ViA VECCHiA — Restaurant in Portland

Delicious food. Pretentious atmosphere. Let's start at the beginning. We made a reservation for 4 people, we thought we were getting an outside table.

We call on the day of to confirm our reservation, and ask if there's parking. Just street. Okay, they're on wharf street, we can understand that. But it is so loud near the hostess booth that both myself and her had to YELL so that either one of us could be understood.

So we get there to find we're inside instead of outside. Not a problem, outdoor seating is limited, we understand. But inside, our party of 4 is not at a table, but at the bar. Not sure how conversation is going to work for dinner of 4 in a line, so we went and asked the hostess if there was another table. Thank god, there was! They graciously moved us to another table, up in the loft in the back.

So we sit down, and it is so dark, it is nearly impossible to read the menu. This is in the evening, and the sun is still nearly 2 hours from setting, so you can imagine my surprise that not only is there nearly no natural light coming in, but there is not enough artificial light to even read the menu.

We start with some appetizers, the Vignola, which is a flatbread pizza with basil on top, and the Polenta fries. Both of which were delicious, we got exactly what we were expecting, and honestly, if the night had ended there, we would have had a lovely evening.

Then we got drinks. Only one chardonnay on the menu, not a problem, little limited, but understandable. Having been seated at the bar for 45 seconds, I know they have an incredible full bar, and asked for a Long Island Iced Tea, a drink that every bar between here and Vienna will be happy to sell you. But alas, we were greeted with our first "I don't think they'll make that" so I got the Brooklyn instead, it was good, not great. In my mind the idea of a cocktail is to hide the flavor of ethanol, and highlight the secondary flavors in the spirits. Evidently me and the bartender disagreed on this part, because the taste of vermouth was the predominant flavor.

Being from Maine, and having zero Italian heritage, we did not know what half of the words on the menu were. But, even with googling, there was still confusion, for instance, the Malloreddus, a pasta dish that is basically gnocchi with pork belly, and some bread crumbs, lists "stracciatella" as an ingredient. Google says "stracciatella" is a variety of gellato. With context clues, we assumed there was not gelato in the pasta dish. Thankfully, there is a cheese, "Stracciatella di bufala" which is cheese made from buffalo milk, so we assume that's what it was.

With some asking of the waitress, who did a nice job not being TOO condescending while explaining what things were, we moved to ordering. Here you would think it would be a breeze, we've been ordering food for years, we know what is typically possible, and what is not.. My partner got the Malloreddus, and asked to substitute the pancetta (pork belly) for chicken, due to dietary restrictions. We were told "the chef doesn't allow substitutions" so we asked if she could get it on the side. "I don't think the chef will do that." Okay, can we get it without pancetta? Not a problem. Hmmm.

I ordered the skirt steak, easy options, how do I want it cooked, let's go medium, I know, it's sacrilege in most people but to be honest, that's how I like it. So the food comes out, eventually, the pasta is delicious, the steak is delicious, the padding of pomme puree (mashed potatoes) was tasty, but not exactly the portion you're expecting on a $40 steak. I don't exactly know where the salsa verde was hiding. But overall, the food was very good tasting.

Then the other patrons starting being a factor. A couple in their mid 50s on our right couldn't see, asked to be moved, but there was no other place for them. So they whip out their iPhone flashlight and begin to shine it into everyone's eyes. On our left, a 4 person table that's against a wall, is placed for 6 people, with 2 chairs on the end, getting our bubbles REALLY close, particularly for...

What a gorgeous place this is. The reviews that mention this - are correct. However, we feel it important to convey the unfortunate experience we had there last night.

We had a 4 PM reservation for five close friends from high school converging from all over the country. Our plan was to enjoy cocktails, appetizers, and a leisurely dinner. As the person having made the reservation at a friend’s suggested location, and the only one unfamiliar with this establishment, I made sure to locate it in advance. It was nearly 90 degrees, and I was eager to escape the heat as I had ferried over from my island home and had walked a bit before arriving at 3:45 PM. At 3:46, I entered the foyer—not the restaurant—to confirm the location and to momentarily step out of the heat. Ashley greeted me tersely, informing me that the restaurant was not yet open. I acknowledged this and explained my need to briefly catch my breath, but she rudely insisted that I “go back outside.” Shocked by her lack of basic courtesy, I shared this experience with my friends when they arrived. We wrote it off as one rude person and my friends assured the rest of the party that we were still in for a treat.

