Pepettini — Restaurant in Town of Cornwall

Our group's visit to Pepettini was dramatically unpleasant.

We came to celebrate an upcoming wedding. When we arrived, the owner seemed wary of us but lightened when we said we'd made a reservation weeks in advance. It was the middle of their dinner rush and they seemed short staffed so we were happy to chat amongst ourselves while we waited to sit and then order. As the rush died down though, we noticed that our server was still incredibly inattentive. We waited 45 minutes to order wine for the table, then another half hour to order dinner. Throughout this time, the server went from apologetic and self-deprecating to rude and defensive. He seemed to think we were younger than we were, and treated us as though we were petulant kids. When we commented on the timing he informed us that "this is what this place is."

After the meal, he offered to comp a round of drinks. By this time we'd been there for three hours and just wanted to move on with the night, so we asked if he could take that amount off the overall bill. Then it got out of hand.

Our party tried to negotiate calmly with the the server but he took immediate offense. He said the owner would speak to us. A few moments later, the visibly intoxicated owner CHARGED at us. He made vocal threats and removed his shirt as he threatened the member of our party he felt most antagonistic toward. We ended up shepherding that member out a side door while pulling a table in front of us to further protect him. The owner put hands on several of the women in our group as they tried to stand between him and the member we'd helped escape. All the while, staff and other guests tried to hold him back. Everyone was shouting. They yelled at us first as though we'd instigated the fight, but then switched to de-escalating the man. Another guest offered to pay our bill (which we tried to refuse) but other guests encouraged us to leave as quickly as possible. Even the waiter was suddenly refusing our money.

The cops were called and a report was filed, but they clearly supported the restaurant. This is a local hang. Outsiders should be wary...

UPDATE:

We hadn't been here since before Covid, we finally came back for my birthday, the first time we went out to eat since my surgery. The decor and service is still great: sadly the food preparation has declined quite a bit. Not bad, just meh. Maybe we will come back in a few months to see if they have upgraded the situation.

DOWN from 5 stars to 4, with food getting a 3. ——————————————————————————

My wife and I had just moved to the area, after living in NYC for 45 years. We felt like fish out of water. Leaving NYC, one of our fears was not being able to find quality dining experiences. Fortunately, our fears were mitigated late on a Thursday afternoon, a mere three days into our new Hudson Valley address, when we stumbled across this place, were charmed by the facade and decided to give it a try.

The inside was equally charming, beautiful old world decor, feels somewhat European. The Frank Sinatra and other old jazz and world lounge music add to the ambiance.

Menu is mostly Italian pastas and entrees. I ordered the pork chop, which was huge, juicy, novel in preparation, excellent. The deserts were fantastic. The wine selection is good.

Service is is excellent. The owner is always out on the floor, and a short conversation soon surprisingly revealed that he is close friends with the owner of a restaurant - now closed - in the East Village that was our favorite and that we went to weekly. It turned out that we were among old friends!

This is now a favorite place of ours, we go there regularly.

I notice that some other reviewers have complained about being overcharged. We have had 4 experiences with an incorrect bill: 1 was overcharged, 3 were undercharged, one of those by $20. I suggest that management invest in some 21st...

Everything about this restaurant makes you feel good. The location, the decor, the staff...and especially the food. The first time we ate here, the owner came around and was talking to everyone, one table at a time. He spent a good 10 minutes with us discussing food, Italy, family...it made us feel like we were at a friend's house. The interior paintings are beautiful, and the atmosphere is perfect for any occasion.

The food steals the show, though, as everything we had was perfect and reminded us of the food we enjoyed while traveling in Italy. The menu is not huge, but the dishes they have are varied and there is something for everyone. My favorite, which may have been a special that night, is the chicken saltimbocca. I've tried this dish in many Italian restaurants, but no one else has made it the way my wife does (of course, hers is the best!) except at Pepettini's. They pride themselves on using locally sourced ingredients and preparing their dishes in a Central/Southern Italian style. That happens to be the way we like it. Their Bolognese is delicious and they even have the coglioni to put Lasagna on the menu! There are very few restaurants that include that complicated staple. And if you ask nicely, they may even cook something to...