Louis Ristorante & Bar — Restaurant in Saint Paul

This was one of the oddest, most confusing & contradictory dining experiences I've had. I made a reservation a wk in advance for my father's b-day. Once we made it up to the third floor on the slowest elevator known to mankind, we had to yell our name to check in with a hostess who was quite brusk & despite our reservation being for 6:30, we were told, "we'll get your table prepared," & were not seated until 6:50. There were no seats for waiting parties or anywhere out of the way to stand, so we awkwardly moved around near the bar which was difficult for my father who is dealing with some severe mobility issues. We were seated, in a cafe/bar-style booth which did not align with the ambiance of the rest of the place, it's online presentation, the wait staff in white button ups and black ties, the menu prices, or with the sports bar volume in the room. There were 3 empty glasses, so I asked for water and a carafe for the table. I was told that they don't fill water glasses unless they are asked to, and that carafes are not allowed because the owner doesn't like the aesthetic of water sitting on tables. My mother asked about the volume of the room because we could not hear a word anyone was saying. Server said there had been a Wild game & it wouldn't be as loud after those groups left. She then gave us menus and came back later to fill the water glasses and give us bread. My mom picked up a piece of bread and noticed it was cold like it had come out of a fridge which she assumed was a mistake. She told the server and her response was, "We don't warm up bread here, it's room temperature." (It was cold, not room temp.) She added some olive oil to a plate, asked if we wanted pepper, & before my mom said no thanks, she had turned around & was walking away. Because it was so loud, when she came to take our orders, we had to repeat things multiple times, literally yelling so she could hear us. The cheapest steak on their menu was $40, and my father wanted steak for his b-day dinner, so that's what he ordered. We got the crab cakes to share, my mom got Linguine Alla Vongole, and I the only item on the menu that didn't have red sauce on it, Rigatoni Norcino. The food looked nice, but my father's steak plate was dry as a bone. The sliced, fried potatoes, roasted asparagus, & steak sat on the plate as though someone had forgotten to finish the dish. He immediately asked for some steak sauce & was told they were out & only had a little bit of ketchup left. We all looked at her, confused, & she asked if he wanted the ketchup. He said yes, she went back to get it, came over with a cup and said the chef had asked her what she was doing as she "scraped out the bottom of the bottle" of A1! She set down the sauce cup, asked if he still wanted the ketchup, he said yes, she went back, then set it down loudly & was gone without even looking at us. My pasta was near crunchy on the inside, more undercooked than al dente, & although it had a decent flavor, it appeared that the sauce was comprised entirely of the excess grease from the cooking of the sausage. My mother's linguine was also pretty dry, the clams were the smallest I've ever seen, in the shell, about the size of a thumb nail. She said the flavor was okay. Altogether we (3 ppl) spent about $200, w/ tip, on this meal, & it was mediocre at best. For these prices & the demeanor of the staff, any request the customer made should be honored & respected. Our server made it clear with her attitude & treatment, that she didn't want any more requests for anything. She was visibly annoyed when I asked for more water despite knowing I'd want it when she refused the carafe. Server made no comment about it being dad's b-day, offered no extras, & was condescending & rude. Acted as though we were simple country folk who couldn't understand this fancy dining experience. Which made it even more confusing, because parts of it (prices, attitudes, etc) were high end dining, the rest (booth, volume, poor service, staff pushing table around loudly) were sports bar feeling. Choose...

Hands down the worst Marsela on the planet. You use brown gravy and try to pass it off as edible. The steak was so salty that it could be on Maury . Waited 15 minutes for a waitress after being seated in a dead restaurant. And we had reservations. I honestly don't see how you're open with they way me and my disabled wife were treated .On top of the quality of the food was so bad that it probably had felonies.Honestly, did you buy a rubber chicken from the headshop next store and serve it to me? I spent way too much for what tasted like fast food. And My waitress was good. when she realized that we were there. I've been going to this place since I can remember. My family are lifelong west enders. And disappointed isn't the correct term for how I feel. Ripped off is. ohh the 2 stars are for the Stromboli we got from the bar. Almost like Grandmas. Good job. And our waitress tried her damndest to give us the experience that we were hoping for. Never again. Just grab a slice next time and save my hundreds of dollars for actual quality food. Really, that Marsala was a crime against humanity. Too bad to. I love Cossetta's and even their Marsala is ok. A little salty , but at least I can still enjoy my meal. ohh and fix you're parking. With those prices for that quality. You...

Great atmosphere - low lighting and rat pack music playing, however, we came for the food and it was mediocre at best!! Red sauce tasted like a bottle sauce - nothing special at all. Bruschetta was soggy, the meatballs were huge but tasteless and we were charged a $6 FEE for splitting an entree - ravioli- without notice!!! My husband I and I like to share bc most restaurants put too much food on a plate. Our teenage son had his own entree - spaghetti & meatballs - and didn’t love it. My husband said the ravioli were way too salty. The waitress took forever to take our order from go. Place wasn’t busy. It sits on top of a stellar Italian market featuring all kids of authentic foods- hot and cold, bakery and grocery market. We are convinced that Louie’s uses the stuff that’s about to go bad from the market!! We did order a $40 bottle of wine that they didn’t have so we went with a $36 Chianti instead. My generous husband tipped 20% anyway which brought our total to $175 for crappy food - 2 entrees, the appetizer and a bottle of wine. We didn’t order dessert- waitress gave us 3 mini almond cookies as a thank you - they almost broke our teeth yet were so stale! This place pretty much sucks so eat at the market downstairs instead - plenty of tables there to enjoy...