Cantina 229 — Restaurant in New Marlborough

Very disappointing experience. Our first mistake was to show up hungry. As a table of a six we were given a small paper tray of tortilla chips - no exaggeration, there were ten chips for the table to share. Quite frankly I'd be embarrassed to present guests with such a stingy starter.

Our food came out pretty quickly which was not surprising when we saw the small portions and complete lack of sides or garnishes you would expect at the price point.

Some of the flavors were good - the beef and veggie tacos met expectations. The fish tacos were overly fishy and did not taste fresh. We questioned whether there was even any tuna on the tostada as we could not find a single piece throughout the dish. The quesadillas were dry and uneventful and did not come with the BBQ dip they were supposed to.

The worst part of all this was the service. Our server was nowhere to be seen once our order was taken, so none of these things could be addressed. One of us ended up getting up from our meal to go find him and he said he'd be right over. That didn't happen either. Instead another staff came over and let us know that the BBQ sauce was only expected to make it through the first half of the night. Oh well, it's not like we could have waited any longer for it.

When our server finally came over he didn't bother to ask how the meal was, just if we would like anything else. His final disappearing act was after dropping off the check. Twenty minutes later we decided we had enough of sitting in the cold and would pay on our way out. Thankfully we had cash.

If your idea of a $300 meal is sitting on a wooden bench in the cold, eating tapas off paper, getting up twice to find your server, and leaving hungry... Cantina is the...

I was on the fence about how many stars to rate Cantina 229. My wife and I ate here on a Friday evening. We had made reservations about a week in advance and the only available seating was at a "high top" table. We arrived and were seated immediately, and while the table was fine the seats were not comfortable. We didn't stay for dessert because we were too sore by the time we finished dinner. There were other open tables throughout the time we were eating, but I won't claim to understand restaurant management and how table usage is handled on a busy evening so I'll just recommend that if your only option is the high top to skip it and instead reserve a different time (or day).

Speaking of reservations, the restaurant requires a $20 per person deposit to make a reservation. That's OK with me, again I don't know the challenges of managing reservations, but that also raises expectations about the dining experience.

And for us the dining experience was just average. The appetizers (Panzanella Salad and the Chilled Peach and Beet Soup) were delicious. But the Bucatini Pasta was just OK, and the Bibimbop was good but served in a bowl that was so hot that it kept the food inside too hot to eat for a LONG time.

I do applaud the owners for including the 22% service fee to guarantee a decent wage for the staff. The service was very good, friendly and attentive. So overall it winds...

We had dinner at Cantina 229 the other night and it was great. First of all, it was a cold, miserable night, and we felt better the minute we walked into the dining room. Warm lights, a crackling fire in the wood stove, and many smiling faces greeted us. We happily sipped hot ginger tea with turmeric while looking at the menu. After ordering drinks and dinner, the fun really began. My mushroom pasta was a perfect blend of sliced mushrooms atop thick homemade pasta in a richly flavored sauce consisting of I-don’t-know-what. My friend ordered fried tofu. She loved it. The tofu was crispy on the outside and soft and creamy inside, and it was all topped with plenty of delicate farm greens. Steak Tartare wasn’t on the menu that night, but was offered to us as a special. Thankfully we couldn’t say no. It was a real triumph of flavors. For dessert we shared a warm maple apple crisp and a dark chocolate terrine accompanied by beet sorbet. Beet sorbet? Delicious! There is some serious cooking going on here.

I must also applaud the waitstaff, as well as the chef. Not only are they extremely efficient, they create an atmosphere of friendly comradery that permeates the whole room. I’m definitely coming back, and when I do, I’m going to try the black bass. And someday I’m ordering the burger, just because it looks like it might be the best...