Capriccio — Restaurant in Providence

I moved to RI in 1988 to attend Johnson & Wales Culinary Arts school. At the time I recall how often people talked about this restaurant. By all accounts it was clearly the premiere place to go and have a top notch experience with all the bells and whistles. Oddly, in the past 20 years or so I haven't heard anyone talk about Capriccio's restaurant. It doesn't seem people go there, at least not in my circle, or if they do they don't bring it up. I finally had the opportunity to go and was very excited to do so on New Year's Eve. My expectations were high...and rightly so. What a beautiful place indeed.

Sadly, I won't go back. Having been a person that has worked in about every aspect of the restaurant business, yes I am probably a person that has higher expectations than some others, especially a place like this one who should be getting everything right all the time, especially the basics. For the most part the experience was quite good. However, we had a very poor waiter. I've been a waiter. I give servers tremendous allowance and know when things are their fault or not. Trust me! This fellow absolutely dropped the ball with us and ultimately ruined our experience and put a damper on the what was otherwise a great evening out on New Year's Eve, something that I have only done a couple times in my life.

We had a 9 pm reservation. We were greeted promptly and had our coats taken by two lovely ladies. We were seated immediately and visited soon after by our waiter...he did not introduce himself, so I don't know his name. He seemed to struggle to tell us the specials...no big deal. We waited 35 minutes to get our cocktails. We ended up ordering our appetizers before getting the cocktails as it was getting late and we wanted to be somewhere by 11:45. A place like this I wouldn't expect to wait that long...but we did. Our appetizers were delivered timely and we ordered our dinners. The staff that I saw were all diligently scrambling around and there was a general sense of enthusiasm that I felt with both the staff as well as the guests.

We shared the stuffed artichoke appetizer special and my other half had the escargot. He didn't think the escargot was particularly special...we both agreed the artichokes were excellent.

Dinner came and was splendid. Not the best fettuccine alfredo I've ever had....but probably the 2nd best, and that is saying a lot as this is one of my favorite dishes to get and is more often than not, a disappointment. This did not disappoint! The beef wellington was also top notch which my partner ordered and was happy with.

Then it all falls apart. We proceeded to sit after finishing our dinners for nearly a half hour, with our plates in front of us. We wanted to order the crepes suzette and were very much looking forward to it. Not only did our unfinished plates remain in front of us for that amount of time, but we watched our waiter interacting with the table beside us three separate visits without ever checking in with us Finally, I had to track him down and confront him about what was happening. At this point we didn't have time for dessert any longer and I was pretty disgusted. This waiter was arrogant to say the least, which furthered my anger. This was a Christmas gift that I was giving to my partner. I had purchased 350.00 worth of gift cards for this dinner. This waiter actually walked away from me without any apology of any kind. He also didn't respond to my confrontation about how long our plates had been sitting there in front of us. This is not a diner, it's a profound establishment that should be supplying painstaking efforts to details within the framework of the entire dining experience. This fellow fell short numerous times, but the egregious nature of how he handled me pulling him aside spoke volumes to me about what he believed he could get away with. I was an expendable customer in his view I will not return. Planned to go back in February for an anniversary dinner. The waiter got an undeserved 60% tip, the balance on...

8/22/24—As I sat sipping a great cup of Colombian coffee at El Paisa, I decided it was the perfect moment to reflect on my visit to Capriccio last night. Now, I hadn’t set foot in that restaurant in over ten years, and I wasn’t even planning to go. I figured it was a dinner meant for the boys—my husband and our adult children. But when one of them couldn’t make it, I decided to step up and take one for the team.

Capriccio is an upscale Italian restaurant that's been around since the '70s, and it shows. I figured, what better occasion to flaunt my new Louis Vuitton bag? Yes, it’s real, folks—second-hand but in like-new condition. I got dressed up, put on makeup, and felt like a million bucks. I even drove my husband there, treating him like the sultan he thinks he is.

We pulled up to the entrance, and of course, we valet-parked. Why not go all the way, right? The magnificent doors were a sight to behold. I love history, and these doors, massive and imposing, looked like they were made only for titans to pass through. After paying my respects to these shiny giants, I descended the stairs that led to an Italian paradise. The lights on the ceiling sparkled like stars, as if they were eagerly awaiting my arrival.

