's goes above and beyond. See my pic - the cheese cake was topped with fresh whipped cream AND a savory blueberry-raspberry sauce. Really impressive. Very creative and an obvious desire to give the customer an elevated experience.

My wife has had lunch here with friends and loved it but this was my first time. Can I give Valentino’s 6 stars? I’m third generation Southern New Jersey Italian and I have never experienced that style or quality of Italian food anywhere else. To find it in, of all places, Florence, AZ is incredible. This food is the real deal. My wife had the Mussels Valentino with the lemon butter white wine garlic sauce option ($13.79). It’s also available in a tomato cream sauce version. I tasted one. Perfection. Great mouth feel. Not over cooked or rubbery. That’s hard to pull off. Good-sized mussels and the perfect lunch-size portion. When you’re seated, you’ll be served a complementary basket of warm house-made fresh-baked Italian rustic loaf bread. Again – as authentic as you’ll find anywhere. Your bread is served with a cup of very spicy marinara and a cup of butter. Watch out for that spicy marinara. I like hot but this stuff will drain your sinuses. I had the Italian sausage panini with roasted green bell pepper and onion served on a crunchy, flavorful Italian rustic sub roll with melted mozz and tomato sauce ($11.79). Brought a tear to my eye ;-). I had a choice of elbow macaroni salad, potato chips or coleslaw as a side. Fries or a side salad are available at an added cost. Service was great. The setting is upper-scale casual with dim lighting. Cozy, comfortable. An overall...

My boyfriend and I walked in 30 minutes after they opened yesterday and were asked by the hostess if we had a reservation. We did not and were surprised by the question as only 4 tables had patrons seated. After being seated we both were perplexed as to why the black linen tablecloth was covered with butcher/wax paper. For this being a 'finer dining' restaurant, do they not want to wash their tablecloths? It seriously felt like being at a kids table at a picnic, the paper was placed to catch any spills. We both are in our 40's and are capable of not making a mess on the table. Our waitress Wendy was very prompt to start our service. She was kind, friendly and knowledgeable of menu options and the daily special. We both were surprised at how fast the appetizers, salads and entrees were served. Our entrees were lackluster. I ordered the chicken piccata and when asked if I wanted spaghetti or potatoes for my side I asked for a side of angel hair instead. To my surprise, it was served with spaghetti sauce. I have never had this dish served that way. I was imagining the chicken would be served on top of angel hair pasta, as I have had countless times before at restaurants, not a side bowl of pasta and spaghetti sauce. I hate to say it, but it was one of the worst chicken piccata's I have had at a restaurant. It did not have enough lemon or capers. It was more of a butter sauce and there was not enough of it. I was severely disappointed for the price it cost. My boyfriends prime rib was so tough the tabletop was shaking with how much effort was required to cut it. I would stop eating to hold the table still while he cut a bite as he was worried our drinks would spill over. Neither of us have ever had prime rib that required that much effort to cut. I'm only giving this high of a rating due to the great service from Wendy and the bruschetta. For the price, it was not worth it. Next time we want great Italian food we will drive into the valley. Saddest part was that my boyfriend felt guilty for the disappointing food as he brought me here for my...