Paesanos 1604 — Restaurant in Shavano Park

I came to this location because I had been to the one downtown a few months ago and loved the dish I had. I hate going downtown so I thought it was great there was a location that wasn't downtown.

Bottom line - the service and management was impeccable, but the food/kitchen was incredibly disappointing to say the least.

It was a Monday afternoon around 1:30, so pretty empty. I ordered an appetizer, which described crispy eggplant with a pesto goat cheese with tomatoes. What I got was crispy eggplant smothered in tomato sauce and cheese - no pesto goat cheese (which is why I ordered it). I didn't say anything at first, just took a few bites and sat it to the side.

It then took about 15 minutes to get the salad that came with my meal. It was fine, nothing over the top or anything, just a run of the mill ceasar.

Then the meal went way downhill... I got the lemon chicken after about 30 minutes after getting my salad. I was a little annoyed that it was taking so long to get food, considering there weren't many people in the restaurant. When I got it, I noticed it was missing capers and tomoatoes that I expected to see, but I still didn't say anything. I took my first bite of chicken and noticed the texture was a bit off, so I looked at the chicken and it looked raw even in the very dim lighting. The waitress Coleen came over to check how things were, and I asked if the chicken looked raw to her. She immediately took it back to the chicken and agreed it was definitely raw. She said the chef was making another one and I told her I just wanted the pasta at this point. It had already taken a long time to get the meal in the first place. I finally got the bowl of pasta and it had tomatoes this time, but still no capers and the sauce wasn't nearly the same as I had gotten at the other location. I ate it anyway and kept it moving because I didn't want to be "that person".

I also ordered a "warm apple tart" and it came cold with flavorless caramel sauce drenched around the sides of the plate. It was "fine" but not as described, to say the least.

The waitress was very apologetic and the manager came up to apologize as well, and stated it was unacceptable and comped the food I had ordered, which I was very grateful for. I did finally say something to the waitress about the appetizer and she explained that the menu description is a bit misleading (which was clear from what I was served)

I also has noticed the table next to me was sat down about 10-15 minutes after me and was served their food, paid and left before I finally got my entrée. That rubbed me the wrong way but I didn't sat anything because the waitress can't help the order the chef cooks food in.

Overall, the front of the house staff was great, but the kitchen staff needs to be retrained, menu needs to be updated with accurate descriptions, and they need to seriously work on their timing. The front of the house staff and manager were the only saving graces and the only reason I rated 3 stars instead of 1. I'm not sure if I'll be back or not yet, I'm still sick to my stomach thinking of how raw the chicken I...

The price tag is for the atmosphere. I'll explain why if you care to read- the service, the food, and the experience just didn't make the cut.

The service here was not what I expected. My party was greeted in a mostly kind form, and our server seemed more or less detached altogether. Our plates were served to the wrong guests all around the table, and my daughter's plate was dropped forcefully in front of her. We genuinely gave the service here every benefit of the doubt, didn't make comments just shuffled our plates to get orders where they needed to be, and tipped around half of the five person ticket. Our daughter dropped her toy ( it was her second birthday on this visit) and server's walked around it until I could get up from my seat and walk between them to pick it up. I felt we gave every opportunity for a better service experience and it just didn't happen. Maybe we were judged for our appearance, maybe our server isn't tipped as well as they should be. We didn't get a smile from him until we paid out, so I'm glad at least maybe we contributed to him having a better day.

-The food was genuinely lack luster. For the atmosphere and the price I would genuinely expect an elevated dish well beyond what I can cook at home- but it was honestly just the opposite. The food was not piping hot, beautifully plated, or packed with flavor. It was...unsurprising. Flavors were simple, lacked any aeromatic elements, and salt. Textures even fell short of my expectations- a fried element on my plate was soft and disappointing. The highlight of the night was the loaf of fresh sliced bread for the table.

-The experience overall was the tipping point to 2* rating. The childrens menu was colorless and printed on copy paper- our child immediately asked for an adults menu because of disinterest. The adults menu, however- is no better. The items are in a uniform size 12 font, no spaces, no format. It took a long glance for me to realize there was no sophistication to what I was reading. Our table for five was two small tables pushed together. I unfortunately would not recommend this restaurant to anyone unless the only goal is good lighting for a social media post. Maybe a first date spot- if the food doesn't matter and you have somewhere else to be.

This was poor enough an experience I will most likely not return to update this...

I was very disappointed in this restaurant. My friend chose to eat here knowing my strict diet limitations and told me they had grilled veggies at Paesanos. The atmosphere was wonderful and the waiter was outstanding, but I left without eating one thing other than a roll. I have a very strict diet and I wanted some kind of grilled veggies but all they had was a salad. I can't eat greens so I couldn't have that, due to bad kidneys. Every Italian restaurant I have ever eaten at I could order a big plate of grilled veggies, but at Paesanos nothing.

The waiter felt so bad that he went and asked the chef and the chef told him he couldn't make me anything. My friends and I were stunned. How was it not possible for him not the throw some veggies they serve with other foods in a pan and fry in a little oil and seasoning. Never have I been to a restaurant that didn't help a customer that has a strict diet due to an illness and being disabled eat something. Instead said there was nothing he can serve me.

On top of that the place was dead as we went at an off time so the chef could make something if there was nothing on the menu. I think the waiter was more stunned than my friends and I were. The waited did his best and said he felt really bad and was surprised that the chef couldn't give me any veggies. It's not like we went at a busy time. We went during the early afternoon on a Thursday and got there around 1:30 pm after the lunch crowds. We will never go back again. My friends were regulars too. They were appalled. This is a very expensive restaurant you would think they would help a regular with their diet. Nope! The chef didn't even attempt to help. Very sorry place so if you have diet restrictions this is not a place you should eat at. Very disappointing! My friends paid over $70 each for their food, drink coffee and tip so beware. It would not been so bad if I were able to get a plate...