Gourmet Italia — Restaurant in Temecula

WE GOT FOOD POISONING! THE OWNER IS AN AWFUL PERSON! We purposely went here because we had someone recommend it over Trarroria Toscana, and now I regret it... When we were leaving this young man was unconscious on the floor and the staff was acting completely normal, we asked if he was breathing and the employee said they called 911 and didn’t answer the question. We asked 2 more times before the young woman answered that he was breathing. This couple entered the restaurant at the same time as us and were trying to leave at the same time. We waited to make sure the person was ok and responsive as we are both medical first responders and once the fire department, arrived we left. Thinking back, I am thinking that this young man was also sick from the food! We were heading back to our hotel which was only 10 minutes away, but we barely made it across the street to target because we were hit with diarrhea, nausea and extreme stomach pain. This was extremely embarrassing and we were so sick and weak from this sudden onset of diarrhea. We were in the restroom for over 30 minutes before we felt that we could make it back to the resort. I called the restaurant that night to tell them me and my wife had gotten sick 30 minutes after eating and was told the owner would call the next day, I didn’t hear anything. When I called back the manager apologized and offered to refund the meal but to call the next day to speak with the office manager about it. I called back today and spoke to a nice woman who was trying to figure out how to refund me since I paid cash and don’t live in the area, and then I got a call from the owner. The owner called me and immediately began telling me I was rude and had an awful attitude towards me. I had been nothing but kind and had explained that this is out of character for me to want my money back, but we were both sick and it RUINED our date night! On top of it, I spent a lot more money on anti-diarrheal medication and electrolyte drinks to try and combat the food borne illness we were struck with. I explained everything to the owner, Alex, and he just kept saying what a horrible person I was. Do yourself a favor and just avoid this place. We did not deserve to have our night ruined, and yet, we don’t deserve to get our money back according to the owner. Really, if you have the choice go to Trarroria Toscana, we met the owner the day before, which was Labor Day and they were closed and he was...

I wish I could give Gourmet Italia a good review, but our experience was beyond disappointing.

We arrived at 6:45 PM for our party of nine, and we were told that if we got there before 7:30 PM, we would be seated by 7:45 PM. Instead, we weren’t seated until 8:15 PM—an hour and a half after we arrived. There was no communication or apology for the delay, just excuse after excuse.

Once seated, the server kept pushing the specials on us, even after we declined multiple times. Eventually, some of us gave in and ordered them—only to find out at 9:15 PM (almost two and a half hours later) that they didn’t even have the scallops or squid ink for the squid ink pasta. Our food didn’t come out until 9:30 PM, and when it finally did, it was cold and disappointing. They still charged us full price for the squid ink pasta, even though what we got was basically fettuccine with shrimp—nothing like what was described.

To make matters worse, when we asked to speak to a manager or owner, Alex (the owner) came to our table but said nothing—just offered pepper on our meals and walked away. We told him we wanted to speak with him after we ate, but he refused to return. When my friend finally went to find him, he argued with her, saying we “don’t understand the service industry.” My friend, who has years of customer service experience, told him that the least he could do was apologize—especially since this was supposed to be a birthday dinner. His response? He laughed in her face and said, “I don’t even apologize to my own wife.”

To top it off, they brought out desserts we didn’t order and gave us 20% off, which we appreciated, but the bill still included the full price for the squid ink pasta, despite missing its key ingredients. The entire time, we felt like we were being monitored, as if they thought we were going to dine and dash. Every time we asked for Alex or even his name, the staff would ignore us and walk away, almost as if they were afraid of him. Our server, Ashley, started out great but later rushed us and avoided our questions about Alex, making it clear that they wanted us out.

We waited hours for food that wasn’t even what we ordered, dealt with horrible service, and were treated rudely by the owner himself. This was one of the worst dining experiences I’ve ever had. Avoid this place...

Several of our friends recommended Gourmet Italia, so we decided to visit for my husband's birthday. We made a reservation in advance, which is suggested, and we were sat almost immediately (it was 2:30PM so the restaurant was pretty empty anyways). Despite being nearly empty, we were seated at a two person table in the hallway of the restaurant near the deli fridge where they keep the desserts. It wasn't exactly romantic nor secluded which would have been nice considering it was his birthday, but it is what it is. Not a big deal--maybe they sit the larger parties with 4 people or more in the dining room areas. The service was really excellent though--our waitress was quick, kind, and attentive.

For appetizers, we ordered the calamari and mussels; the calamari was good and the mussels were decent. We found that they were pretty watery and lacked any real seasoning or flavor like garlic, butter, or salt--the juice was more like lemon, wine, & water--but the mussels themselves were cooked well. Some people like a more thin, wine sauce where you can taste the mussels more--we tend to prefer more creamy, garlic, buttery mussels.

For dinner, we ordered the lobster raviolis (they weren't on the menu, so make sure you ask for them), the chicken parmigiana, and the Fusilli Al Filetto (Filet mignon tips, mushrooms in a red wine tomato cream sauce). The lobster raviolis were PHENOMENAL! Hands down the best dish we had for our dinner. The sauce was creamy, flavorful, and delicious--the lobster was cooked perfectly and sweet--and the raviolis themselves were amazing--you could tell they were handmade. The chicken parmigiana was also good, as was the Fusilli Al Filetto--but like the mussels, my husband thought the sauce was pretty watery and tasted like too much wine. He would have preferred a more creamy sauce with the filet tips.

For dessert, we got the strawberry cheesecake and berry tart cake--all very good, very fresh, & absolutely delicious. Overall, it was a good meal but the lobster raviolis really put it above and beyond--they are the main reason why we would return to...