Tazza Kitchen Trenholm Plaza — Restaurant in Forest Acres

From February 2024 (it's gotten worse!!): Our meal was the worst I've ever had at Tazza. Tazza used to be remarkable, but has completely lost it. There was a whole line of very young guys working in the kitchen, and I doubt any of them knew what they were doing. TK CACIO E PEPE had pasta that was greasy and gluey, poorly seasoned, and likely cooked in water that wasn't preheated; and pancetta that had been overcooked into rock-hard and inedible cubes. CAST IRON GOAT CHEESE had mediocre and poorly seasoned marinara with the goat cheese blended into an unappetizing mess. It was served with wedges of bread that were freezer-burned and stale (couldn't cut them with a knife). SWEET POTATO & BLACK BEAN SALAD is a wonderful recipe, but what we were served was clearly old and about to go bad. FREESTYLE PIZZA was unseasoned and bland - nothing more than a little tomato sauce on flatbread with a scattering of vegetables (the frozen pizza I had the night before at home was delicious by comparison). From 2 years ago: We've gone here several times before, and have loved it in the past. This time, ordering many of our previously favorite things, we were mostly unimpressed and perhaps a little disappointed. It seemed to us that they've gotten tired of being excellent. The Cast Iron Goat Cheese starter was ok, but rather soupy and more tomato-saucy than usual. And the bread that came with it was "Olive Garden"-like. The Baja Bowl main course (which I once liked) was also ok, and the shrimp added to it were plump and perfect. But someone must have decided that we all must have LOTS of kale, because this time it was mostly a bowlful of that. The Brick Oven Crab Cakes DID live up to their past glory, and we would order them again. The French Fries that came with it were crispy on the outside but mealy inside, and not much better than McDonalds. The Cheeseburger was deemed acceptable by our son, who likes them a lot, but he didn't finish it. Finally, the Roasted Beets side (which I also used to love) was a smidge better than canned beets this time and the "scallion" it was supposed to come with consisted of one 3 inch sliver laid on top. We didn't bother with dessert this time, as we hadn't been inspired to that point. Service, by the way, seemed a little distracted, and not much better than necessary. One last thing: In making the reservation, we indicated that we were coming for a "special occasion" - a birthday. No note or mention was made of that, which is ok. But if you ask, why would you then not care? I suppose, as I suggested above, that they've grown tired of...

The food just felt tasteless and bland to me, admittedly at a reasonable price point. However, the atmosphere is top-notch.

The service was quite accommodating. For me and my date, it was quite important for us to have outdoor seating in the shade for our Sunday brunch. It was reasonable and everything was expected, so no complaints there.

However, the food is a lot less to be desired. First, the brioche bread was nice and well made, yet just felt under flavored. The creme felt unfulfilling as well, but perhaps this restaurant was not made for me. This was a bad exposition to what was a consistently below average food in our opinion.

The Margarita pizza is not margarita pizza. Let's not pretend that it is, I have a picture of such pizza, and it felt both poorly designed in the amount of ingredients and poorly executed with the cheese melted too much to have the large blots of delicious fresh mozzarella it should have. Additionally, my huevos rancheros tasted like they took notes on the ingredients and made it without any considerations to how it tasted. Which was to big surprise given that it was reasonably well plated. The beans tasted like beans, the eggs tasted like eggs, the pico de gallo was nonexistent in flavor. The potatoes like potatoes. The dish had no character, it was the equivalent of the quiet kid in your highschool glass who could barely speak up!

The food was reasonably priced for the flavor I guess, so it's fair to what was to be expected, however, for the decorations and the design of the restaurant, they could do so...

Came for the eclipse, to Columbia that is, and a 60th B'Day celebration. Mine. However ... Tazza was the star of the trip! From the greeting at the door, to the service...provided by⭐ Dave W. ⭐, our star server....everything was, what every diner hopes for. Perfection. Dave helps us find the right local draft beers...letting us sample, with super patience on a busy night. Helps us with the menu, explaining, suggesting, smiling the whole time. We decide and soon the appetizer arrives, goat cheese in a cast iron skillet, seasoned beautifully, crusty buttery bread for dipping....heaven. Main course for both of us was assorted tacos. All were fresh, perfectly balanced flavors, delicious! Eclipsing everything, for me, was the brisket taco. Crusty charred edges on the chunks of brisket hit my taste buds and made the first bite something of a spiritual experience, and somehow the char did not take away any of the tenderness of the meat or the juiciness! Top taco for me and I have eaten ALOT of tacos in my 60 years! The respect for the "journey" of the food from farm to table, from kitchen to my table, our table, was evident and I will not forget, the eclipse, my 60th B'Day the day before, nor will I forget the lovely dinner at Tazza, and one of the top food experiences of my food loving life. Thanks Tazza and everyone who makes it happen. It does not happen enough but when it does I certainly want to take the time to acknowledge it, and give...