4 of 5 stars for Tony's Italian Kitchen.
This was out first and last time here since we are traveling across the country.
DAY/TIME: We visited on a Sunday at 2pm. The church crowd was gone and the place was pretty empty. Please check out the pics and click the HELPFUL button if this is beneficial.
OUTSIDE: Simple. Old. Fading. Converted from something else. Mix of gravel and blacktop parking. It's in need of a face-lift. The curb appeal and luster of glory days are gone.
INSIDE: Clean, organized, Italian themed, quaint and simple. Italian background music will help create ambiance. The storage room to the left (entry) should have a door to hide the clutter, or use the room for something beneficial...Iike a small gift shop for your House Dressing and special marinara sauce.
RESTROOMS:
One each containing toilet and sink. Clean. Men's room was backed up. Probably should expand the size to accommodate 2 people in each.
SERVICE: No name mentioned, no small talk. Just down to business. No issues with service. She was kind.
BREAD: I liked the bread/rolls! Wife did not. She gave them 2 of 5 stars because they were basic rolls sprinkled with parmesian cheese, but not Italian bread/rolls. She has a good point. Although it wasnt italian bread, they were fluffy, warm and the butter suited my taste.
PRESENTATION: The food looked great in the pots they brought out. Nice coloring! Very hot!
MANICOTTI: Good, creamy cheese! Sauce mixed in well. Perhaps a little too soft on the shells which brought it down to a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
FETTUCCINE ALFREDO: Hot! Noodles were perfect! Sauce was bland and needed more cheese and garlic. Appeared to be cream/milk-based. 3.5 of 5 stars.
CHEESE RAVIOLI: Hot! Shells were a little hard but understood that they were baked. Cheese and sauce was bland. Just not flavorful. No special reason to ever order it again. 3.5 of 5 stars.
SAMPLER PLATTER: Hot! Shells were fine. Sauce was good. The only issue with this plate was that it was all cooked in one dish, and I didn't know which was which. It all ran together for me - Lasagne, manicotti and catalonia.. I wish it was separated better. I give it a 3 of 5 just because it really had no pizzazz. It all taste very similar. It was good, but not great. It just didn't have the flavor to make me want to try it again.
DRINKS: $2.95 each. Waitress was on top of it. The cost should be $1.99 or (at the most) $2.49.
CLOSING COMMENTS: Alright, so overall comments are that Tony's is headed to the resturant graveyard. It may have been a power-resturant in times past, but it's a dying dinosaur in need of a total makeover. From the parking lot, to the sinage, to the interior appeal, to the international of servers, to the Italian theme ambiance, to the restrooms, and to (especially) the taste and flavor of the food - an undercover boss is needed.
People that don't like chains (Olive Garden, Carraba, etc.) may like the small-style appeal. I didn't get the feeling that the two employees enjoyed their job, but rather a means to an end.
Lots of potential!
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Thanks,
Brian Hargis
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