Caffe Rustica — Restaurant in Town of North Elba

Cafe Rustica is a cozy Italian restaurant off the beaten path, a mile or two away from the village of Lake Placid at the side of a small shopping plaza. It is not easy to spot from the road; the customers presumably repeat diners. On my previous visits to this restaurant the service, food and ambiance have all been above average. Not so this weekend. My partner and I had made a reservation and arrived on time, masked up and waited inside to be greeted and seated. During the twenty minute wait we had time to study the environs and noticed that the scarce staff appeared slightly overwhelmed by their duties. Red faces, sweat and a missing bartender, empty dishes next to the customers who had been lucky enough to secure a place to sit. The general impression was one of a construction site rather than a fine dining establishment; one rather unkempt and out of shape waiter wore his well used mask halfway inside his mouth and off his nose. Two other couples had arrived and it was getting crowded in the tiny foyer. Ignored, we ventured outside and discussed whether to leave or continue to hope for some service. We managed to flag down the only professional looking waitperson and asked whether we could sit at one of the un-occupied tables, outside, in the garden. Yes, she replied - but wait on the bench next to the restaurant until she had time to clean it. After an additional ten minutes, we noticed that one of the other couples who arrived behind us were seated at that very table by the mask-chewing waiter. I pointed this out to him but received only dirty looks. My partner went inside to inquire and was treated with a “the more you push the less you’ll get” comment. We left in disgust. A phone call the Scott, the owner, found a polite and apologetic person whom we felt slightly sad for. I hope this was an anomaly and that no one will have to experience what we did, you will not find us at Cafè...

To put it succinctly, snobby and overpriced and deceptive. I have thoroughly checked out this restaurant on their website and knew what I wanted to order and the prices. Nothing on their website mentions the need for reservations, and I had tried to phone several times beforehand and they have no answering machine and could take no messages and no one answers the phone until 5:00 p.m. so I could not learn until I walked in the door that they do take reservations. So, they made it obvious that they were making an exception for a walk in. I ordered a Caesar salad which was $4 more in reality then listed on the website. When I mentioned the website prices, the waitress just shrugged it off with a laugh. After she had taken my order, she asked if I liked anchovies, and I said yes. Then when I got the bill, she had charged me even more money for this pretty pathetic Caesar salad. It came to $16. When I pointed out that it had been listed in the menu for 14, she mentioned add-ons. When I said it wasn't in the menu, she said well I will just take it off and pay for it myself. Seriously? The Margarita Pizza I ordered was basically a crust with some cheese. They were very few tomatoes and there was almost no basil. My experience of margaritas is that there is a basic marinara sauce as well, but this one did not have one. It was also quite a small pizza for $18. It was a hassle to pay as well, because they want you to use your phone. It took a while to get the password and then use the system they want you to. All together, after getting my hope so built up, it was quite a...

I was recommended to come here by someone that worked at one of the hotels in the area. I asked where to go and hinted that I was looking for something that was not the usual tourist fare.

I was lucky enough to sneak into a spot at the bar by the owner (if you know her name, you know) and was treated to the perfect balance of high level service with a real informal welcoming touch.

The place was full of regulars and the food made it clear why. I started with the littleneck clams in one of the most amazing broths of herbs and pancetta that was almost impossible not to drink from the bowl when the clams were finished. The rest of the meal was equally well thought out and executed even with some distractions and delays (due to conversations with some friends that came in) in the pace of my finishing courses, each dish was fired perfectly and was placed in front of me right at the perfect time. Pure goldilocks without me feeling like I was either waiting or rushed. If you know the industry, this is a magical accomplishment.

This meal and experience was the perfect way to enjoy incredibly designed and executed dining after a day when I needed exactly that.

To the owner that shall not be named (or at least named incorrectly by some patrons), thank you for such a great experience in my short visit to your...