Cortesse's Bistro and Flamingo Room Piano Bar — Restaurant in Florida

Having passed by several times and noticing that the parking lot was full, we took this as a good sign and decided to stop in for an early lunch. We were unable to park in the parking "lot" (there's only about 10-12 available spaces so not nearly enough) and our vehicle is large so we had to find space across the street and take our chances. So the full parking lot is a bit deceiving!

First, the positives: the servers were lovely. We had one in training and our actual server. The girl in training was fantastic- very personable. Also, the weather was amazing so we sat outside and it is just beautiful and I imagine in the evening with the lights, even more so.

Now, the not-so positives. First, we were asked about water to which I replied, "Just regular water is fine." I'm not sure I even paid attention that they brought out a bottle until the end. I ordered the gnocchi and my husband ordered the paella. The server asked if I wanted any protein on it and I agreed with the chicken suggestion. The huge bowls arrived ... just the brim of the bowl is huge to clarify. The portions were small, which for lunch would be perfect, however, it is far too expensive for the portion size. The other thing that concerned me was how quickly our food arrived. My husband (from Spain) ordered the paella, but did mention that paella Valenciana should not have seafood. *Traditional paella is seafood while Valenciana would be rabbit or chicken. Regardless, it was just "ok" and barely warm. As for me, my gnocchi was delicious, I will say that. The chicken on the other hand was a thin crispy piece of chicken cut into strips. It was overcooked to the point of being chewy, but as I said, the gnocchi made me overlook it. Then we were asked about dessert and were told the choices, so we tried the limoncello cake and the tiramisu, both of which were tasty ... nothing earth shattering. (see below for why!)

Here's the kicker. $10/water. $6/Bread. $34/paella (lunch). $24/gnocchi (but $10 for the chewy chicken so $34). $12 each for the desserts and an automatic 20% gratuity for the server (which can also hurt the server). $141 total for a two person lunch. My husband said when we left that while the server was great and we liked the patio, it was not worth $141 and we would likely not return.

NOTES: Super limited parking. Small portions for the price with no separate menu for lunch. Food that comes out way too quickly to be freshly prepared. And finally, charges for everything except the silverware. Side note: The gnocchi is delicious whether it is prepared there or not- just don't add...

On the recommendation of our next door neighbor, we made a reservation at Cortesse's for Thanksgiving dinner for the two of us. After the hostess began escorting us to an outdoor table (on a chilly afternoon) and we declined it, we were shown to an indoor table for two. Our server was very nice and attentive. The holiday menu showed a photo of a whole roasted turkey next to the turkey dinner menu item. And, we specifically asked our server if the turkey was carved from a freshly roasted whole turkey (or if it was roasted so-called breast of turkey) and she assured us that it was carved from a freshly roasted whole turkey. Both the caesar salad and the organic baby green salads were fresh and tasted good. However, we both tasted the turkey, green beans and mashed potatoes included in our turkey dinners and they were so bad that we sent them back to the kitchen. The turkey was the worst either of us have ever tasted, the gravy was totally disappointing, the green beans were seriously overly garlicky, the mashed potatoes were practically tasteless and the cranberry sauce was the tiniest portion imaginable. Our server was apologetic and promptly returned the turkey dinners to the kitchen. Instead, one of us ordered the wild salmon entree and the other ordered the flounder piccata. Both of those entrees were passable but disappointing. Both were swimming in too much sauce, the salmon had a fishy flavor, the flounder was unusually thin and did not have the flaky property one would ordinarily expect. The risotto that accompanied both tasted ok but was overly sticky and many of the rice kernels were damaged, probably from careless handling in the kitchen. Our meal also included a mimosa (ok but too much orange juice and not enough champagne) and a single serving of prosecco. On the whole, a very disappointing dining experience that cost $147.70 including gratuity. Using the "contact us" email feature of Cortesse's web site, I shared detailed feedback with the restaurant immediately afterward. Most restaurants would take the time and have the courtesy to respond to my comments. However, Cortesse's has chosen to ignore mine, even though I also used Facebook Messenger to give them a heads up about our dining experience and that I had submitted detailed feedback. Needless to say, this was a disappointing holiday meal. As for the lack of any response, that's just...

I attended a birthday dinner at Cortesse’s Bistro, where a reservation had been made in advance for a party of 10+ at 9 PM. My boyfriend and I were the last to arrive, no later than 9:02, and the experience felt rushed and unwelcoming from the start. Although the restaurant closes at midnight, the server had told our group before we arrived that the kitchen was closing soon, creating pressure to order immediately. When I asked the server if liquor was available (as the only drink menu I initially saw listed only wine and beer), it seemed like she was annoyed from the start. There was actually a full drink menu already on the table, but no one pointed this out or offered assistance in finding it. Before I could order a drink, the server walked away and began taking food orders from the other end of the table.

Two guests across from me received incorrect orders, (they ordered shrimp but were served chicken) and unfortunately, the server never returned to check on us—only to take our order and later drop off the checks—so there was no opportunity to address the issue. Our bill came to over $115 for two people. One appetizer, one drink, and two pasta dishes—one with grilled chicken added for an extra $10. Gratuity was automatically included, which may have contributed to the lack of attentiveness.

The birthday girl had dropped off her cake earlier in the day for cake service. While the staff brought it out and briefly sang, they left it sitting at the table and didn’t return for about 10–15 minutes. When they finally did, the cake was cut and served with little care. My boyfriend and I received one very small, poorly cut slice each and were charged $3 for cake service.

While the food was decent, the poor service, lack of communication, and feeling like we were not welcome made for a disappointing experience and an expensive bill. We do not...