Mangia e Bevi — Restaurant in Oceanside

I really wanted this place to be great like the other reviews have stated, but unfortunately that was not my experience tonight.

Food:

My wife and I ordered the Bruschettini and Burrata as appetizers. The burrata was definitely the highlight of the evening. Flavorful pomodoro, crispy fried burrata, but unfortunately it came to the table cold. Our Bruschettini was a mixed bag. The pomodoro was great, the burrata was extremely salty, and our fig jam with pear was overly sweet. The latter of the 3 really did not seem to match the plate. Our server asked how the plates were and I praised everything but the salty burrata Bruschettini. She promised she would relay that to the kitchen.

For mains we had the Short Rib and the Cacio e Pepe. Short Rib was cooked great. Super tender with a satisfying bite to it. However, the sauce that was over it was again EXTREMELY salty. My wife's Cacio e Pepe was a total disaster. Gummy overcooked pasta, flavorless sauce, and overall underwhelming. It's the first time I've ever had something both bland and extremely salty.

In an effort to salvage the evening we ordered a tiramisu. Palatable, but nothing to write home about.

Service:

The service was good, for the most part. I wish our water was refilled sooner as we didn't get topped off until the end of our meal. Granted, we were guzzling water down with the amount of salt in all the food.

I also have to mention something. Disclaimer: This is just an opinion and I have no proof of this. Is it because we mentioned the Bruschettini appetizer was salty that the chef decided to stick it to us with the amount of salt in our dishes? Perhaps...

Decor:

It's a 2 star restaurant trying to pose as a 5 star. Cheap, wobbling diner tables you find at the 24hr Mexican food place down the block. The silverware and plates were something you find at a Hometown Buffet food trough. And the upholstery on the booths was so slick my wife kept slipping down the front.

Final Thoughts:

Give it a try if it's your only option. There are so many other places open for great Italian food in north county. 1.5 stars out of 5 and only because of the friendly staff.

tl;dr - Expensive Italian food disguising itself as 5 star cuisine when in reality it's just not.

We will...

Hello, to whom this may concern, this is not a reflection of the server who served us. She was great. This is a review concerning the food quality that we were served. Me and my friends spent over $300 at your restaurant last Thursday 7/18 and we were told we could not use the Groupon unless we ordered an additional entrée. The first two entries came out decent however I was somewhat disappointed in the portion size. The reason why I’m writing this review is because I ordered a calamari plate to go In order to meet the Groupon minimum. I took a bite before I left the restaurant and realized it was sort of hard for me to chew. I was full and we needed to leave, so I decided to wait until I got home and see if it was any better. When I got home, I heated it in the microwave for 15- 30 seconds and I went to bite it into it. I could not chew any of the pieces of calamari. I literally tried all of them. All of rhe pieces were overcooked. Literally like trying to chew a tire. I have ordered calamari in the past at other restaurants and i have never had any problem. I know that calamari is chewy in consistency normally and I was prepared for that. But this was beyond absurd because I could not chew any of the pieces after 10 minutes of trying to chew each piece I eventually spit it out and threw it away. I gave up and had to throw away the whole box uneated because all of them were exactly the same. I have already contacted the restaurant to receive a refund or credit. The server said she would let the owners know of my request and now a week has gone by and I haven’t heard from anybody. It is clear that this restaurant doesn’t care about customer satisfaction. After this experience, I will not...

So, buckle in. This is going to be a different kind of review. Yesterday was my first visit. I prepared by reading the menu, about, etc. on their website as well as previous reviews. After reading the menu, I expected this to be another upscale Italian place with uncomfortable chairs and snotty waiters. Not so... While waiting for the rest of the party to arrive, I wandered over to the pizza oven area near the front door and struck up a conversation with a jolly fellow who turned out to be Tore, the owner. He shared some of his history with me and was delightful. We were seated outside next to the fireplace and an extra patio heater was moved close to keep us warm. The pace was slow and we were given plenty of time to sip some wine (it was Wine Wednesday - 50% off any bottle over $70 - what a treat!). We shared the Bruschette appetizer and every variety was tasty. But the one with Burrata and Calabria chili sent me over the moon. I can only compare it to reading a perfect, well written passage in a book and immediately going back to reread it. Give me MORE! When I woke this morning, I was still remembering the creaminess contrasted with a surprising bite. The entrees were delicious, mine was Cacio e Pepe with buccatini that was made fresh. So simple, yet so wonderful. Tore visited our table and told us a bit more about how the menu sprang from the memories of his grandmother's kitchen and pointed out the fresh herbs growing just inches from where our table was. It was a night to remember. To sum up, leave your expectations at the door and surrender to the experience, don't be in a rush, don't expect it to taste like other meals you have consumed. Savor every second and remember it the...