NOCO — Restaurant in Town of Smithtown

St James does not have very good restaurants. Only good restaurants (as far as we see it!) are Pietro Cucina and NOCO. Pietro Cucina is a normal down to earth Italian restaurant with no real issues. NOCO is just a restaurant with significant issues.

A. NOCO has a 1) bar area with a pretty gloomy bar and a more or less okay little table bar sitting; 2) gloomy main dining area with an odd dinner-type sitting; 3) small barn-type area. So. Every time we come to NOCO with reservations, the front-of-house person directs us to the barn... Same happened today. We wondered why we have to sit in the barn as there were two tables available (empty) in the bar area. We asked. In response we got a response with a rather surprisingly heightened spectrum of emotions (facial and verbal) indicating that these tables at the bar are for some other people who also made reservations (OKAY??? WHAT???!!!) and these tables will be taken in next 5-15 minutes and that we must call next time to have those precious tables. So, after we questioned the logic of that emotional reply, we were graciously allowed to dine there at the bar table. (Heads up. Bar table sitting. You are facing a wall or you are facing the bar. Facing the wall is no fun as the mirrors on the wall are located too high. Go see, you will understand). So, the bottom line, the other empty bar table stayed empty all evening. Three other bar tables we empty in 15-30 minutes and stayed empty. So, the obvious question, WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH the front-of-house person ATTITUDE?

B. Food is not that great unfortunately (after jumping all those hoops not to be seated in the barn). Example: filet mignon with risotto and broccoli - broccoli is great, risotto is good but filet is not that great. Could not finish 6oz piece of meat - yeap it was that good.

C. Cocktails. Very good

D. Wine. Very bad

E. Service. Very good. Appropriate. Friendly.

F....

Extremely disappointed with how they handle severe allergies. Very unprofessional and did not have any concern for me whatsoever. Extremely upsetting for those with allergies and restrictions. Last night I went out with some family to celebrate my boyfriend’s birthday. As we sit down and order our cocktails I tell our waiter, Victor that “I have a severe Peanut and Tree-nut allergies, especially with pistachios”, I saw him write it down as well. When we order appetizers, I also ask him to check if the charcuterie board, shishito peppers and tuna tataki were free of nuts. He comes back to me and informs me that the only concern would be the sesame seeds on the tuna but that was not an issue. When the appetizers come out I notice slices of mortadella with PISTACHIOS on the charcuterie plate. I inform those I’m with and they bring it up to Victor, he told us that “The chefs must have gotten a new mortadella with pistachios, but I’ll get you a new plate without the nuts” , which I hardly believe was “new”. I was so extremely upset with the kitchen and staff, I was obviously not listened to and had to excuse myself from the table. As the night continued to desert our waiter, Victor, thinks it’s a great time to make a joke about my allergy. As he states the desserts he then turns his head at me and sarcastically says , “This ONE has almonds in it”. None of it was funny or humorous. I can not believe this even happened, and wanted to share my story so others with allergies are aware of their negligence and...

I recently dined at NoCo with my partner to celebrate securing our wedding venue and our anniversary, but the experience was incredibly disappointing. While our server Jacki provided great service, the meal itself was a disaster.

I ordered a medium Filet Mignon but was served a well-done steak. When I pointed this out to Jacki, she informed the manager. Instead of addressing the issue professionally, the manager rudely shoved the plate in my face and told me to look at it in the light.

Jacki, doing her best to rectify the situation, took the plate away and promised a new filet. Unfortunately, the second filet came back raw. By this time, I had already been waiting for 45 minutes. Frustrated and hungry, I decided to eat around the raw parts and enjoyed the Wild Mushroom Risotto, which was stellar.

This was supposed to be a special night for us, but it was overshadowed by the poorly cooked steak and the manager's unprofessional behavior. At the end of the meal, I showed Jacki the raw filet but chose not to confront the manager again, fearing another unpleasant interaction. I asked Jacki to take the plate away and bring the check.

Despite Jacki's excellent service, the overall experience was marred, turning what should have been a celebratory evening into a stressful one. I won't be...