Vincent's — Restaurant in Kenner

We have been so excited to try Italian in Louisiana and specifically Vincent's. We heard so many great things about the restaurant and the reviews on Google and yelp were pretty high. We decided to go today and upon arrival saw several men outside on the front patio having drinks and a good time. The weather was great so we were excited to sit outside and have a great meal. The gentleman at the front door was seated on a chair and didn't acknowledge us upon entry. We were not sure I'd he worked there but it turned out he did. After several minutes he asked if we needed anything. I said yes ...we would like a table fir two. We asked of we could dine outside and he told us "no we don't serve food on the patio ...it's considered their waiting area until an inside table becomes available" the restaurant wasn't full on the inside and the men on the patio weren't earing so we took him at his word. He states us at a small take for two. We didn't think this was an issue but there was a serving table blocking one of the chairs. No big deal so my friend just moved it herself. Or waiter, Austin, was extremely nice and responsive to all of our questions about the menu. The food was great and we told Austin we would definitely be back and gave him a 30% tip. When we walked outside we noticed two tables were occupied by patrons eating and enjoying food and drinks. I went back in the restaurant and asked about the criteria for eating on the patio. The same gentleman who we initially spoke to at the door told us the female outside was his girlfriend. She was eating with a friend. I asked him about the two gentlemen who were also outside packing up their meals and he told me nobody else was out there eating even though by that time the gentleman had left their wine glasses and left. I say all of this because all of the patrons outside did not look like us. We are two black females and the patrons allowed to eat on the patio were Caucasian. At this point we were offended and refuse to eat at Vincent's again. Please note thus was the Metairie location. We left disappointed and refuse to eat at Vincent's again. If anyone reads this in Vincent's management please note we were very pleased with Austin's service and attention to us. Unfortunately, our first and last vist/ experience at Vincent's will be our last due to the interaction with the gentleman at the front door. Also please note the incident occurred 4/13...

This is an update to my original 2010 review. I tried to post pictures but the app would not accept them. This was our wedding anniversary dinner, noted on RESY but ignored by the venue. Our great fear of the tragic passing of Chef Vincent has been realized. Josh is a fine server, our problems were totally kitchen-related. We started with a nice bottle of chilled Benvolio prosecco. Perfect call. It was hard for us to talk, being in the center of the big room. The bigger the party, the louder the table, and that is almost anywhere. The fried eggplant with red sauce is still very good. I thought the Oysters Vincent was over-drenched with the lemon cream. I could not tell what was under it. The salad with house bleu cheese vinaigrette was served on a cold plate, and the dressing is still unique and very good. BUT....there is nothing more frustrating than seeing people who came in after us getting their entrees ahead of us. My wife grabbed an assistant server to ask what happened to our meal. She came back and said it was a large volume of "to go" orders and a packed restaurant. This suggests a sacrificing of the dining experience of the seated patrons, in favor of to go orders, which is backwards to common sense. As Jordan told us a few minutes later, this story was a lie. The real story was the kitchen forgot about us, even after Jordan reminded them 3 times. When my stuffed mirliton finally arrived after 90 minutes, the sides were already down to a "lukewarm" temperature. My wife loves their spaghetti and meat balls, but heavy pasta at 8PM does not gastronomically work for us. We declined coffee and dessert but were brought a comp bread pudding. I still resent the punishment of credit card surcharge. Clearly, Ownership needs to be represented in the venue in the same manner that The Chef kept a tight ship. That way, the little mistakes don't become big mistakes that are fatal to...

Situations like this get under my skin mainly when it affects a family member. My cousin and her husband chose Vincent's to celebrate their 4th wedding anniversary last night. As parents of two children under five, this was a much-needed night. Unfortunately, it wasn't a pleasurable experience, and the racism was apparent! They received glasses of water, but their waiter (a short older man with dark gray hair and olive skin) ignored them for nearly 15 minutes. When he finally approached, he didn't ask the typical waiter's first question, i.e., have you been here before? His body language and facial expressions (annoyance) screamed racism. He didn't welcome them or review the menu or specials. They looked around the room and saw other servers engaging in conversations and smiling with their non-minority customers. At this moment, they looked at each other and decided to leave with no acknowledgment from the gray-haired waiter. It saddens me that these ignorant situations continue to occur today. When I lived in NYC, my cousin and I experienced the best restaurants in the world and never experienced anything like this. Eleven Madison Park was our favorite, but this place made them feel unwelcomed. We have many out-of-town family members, friends, and business associations who travel to the Greater New Orleans area; the first thing they ask for is a list of restaurants. Needless to say, Vincent's will not be on this list! Vincent Management: I recommend you consider educating your staff on how money works and that the Black dollar spends the same as any other race. I get it this location is in Metairie, and the city's reputation precedes it. But the world is changing, and treating people like this will not go unaddressed!...