Verana — Restaurant in Norwood

I was super excited to try this place based on the great reviews and what I had heard.... but here we go.

The great -- Atmosphere feels like a NYC Restaurant and the interior is very well decorated. The manager or the owner (not sure who he was) did a great job at regulating the temperature in the rooms. When we first sat down we were by the really loud bar so when we asked if it was possible to move, they moved us seamlessly so that was also appreciated. The same individual came to clear our appetizer plates and he was funny and very personable.

The not so great -- While some dishes were certainly more standout than others, it's a bit overpriced. $24 for 4 very small shrimp for the appetizer was disappointing. Our party was excited to try it due to the pictures and because someone had seen it come out prior. Maybe the shrimp were very small that day but it was disappointing to say the least. If it was going to be that small you'd think the server would have given us the heads up. The server had also sold us on the special lobster rigatoni that evening. We were expecting an entire lobster to come out with the presentation based on his description but it was literally chopped up lobster in pasta for $50+!! I understand the high price point because it's a pound of lobster but over $50?? For a lackluster presentation and mid taste?? No.

Service is also very inconsistent. The hostess was great. Our server was fine until we realized he CLEARLY placed us last on his priority list when working the room. It took us so much effort every time to get his attention and he barely checked in on us yet checked in on all his other tables multiple times. If anything the other staff came to our table more than he did. It also took us TWENTY MINUTES to get our check. By the end of our 2, 2.5 hour dinner we just wanted to leave because it was getting busier and louder but I had to flag down several people just to ask for the check. And no, not one of them was our server because he couldn't care less. The one individual who did come back and apologize for forgetting that I had asked for the check I forgave because at least he had come back and said so but otherwise, service is widely inconsistent. Most of the staff is great but there are a couple who really weren't great.

The most standout dishes? The carpaccio, eggplant and the dessert.

It's worth a try since you don't expect this from your neighborhood restaurant but there's a couple questionable parts of my experience which makes me wonder if...

Went there yesterday on Valentines Day. Made reservations for 4 pm, rarely get to go out due to our Autistic son, so we make it early and easy and research for a good chef, etc. And that research was right, food was excellent. But the management attitude needs to be looked into. Got a bit of a racial feeling the way we were asked "do you have reservations" - of course on Valentines day we wont be going without reservations. Before we could say we have reservations under xyz...anyway that was brushed off as being Valentines day. Then in an absolutely empty restaurant at 4 pm we are seated near the servers station next to the utensils area. My wife request we get another table - the answer is "Not today". We decided to just have a drink as courtesy and leave, and made that point to our server. Only after that we are given a better table. Then we notice the manager walking around at every table, and asking patrons how the food was etc. but never came to us. Anyway, we finished at 6pm and realized our feeling of encountering some kind of racism towards a brown couple were playing out right in front of us. So I told the manager and the receptionist that the table they had initially put us on was still empty, so how did they decided very early at 4 pm that we are the only couple suitable for that table. Moreover, I counted 7 tables still empty when we were leaving, so I asked that question too. Explanation was that the computer decides where to seat people. But then what happened to the computer when after drinks we said we are leaving and only then we got a better table? By then person claiming to be the owner told me to "step outside" which my wife and I did. I put my issues forward, the only answer I was getting was that it is the computers which work out the seating, I was not buying that, so I was told " Don't come back to our restaurant" what made the owner (if he was the owner) think that we were coming back? Yes, the food was good which we acknowledged and will still acknowledge that fact. But someone in the restaurant should investigate the incident. I am glad I stood up because I feel they might find it difficult to repeat this subtle racism to another...

Dined at Verana's celebrating a wedding anniversary after a friend's recommendation. While the service was attentive and atmosphere cozy and inviting, we were let down by the food quality itself.

Cocktails / wine: The cocktails we ordered upon arrival -- the "Cocomero" and "Italian Old Fashioned" -- were inventive and strong.

Food: The complimentary focaccia bread with whipped ricotta was unique and quite lovely. While warm on top, the focaccia was cold in the middle. We ordered two appetizers, Gamberi Oreganata (shrimp with breadcrumbs) and Polpo alla Griglia (grilled octopus). Both appetizers were grilled, but were over-charred and bitter. We've had the same octopus dish in many other Italian restaurants done better, with softer texture. We ordered Bucatini con Vongole Calabrese (bucatini with Calabrian clams) and Rigatoni alla Norcina (rigatoni with mushroom and sausage ragu) for our entrees. Both pastas were cooked extremely al dente, making them very firm and tough to eat. Not sure if this is the chef's cooking preference, but didn't help either dish. The clams were soft in a nicely-flavored sauce, but the rigatoni came with a heavy sausage and mushroom ragu that resembled beef gravy. The sauce was overpowering and didn't seem to fit the dish well -- I was expecting something lighter. We opted not to stay for dessert.

Service: We were originally seated immediately next to the entrance, and given the anniversary celebration, requested to sit in a less-trafficked area of the restaurant, which Verana accommodated. Our waiter was friendly and attentive but joked that he didn't know the Italian names of the dishes that we recited when ordering, and needed us to point to them on the physical menu, which was a little strange. Water service and dish bussing were attentive.

Atmosphere: The restaurant was nicely-appointed with floral decor throughout, including installations hanging from the ceiling. We found the seating a bit cramped and tables situated close together, and the overall volume level inside the restaurant was quite loud. I felt awkward speaking to my partner with other patrons seated so closely and at the volume that we needed to...