Roberto's Trattoria — Restaurant in Sappington

I went to my good friend Wikipedia to look up the word "trattoria". Here's what it had to say:

"A trattoria is an Italian-style eating establishment, less formal than a ristorante, but more formal than an osteria. There are generally no printed menus, the service is casual, wine is sold by the decanter rather than the bottle, prices are low, and the emphasis is on a steady clientele rather than on haute cuisine."

Roberto's doesn't meet any of those definitions. Instead, it tries to achieve the status of "ristorante" and fails miserably.

At Roberto's, I ordered the "Tagliatelle alla Bolognese" or, as I like to call it, "Spaghetti with Meat Sauce". I say I ordered it, because that's not what I received. The server brought out another pasta dish, the lobster special, in error. How he did this is beyond me since I said "Bolognese" twice and further told him I was not going to pay $36 for lobster pasta. But, that's what was delivered. He apologized and brought out the correct dish just a few minutes later.

Which brings me to an observation. In small text, near the bottom of the menu, is a gentle warning from the chef that amounts to "quality takes time; each dish is handmade; keep your pants on". You get the idea. How the server managed to bring out a handmade replacement dish to me in a matter of a few minutes was curious. The first delivery took far longer. It left me wondering just how "handmade" each dish actually was. But I digress...

Back to the Bolognese. The portion was average. The quality was a bit above average, but not what I expected. Also, it wasn't exactly hot. Perhaps warm, but not hot. For a restaurant (which, by the way, is in a strip mall), that tries to bill itself as an upscale place, the food was not. Nor was the atmosphere. The only thing that was upscale was the pricing. $20 for "spaghetti with meat sauce". I'm sorry, but at any Italian restaurant, that dish should be affordable. If you want to try the chef's special at $36 and up, that's fine. But $20 for the dish I had was criminal.

This is not entirely the restaurant's fault. I went to their website to review the menu and say prices on pasta dishes in the $10-$12 range, which I think is acceptable. I did not see those were the lunch prices. Had I done so, I might not have selected this restaurant, and this review would never exist. Live and learn.

My dining partner ordered the Chicken Spiedini with bowtie pasta in a cream sauce on the side. She raved about the chicken and, I will admit, it appeared appetizing (I did not taste it). The bowtie pasta (also untasted) appeared exceptionally average at best, though better than I'm sure Chef Boyardee would have done.

One final note. Our server thought he was personable and funny. He was neither. Then, of course, he got my order wrong. Mistakes happen, but perhaps he should try concentrating on his job and worry about being funny another time.

I will never go back. It is overpriced for the quality and atmosphere. I would give it one star, but my dining partner's food seemed so pleasing to her (and for only one dollar more than the "spaghetti with meat sauce") that I feel obligated to toss it an extra star. My recommendation--go to Olive Garden instead. You won't be any happier with the quality, atmosphere, or service, but at least your wallet...

Meal The meal was awful- that picture is chicken spiedini. My family thinks it looks like the inside of a toilet. It tasted mushy and overdressed. If I could say one nice thing about the restaurant, the bread was good.

Service Considering the cost was $80.00 (no drinks, dessert or extras) for a couple of two the service was terrible. My water glass sat empty for over 25 minutes even though it was placed in plain view. I actually had to track down the busboy and tell him I needed a water refill. (Picture- Empty water glass in plain view ) Waited almost an hour for our meal, our waitress quickly and firmly put the dishes down immediately leaving the table. We never heard from her again until the bill. Not one time during our entire meal did one staff member approach the table.

Advance Request Not Honored - I was hard of hearing and told them at the time I made a reservation and reminded them in person that I requested to sit by the fireplace which I knew from previous visits is away from the main traffic. ( a customer for over 30 years, first time visiting under new management) Instead, they placed me near the doorway, realizing my accommodation was not granted. I asked to be placed in a different location than by the doorway because of being hard of hearing. She offended me by offering me the louder bar area. How insulting!

Problems Unresolved by Management I addressed the restaurant owner to tell of our concerns so future customers don’t have the same experience. But, she simply smiled and agreed she wouldn’t be happy with the circumstances.

EDIT: Response to owner's review

Disrespect to Employees You asked “who did you tell you were hard of hearing?” Just admit- there was a lack of communication. I do not believe in blasting someone’s name on social media. So I am not answering your comment on the specific name of the employee. Shame on you to even want your employee called out in such a manner. This might have been an oversight by your employees but admit it was a mistake that should have been corrected.That is why I didn’t post their picture.

Loud atmosphere - Poor choice for Romantic Evening According to your review “ NOT a Quiet table in the restaurant this happens on Saturday night “ it was not a good fit for a couple celebrating a romantic anniversary, especially on Saturday nights.

Pictures - the pictures being displayed by the owner are from the previous owner over a year ago. Because of the lighting it was hard to take a good picture.

Existing Issues Not Addressed As I said, entering your restaurant sitting by the door was a hearing problem. Of course, according to your observation and knowledge “there was not a quiet table in the restaurant “. Possibly you didn't hear me.

Crucial Problems Ignored You never addressed the problem of food quality and service.

Accurate truthful review You said “ my current reviews are not misleading” I appreciate your acknowledgement- I have a long history of providing accurate reviews. Have never gave a review a 1 star * . Most importantly I try to back up with pictures. Because Pictures don’t lie.

Lesson learned- go to the Hill on an...

We came here last night to celebrate my birthday. When my husband made the reservation he also mentioned that. When we were seated, the gentleman who was filling water came over right away. To be honest, the guys coming around filling water glasses and bringing the bread were the best part of our experience. They were kind, courteous and friendly. When our server got to our table, that was a different story. Our server did not so much as give a greeting or anything. He came up to the table and just said "What are you drinking?" And that was it. No greeting, no introducing himself. I have no idea what his name even was. Once we got our drinks he just ask, "what are you having?" We had to ask what the specials were that evening, it was not something that we would have been told unless we asked.

I had the lobster bisque, which was just ok. I also had a piece of lobster shell in my soup which wasn't pleasant. There was very little lobster in the bowl. It certainly wasn't worth $14.

My husband and I both had the filet porcini. The filet was good, the sauce was ok - didn't taste like a 'fine dining' type of dish. We both had the pasta with garlic and oil for the side. The garlic tasted like it was raw it was so strong.

Throughout the meal I felt like our table was a bother to our server because we weren't one of his regular tables. He was chit chatting with his other tables, but barely spoke with us at all.

When it came to dessert, my husband mentioned that it was my birthday. I said I was too full to have anything there, but I asked for a piece of tirimisu to go. He then asked if I'd like complimentary gelato for my birthday. I got amaretto and my husband got chocolate. The amaretto gelato was fantastic! I was sad I was so full and could only have a few bites. The gelato was my favorite part of my meal.

My photos I've attached were of the tirimisu. It was an extremely small piece for it being $9. It was good, but way over priced.

My husband and I had dined at Roberto's a few years ago for my husband's birthday and we had a fantastic experience. We had high hopes to celebrate my birthday, but ended up having such a disappointing night. Everything was overpriced and the service was subpar, and the food was nothing special. After this experience, I doubt we will take the gamble on spending that much money to possibly have another...