Being certain go wait until 4:00, we entered and were seated at a lovely table; Rich was assigned as our server. With one of us being a restaurant owner and the rest having industry experience, we kindly communicated our plan for drinks, appetizers, and a leisurely dinner. One friend had recently lost her father, and we sought comfort in the restaurant’s reputed ambiance and cuisine.

While the food, drinks, and ambiance were commendable, the service was anything but. Rich’s ineptitude and multiple discourtesies tainted our experience. He does not belong in a public-facing role in any establishment that intends to cater to professional individuals who value decorum and decency. We were disgusted. Among other concerning behaviors, on three separate occasions, he insisted we “could not” order appetizers without simultaneously placing our entree orders, despite our clear explanation of our desired pace. His repeated admonishments were not only unprofessional but also insulting.

The owner, who I do not know but one in our party does, sat nearby, oblivious to the poor service being delivered. Our friend, the restaurant owner, noted that he would be appalled if he knew. On our fourth attempt to order appetizers, Rich again condescendingly asked if we had decided on our entrees, to which we responded by ordering appetizers alone. Despite this, the appetizers and drinks were delightful.

As the first in our party began to order our entrees, Rich once more lectured us on the supposed delay caused by not having ordered them earlier. This was the final straw. As one was placing her entree order, the rest of us promptly decided we would be leaving to dine at our friend’s restaurant where we knew we would receive proper service. The one who had ordered, not wanting to be rude, left her entree order in. Rather ironically, it arrived promptly and she ate it while we finished our drinks, tipped over 20%, then left disheartened and disappointed.

This (somewhat) upscale establishment’s failure to employ people who possess a basic understanding of tact, decorum, and appropriateness - was glaring.

It is a significant disappointment that such individuals are employed there, and it severely undermined what could otherwise have been - and indeed what should have been - an enjoyable dining experience.

As my friend mentioned, he left feeling “yelpy.” As I am certain that he will share his review there; I promised to post one here as well.I always first share my review with an establishment if invited to do so - and I did so before posting here.

It’s a shame that two immature, unkind, and unprofessional individuals could so profoundly negate all of the myriad efforts others had quite obviously taken to convey this establishment’s intention to cater to lovely people like those...

We had the most amazing time celebrating our 11th anniversary at ViA VECCiA. From the moment we walked in, we were blown away by the atmosphere—it’s cozy, charming, and feels like a hidden gem.

Our waiter Andrew was attentive and kind, making sure we had everything we needed. The food was incredible, and every dish was cooked to perfection, truly a 10/10 experience.

One of the most memorable parts of the evening was seeing a long-time client / friend Ashley. She had no idea we were coming, but when she saw us, she went out of her way to serve us all of our food, even though she wasn’t our assigned server. She even surprised us with dessert on the house making the night feel extra special.

As if the night couldn’t get any better, after we left I realized halfway down the street that I had forgotten my leftovers (which I couldn’t bear to leave behind), so I started to head back when another worker, Dylan, came running toward us with my takeout box in hand. It was such a kind gesture and the perfect end to an unforgettable evening.

ViA VECCiA has officially stolen our hearts and truly made our anniversary one to remember ❤️

Drinks / Food Overview:

The South African (drinks): I'm not usually a big fan of mixed drinks, but I had to order two of The South African Negroni’s— they were THAT good! It tasted like an orange creamsicle but leaned more on the juicy, refreshing side rather than overly sweet or dessert-like

Bruschetta (appetizers): I always order bruschetta if a restaurant offers it and this by far was one of the best! I usually don’t like a ton of tomatoes or sourdough, but this tasted so sweet and light and the tomatoes didn’t water it down at all, it was perfect!

Polpo (appetizers): I’ve never been a huge fan of octopus, but ViA’s was different. It was so tender and flavorful!

Lumache (pasta): I order the Lumache for my main dish with lobster and it was incredible! The combination of the vodka sauce with the crispy cipollini onion, calabrian chili oil, & burrata was perfection! Not to mention the lobster was delicious

Squid Ink Linguini (pasta): My boyfriend order this for his main dish and we both were obsessed! This was the first time we both had squid ink pasta and it didn’t taste earthy or like what you would imagine squid ink to taste like!

Chocolate Mousse Cake (dessert): Do I even have to say anything? This dessert was so decadent, but not too heavy!

Affogato: This dessert was so fun and yummy! I love having option for pouring either a add Sambuca, Galliano, Amaretto, or Espresso Martini Shot on top of the ice cream! It paired perfectly together!

Thank you again...