Nonna Maria's Italian Kitchen — Restaurant in Town of Halfmoon

Very bad experience at Nonna Maria's Kitchen! I called to place a takeout order and said I would pick it up in 10 minutes. They said it wouldn't be ready for 20. I am very punctual so I walked in their door exactly 20 minutes after ordering. The kid behind the counter ignored me, but I could see my food sitting in the pickup window GETTING COLD of course. You tell people the wrong pickup time because you don't even know how long it takes you to make the food?? After doing it every day for years??

The kid was on the phone and also trying to talk to a guy in the kitchen, and the waitress/hostess was in the conversation too. At least she said hello. I had my wallet out, ready to pay. And I waited and waited. Then the kid on the phone puts the other party on hold. Why didn't you do that 5 minutes ago when it was obvious the entire staff couldn't work out the issue with you trying to talk on the phone simultaneously! Finally the kid runs my card, prints the receipt, and gives me a pen with no ink in it. Had to get another pen.

Finally, needless delay after needless delay was over I thought. I got out the door, but of course THEN I got stuck on a 1 lane road behind a jerk in a BMW doing 10 mph under the limit. Ten seconds sooner leaving Nonna's and I would have been clear of this jerk. He was LITERALLY driving 35 in a 45 zone. After 2 miles behind this jerk, I got a chance to pass. Naturally, Beemer Jerk then decides he will harass me and he speeds up to my speed so he can tailgate me and follow me home. When stopped at a light, I held up my cell phone so he could see that I was calling the police. Never woulda encountered Beemer Jerk if Nonna's service didn't stink. Huge time delay and I needed to get outta there only 10 seconds earlier. I even ordered in mid afternoon, 3:30, not a busy time at all.

Then I got the food home and found it wasn't very good - the pasta sauce to pasta ratio was too little sauce, too much pasta. The salad was tiny. I will try just about any restaurant once but I won't be going back to...

We had the most amazing dinner at Nonna Maria in Clifton Park earlier this month to celebrate 2 of our friends' birthdays. What an amazing experience after thinking about trying this place for several months.

First, the whole experience was just like having dinner at your Italian grandmother's house. So warm, so cozy, so very friendly. And terrific customer service!

And the food, oh my goodness! To start, a basket of warm and chewy homemade bread that I could not get enough of. I did stop after 2 pieces, remembering how much food we ordered. Next, appetizers - Beans and Greens and Mozzarella Fritters. My 2 dining companions loved the Beans and Greens, while the hubby and I tried the fritters. So big, crispy, and delicious, with marinara sauce for dipping.

Next course were salads - one ordered the Caesar and two of us the traditional side salad with blue cheese. Both homemade dressings and equally yummy.

Now dinner: Hubby ordered one of the specials - Haddock Parmesan. I admit I was skeptical, but the bite I sampled convinced me it worked. Husband pronounced it delicious. Dinner companions ordered the Tortellini Della Casa and the Fettucini Romano with Chicken. I ordered Chicken Ala Nonna with no artichokes. All delicious, but my absolute favorite was the bite I tried of the Romano; I have this and the Shrimp Scampi on my next-to-try list. Soo much food - such large portions!

I boxed up some of mine to make sure I had room for dessert - Tiramisu! The waitress let me know it wasn't made in house that night, but no matter. So delicious!

All in all a perfect night - full of great food, wonderful company, and a perfect place to celebrate on a...

The first thing you need to know is that reservations are a must. Nonna's only has 12 tables. The restaurant looks like it does a good take out business. Our visit started with a wonderful waitress taking our drink orders. There were several run of the mill bottled beers and no drafts. This was my only negative of the evening. The wine selection is OK but a glass of the house wine is $11. Now on to the good stuff. A basket of warm homemade bread with garlic butter, grated cheese and herbs was brought to the table. It was amazing. The salad (or soup) is included with the meal. It was a nice mix of greens with good croutons, olives, red onion and a tomato wedge. I chose blue cheese dressing but I regret not not getting one of the house made dressings because I expect they would have been very good based on the meal. I asked to have their chicken Nonna made with veal instead of chicken and they happily obliged. The veal was thin, crispy, tender and plentiful. You have a choice of pasta sides but the pasta is a good commercial brand but not homemade. The dish had a wonderful Alfredo type sauce covering the veal, asparagus and artichoke hearts. It was one of the best dishes I have ever eaten. My wife had the shrimp scampi which was very good but she said she will get my dish next time. We took home as much as we are. We also took home 2 cannoli that were also excellent although they were $8.50 each. The bill was $85 without tip. This would have been a very reasonably priced meal without the wine and desserts. I highly recommend...