Ravello Ristorante — Restaurant in Montgomery

I would like to review the food but I cant. I was never given the opportunity.

This week I made two reservations at Ravello, as the tables couldn't accommodate more than six people. However, during the event, I received a message saying that my reservation had been cancelled. Concerned, I left the event and went to Ravello. Keep in mind that I was waiting for this event for some time now and I had to leave because somehow this happened. The manager was very understanding and apologetic, promising that if it happened again, they would honor the reservation without any issues.

However, when I had made the second reservation over the phone earlier that week, I had specifically asked if the tables could be placed next to each other, as we were essentially one big party. The person who took my reservation assured me that the tables would be close, but when I arrived to see what was happening with my reservation, they were nowhere near each other.

When I had called the restaurant to address this issue, the same person who had taken my reservation called me back. She denied ever telling me that the tables would be next to each other, which left me frustrated. It made no sense for me to reserve two separate tables that were far apart.

Despite the restaurant's reputation for excellent food, this incident ruined our evening. The person I spoke to on the phone was aggressive and uncooperative, refusing to take responsibility for the mix-up. My family and I right now are looking at options but I needed to write this because of how my plans have been shoved down the toilet.

I believe that the management company, Vintage, could address this issue. It's unacceptable to have such a highly-rated restaurant let down by the people handling reservations. Our entire night was ruined, and the only thing the person on the phone tried to do was shift the blame onto me. It was a disappointing experience, and I hope the management company takes action to prevent similar incidents in the future.

If I messed up during the reservation process, I'm cool with taking the blame. But, you know, I'm pretty sure about the conversations I had, and it feels like my concerns weren't really taken care of. I think Vintage or Eric should look into this whole thing and figure out how to make communication better, especially since Resy seems to be canceling reservations on its own.

Ravello can definitely step up their game when it comes to phone reservations. Why not make sure that reservation details like date, time, number of guests, and any special requests are super clear. Sending a confirmation email or text can help avoid mix-ups. Also, just listen, being empathetic, and staying polite, so customers feel comfortable and understood. It's important to have a solid process for handling special requests. Both times I talked on the phone the person was just flippant, which just seems to be a trend in food services these days.

At the end of the day....

BLESS THEIR LITTLE HEARTS...they failed at true Italian fare, and failed at what a high-end restaurant should be. (But the staff is great)

The ambiance was calm and classy, as most of the former bank detailing has been saved. The drink and wine lists are large, varied, and fairly impressive. The menu is varied just enough to cater to just about anyone's taste. Above all the servers and bar staff are knowledgeable, approachable, and attentive. As other reviews have stated, the best thing here (so far) is the tiramisu. Both the LaTur cheese and fig app and the panzanella salad were fresh and well presented. Unlike other reviews, we found the mafaldo al tartufo to have ample truffle notes along with the scattered forest mushrooms for a earthy tone that paired well with our wine selection. The bolognese had fresh and ample pasta, however the "boar" was slight, if to be found, as the sauce ratio was too low to even coat all of the pasta. The carrots in the sauce were not fully cooked (read as crunchy), not yet approaching even al dente. Again the flavor was full and seasoning well balanced, but I found the sauce lacking in completeness and ratio. My only two other notes to the staff are if you offer a drink with blue cheese stuffed olives, please ensure that the olives served actaully have blue cheese and are not served hollow, and secondly, do not serve cappuccino in tall mugs but in proper cups as not to obliterate the frothing that was no longer present due to the inadvertant mixing caused. Still overall very nice, but at these price points attention to these details are expected.

UPDATE: We went as second time, thi as time for an anniversary dinner reservation. We were sat almost outside of the restaurant, at one of the only two 2-person tables on the main floor, between the kitchen and the empty banquet area under construction. It was "okay" until a large group of loud businessmen was seated next to us in the narrow hallway area, then we could not even hear each other over them. Our server also then became more attentive to the larger table, forgetting about us. Add to this the small portions, lack of sauces and seasoning on the pasta, and the entire visit was a disappointment. Zero ambience, little flavor, and we left hungry. We gave it a chance, but this falls well short of the price point that they charge while pretending to be a true fine dining establishment. Improve your menu, your cooking, your ambiance and you might have a chance....or we'll look for the lease sign in the window in three months once the hype is gone and folks realize how "unspecial" it...

A first timer flying in to celebrate my parents mutual birthdays and 39th anniversary. The ambiance is very nice. Former bank converted to a well appointed space that is acoustically sound for the double volume.

Bar - well stocked with the latest and hippest drinks. Drinks were really good but trickled to the table over 20+ minutes.

Service - a very personable/knowledgeable waiter with help to deliver very fast paced food. The desserts came before the utensils to eat it with :/

Sommelier - first Pinot Noir choice was not available - he found us another very tasty option in the same price range!

Now the food- the appetizers were ok- we shared the burr at a and tuna crudo - they were out of scallops on a Saturday evening (both app and entree). The tuna was tasty but a little thickly cut. Some coarse sea salt would have punched the flavor!. The buratta was flavorless - no sea salt, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and was presented on an overwhelming, wilty bed of arugula with a couple of cherry tomatoes thrown on for color - do not recommend!

Entrees - ranged from the branzino (very flavorful and cooked well) boar bolognese with large, flat pasta mixed with the sauce - medium flavor and could have done without the arugula in the sauce. It was over cooked, texture was odd, and did not add anything to the dish positively. The gnocchi (rich and tasty) and other pastas ordered were liked but not loved.

Desserts: first this was a pretty major celebration and we received two cards with staff sigs saying congratulations! No dessert came out with a birthday candle ( thank you for not singing!) just a nuance I noticed. The fave at the table was the panna cotta - not the gelatin layer tho. The other desserts were tasty!

Details - God is in them!

Very nice wait staff but the service seemed odd somehow - not smooth. Items were delivered in a weird staggered manner and the pacing was fast like the table needed to be flipped.

No tea was available - a bit odd for any restaurant in the Deep South :) might consider a nice tea with a simple syrup?

The salt and pepper shakers looked cheap (Waffle House) May consider salt wells and...