Ristorante Renato — Restaurant in Fredericksburg

Totally Lame. Spent a Valentine's Weekend with the wife in town. Read lots of reviews and spoke to some people to find out where to eat. Obviously, didn't speak to the right people. Anyway, we got seated imediately on a Saturday night at 8pm because we volunteered for the table upfront next to the door which was cold. I don't have a problem with that. We started with Oysters Rockefeller - they were actually not bad. We asked for a House red wine. It was $8/glass for an inch of wine. Generally, you select a house wine because it's been tried and tested and for the value. It tasted fine. I just thought the pour was stingy. Then the house salads came - I would have to agree with a previous review I read - seemed like it was a bagged salad mix on a a plate the size of a coffee saucer. Dinner - my wife got the shrimp stuffed with crabmeat. They looked like 4 lonely shrimp on a large plate. There was also a side of broccoli in a small bowl - with the size and cut of frozen. I had the chicken parm with a side of pasta. Now, I consider myself an afficionado of chicken parm - I have it in every restaraunt that offers it and I make it at home frequently. Another lonely plate - the piece of chicken (under the cheese, of which there was copious amounts - just the way I like it) was approximately 3" x 5" and a 1/4 " thick. Could not have been more than 3 or 4 ounces. Their red sauce was very good, however. Again, the side dish of pasta came in a small bowl. I felt the need to eat bread to have a filling meal. The bread was just ok, with butter, no olive oil/herbs here. This is Fredericksburg - $90 (with tip) for a dinner from a restauraunt that appears to be stuck in the 1970s just isn't right. Their dishes need to be made with love. In conclusion - overpriced, too salty, and old-school menu, cooking techniques, decor, and wait staff dress code that appears to have been in place for...

It was my first visit on an absolutely beautiful day of weather for mid December! We did have a large group at our table & I realize how difficult that can be! With that being said I was treated very rudely by our waiter & any attempt I made at correcting whatever might have caused the rude behavior was met w/what I felt was mild contempt!! However the food was simply divine!!! Authentic Italian food at its finest!!! I started with a charcuterie board & there was plenty to share around the table. Someone also ordered calamari & oh my - by far the best I have ever tasted!!! When it came time to place our entrees I asked to have just the calamari. As everyone's meals began arriving, w/mouth watering aromas, I was anticipating my calamari. I waited & waited but nothing came!! I asked about it & the waiter said, "Oh you wanted calamari? Let me check on it." I waited & waited, still nothing!!! I finally asked our busser, Angel, (who was excellent at his job & his level of professionalism & customer service was well above my waiter) who said he would check on it. The order had just been placed so I would have to wait a few minutes!!!! Very frustrating & totally uncalled for!!!! They were out of my most favorite dessert, creme brulee, so I had a vanilla bean ice cream which tasted yummy!!! Again I know I was w/a large party but I was the only person treated in this manner; not something I'm used to. I did ask that he not pour my entire bottle of beer into my glass all at one time because I prefer to keep it in the bottle so it doesn't get warm if I'm not drinking it quickly. Sorry if that insulted my waiter. Other than that I had a perfectly wonderful evening at Renato's & will definitely visit again! My tip on my credit card bill reflected my mood but I also understand the restaurant industry is struggling, hence the cash tip which I felt was more...

I am extremely disappointed about my experience at Renato this past Friday. I expected to the service to be much better. I booked an INDOOR table for 5 for my dad's 75th birthday weeks ago, and called the week before to confirm. When we arrived (early), we were told they were backed up inside and couldn't turn the table that was supposed to be ours over and that we would have to sit outside, despite the fact we had booked the table for a special occasion and that it was raining and my sister is pregnant. We were assured it would be warm with heat lamps, but the lamps were either so hot or did not reach far enough that we were in different climate zones depending on which side of the table you sat on. The maître d (or owner?) was incredibly rude and did not even offer an apology, let alone a free round of drinks. Almost as soon as we were seated outside, the party that came in after us was given "our" indoor table. There is zero ambiance outside; in fact, the whole reason we booked at Renato was to enjoy the indoor holiday setting.

The service was equally poor. It took a good 10-15 minutes for anybody to acknowledge we were there and take our drink orders. The first round of cocktails we ordered were entirely wrong (for example, I ordered a gin martini up with a twist and received an extra dirty vodka martini). The food itself was fine and the only pleasurable part about the meal, although several menu items came not as described (the charcuterie board was missing a few things and two of the main course dishes were served with the wrong kind of pasta).

At the end, all of the incorrect items appeared on the bill and I had to go through line by line and have 7 drinks that we were never served or had to send back taken off. Pure incompetence!

Needless to say, we won't...