The first thing I noticed was the sea of white—waiters dressed head-to-toe in white, reminding me of when I used to work at the El Panama Hotel back in the late ‘90s. Those white-clad angels stood at the bottom of the stairs, making you feel like a star as you walked down. My husband, ever the groupie, had explicitly asked for his favorite waitress, Kristy, who had recently transferred to Capriccio. When we arrived, her smile lit up the room like a thousand diamonds.

As we walked to our table, the shiny wooden floor felt so smooth that it was like gliding on ice. I took a quick detour to the bathroom, which was really just an excuse to explore this Italian wonderland. The bathroom had an arch made of rocks that made me feel like I was stepping into a scene from "Lord of the Rings." After my brief adventure, I continued my little tour, checking out the bar in the back. Kristy, our angelic waitress, even gave me a mini history lesson, mentioning that they used to have a piano by the corner of the bar. Her dad used to visit here back in the day.

When I returned to our table, I couldn’t help but admire the adorable decorations. The wine menu was extensive, but I opted for a house margarita—it was better than the one I had at Mis Jalisco in New Hampshire. Kristy mentioned that the decorative dishes on our table were from the '70s, way before I was born. The place was steeped in history; you could almost imagine the types of people who dined here back in the day. It was the “it” place for all the wise guys, if you catch my drift.

My stepson joined us later and regaled us with stories about his recent trip to Japan. Between the dinner, drinks, and dessert—Victoria’s cake was divine, by the way—we spent the night sipping wine, watching people fill the room with chatter and the sound of clinking glasses. They even had decaf, and I was thrilled to learn they could make it into a cappuccino. I was told one of the men visiting our table was one of the owners, but he didn’t look the part. More like the Stephen King of Capriccio—a man with a mysterious air, carrying all the secrets and gossip from an era long gone.

All in all, it was a night to remember—full of history, mystery, and a dash of comedy. And, of course, I got to flash my Louis Vuitton, so it...

Where do I begin with this horrendous experience? Met a friend at the dark area of the restaurant called a " bar ". Outdated, damp and depressing. I was the first to arrive before dinner guest, approx 5:45 pm on a Wed evening. Two other adults at the bar having a drink and apparently waiting for their dinner since they had set up's in front of them. Bartender seemed distracted but eventually asked " how can I help" ? I ordered a martini with rocked and olives on the side. Moments later my drink came with 3 olives and a tooth pick barely holding the olives. Why? The pits were still inside. Ok.... no biggie, right? Total amateurish since the drink ended up being $18.00. Guest arrives 15 min later. drink ordered. Menus that were originally requested when I first got there were handed to us. Couple to the right dinner delivered with emphatic apology for the " long wait". Note taken. Eventually, our order was taken and my guest received hers at 6:40 pm. Mine? No nowhere to be seen. We ordered at the same time, btw. Hers f-alfredo, mine - seared scallops. Easy ! 25 minutes passes, no scallops. Guest dinner getting cold as she would not start before my scallops arrived. Inquired with bartender. " Oh, hmmm " I'll find out" She disappears quicker than Houdini. 10 min.... 15 min .... 20 min here come the burnt scallops resting on top of cold beluga capers. REAL NICE ! I inquire " So, I am curious .... why the 20 minute delay as my guest dinner sits getting cold? Is it not best to serve both together?" Reply " Yeah, the captain forgot to put in your order" Btw, we are now the only 2 people at the bar. The other couple left but I overheard a vehement apology because their dinner was served after a long period of wait time. Get the pattern here ? My drink is empty but the bartender seemed flustered and distracted. Bottom line? Guest food was decent. Mine? AWFUL The service was lethargic and distracted with no communication between wait staff. I could go on and on about how this iconic restaurant has gone by the wayside. But, I think I made my point. Oh, by the way, we ordered calamari in the beginning which were DEFINITELY residual tiny scraps found either at the bottom of the fryolator or lying around in the kitchen. We should haven photos but I did not want anyone to think I was doing so because the food was decent. In fact, quite the opposite. This is an honest review with no embellishments...