Girasole — Restaurant in The Plains

Editing to respond since I cannot respond to the review response.

We absolutely had our credit card information taken for the reservation. Im not sure where that came from, but we didn’t refuse to leave a card. I’m not sure why we would’ve refused to give credit card when we were under the assumption this was a very high end restaurant. We left the card number for a 7:15 reservation which we arrived for at 7:21 after calling to let you know we were stuck in accident traffic at which pin the we found out there was no reservation in your system. So your timing and frustration there is inaccurate and disingenuous.

As to the decor, that was simply a preference thing, but when we arrived to a dining room with only 3 other tables seated and were placed right up next to another table and then there was another table seated facing us in a very small space with the music very quiet, it made it feel very very small.

As to the server, we sat down at 7:22 or so, the server dropped by a few minutes later to tell us he would be back to bring us water and bread after he put in another table’s dessert order. It was a full 10 minutes before we were even able to place a drink order. One person ordered a glass of wine which took 10-15 minutes to come out. When he had taken the drink order, we had also asked about the food allergies which he said he would ask in the kitchen about. He came back with the wine and had not yet asked about the food allergies so he went back AGAIN to check. Each of these waiting periods was very long and lead to why we were at the table for 39 minutes before you state that our order was placed at 7:59. As to his curiosity about our celebrations, he did not mention anything about the fact that we were there to celebrate a bride until we had already paid our bills and were ready to leave at which point he stood at the table and asked quite a few questions.

Two of the three of us ordered entrees, two ordered multiple small plates, and one ordered off the specials menu which did not have any indication as to size or price. I just don’t want it to seem based on your response like we came in and ordered a bread basket and complained about not having enough food. The reality is $30 for 5 small pieces of ravioli better be some killer ravioli and it was not.

For the check, I understand that the system makes it difficult to itemize as I have worked in restaurant service for many years. But we were told “the system does not allow for itemizing” but at the end, the story was changed in that he “had the time”. So it was not an issue of being able to but rather having the time. I would not have mentioned it if he had stated that it was difficult or if on busy nights (which it was not…) you have a policy not to split checks. That is a different issue. We were told “it is not possible” and then he did it anyway. As to the tips, each person made the choice for themselves what they felt the evening had been worth in service and experience and I cannot speak for everyone.

Overall, this response making your customers out to be the bad guy is another unfortunate disappointment and adds to reasons I would not recommend the restaurant.

Original review: We came here for a bachelorette dinner and we were wholly underwhelmed. To start, they lost our reservation after requiring a credit card to save the table which just felt confusing and ridiculous. The atmosphere outside was beautiful, but inside it was dated and cramped. Food came out in tiny portions ($30 for 5 pieces of Ravioli??) with poor seasoning a not well-cooked. The service was enormously slow, and while our server was friendly, he was not knowledgeable about offerings and probably spent a total of 5 minutes near our table in the two hours it took to eat our little bits of food. After being told they’re system could not split checks early in the night, he “had the time” to split checks after all which was just a weird and disingenuous reversal. Overall, not a recommend—especially if you’re hoping to celebrate a big event here with high...

3.5 Stars if possible.

Yes I would absolutely eat here again. Charming venue, great service, mostly nice plating.

The Good- Service: 4.5 stars. Professional and expedient. The only criticism I have is the insert menu was not described on the menu or without prompting by the waiter leaving me asking 20 questions.

Pricing: 3 stars. Maybe a little steep for The Plains but for upscale dining about what you'd expect. Huge pet peeve pricing not listed on the insert. Would you buy a car or any good for that matter without knowing the price? Put it on the menu! If price is variable by season or vendor availability it needs to be penciled in. You are not selling a dish without knowing how much you are charging the customer.

The Food: 3.5 stars Scallop Crudo- 4 stars. A delightful, light taste of the sea. For me missing some acid and a handful of bitter greens to really make it sing.

Lobster Risotto- 4.5 stars. Rich, Creamy, Unctuous what's not to love?

Octopus Salad- 5 stars. Exquisite taste and texture don't change a thing.

Cauliflower Salad- 4 stars. Cauliflower is excellent beautifully dressed a great roasted and salty bite. The Capers and Olives make the salt one dimensional and do not add anything to the dish.

The Bad: Food Continued

Soft-Shell Crabs: 2.5 Stars. A generous portion, clumsily tempuraed. Mine were slightly oily and a little thick on the batter. To make it worse a doily was placed at the bottom of the plate to sop up the grease and as it got saturated it adheared to the crab, plus can I eat it, no, get it off the plate. I think an artichoke puree, pea puree, mashed cauliflower with lemon... would both unify the dish, alleviate some of the grease and soak up and utilize the remainder maybe a poached egg to bind it all together. But you have an executive chef, put them to work. This dish is more at home in a seafood fry place. Reduce the portion of crab, tampura it better, add some other stuff, clean up the plating.

Meat Tortellini: 1 Star. Flavor-wise bland, Texture-wise mushy, no sauce leaving the bottom of the bowl a drip of pasta water. I don't think there is any...

Our experience was incredibly disappointing. First, it took quite a long time for the server to come to our table and greet us, even though the restaurant was not particularly busy (about half full). But I understand, things happen. I asked about two different bottles of wine I was considering. The server didn't know, but she said she would ask someone else (the owner, I think?) and that I could taste them and see which I liked better. Great! A little while later, a woman comes back with a bottle of wine and pours it for both of us. Apparently instead of letting us taste, they just chose one for us (the more expensive one, of course). It was a little irritating but I chalked it up to a miscommunication.

Then our food arrived. The burrata appetizer was fine, although extremely small portion. I had the agnolotti, my husband the brasato. Mine was bland and tasteless, his was mediocre. Neither of us finished our meals. It was a birthday, so we decided to have cake for dessert, which turned out to be essentially the same cake you'd get at a chain restaurant like Applebees. The pistachio ice cream with it was very good though.

The server brought the check, and we found we had been charged for an extra glass of wine in addition to the bottle. We waited, and waited, and waited for her to return so we could ask her and have it removed and pay our bill, but she never came back. After about 15 minutes of waiting, we finally decided to just go downstairs and find her ourselves (the restaurant was nearly empty at this point). She was with the other staff behind the counter. She did apologize for the mistaken charge for the wine, and we paid the bill and left.

For a meal that was over $200, I expected MUCH more, especially in the way of service. I should not have to get up to hunt down the server at a restaurant like this! Every aspect of our meal was disappointing, and we definitely will...