Ristorante Bartolotta dal 1993 — Restaurant in Wauwatosa

This was by far one of the most extravagant and tasteful dining experiences of my entire life. Let's start from the beginning:

Walking into the restaurant, we actually went into the wrong area, there was the outdoor seating right next to were we parked, but the entrance was located on the corner of the street. Despite the fact that we had made a crucial mistake on how to enter the restaurant, the wait staff was incredibly gracious in directing us to the correct entrance. Once inside, we were immediately greeted with a warm welcome, and after confirming our reservations, we were seated at an aesthetically pleasing table. They asked us if we would like sparkling or regular water, and I was just expecting water from the tap, but they pulled out a glass bottle of authentic spring water. Leaving the bottle on the table, they gave us their menu.

I had never been to this restaurant before, so I was a little bit lost on how it worked, so if you were wondering let me walk you through it. The idea is that you are taking a two or through a region of Italy with a different courses during the meal. For the entire price of the meal, you get an appetizer, a first course, a main course, and a dessert. You have to pick everything at the beginning, and then they just bring you your food. Being the uncultured swine that I am, I had never tried escargot before, So I decided to take the leap of Faith. When they brought my food to the table, and I tried the dish, it spoke volumes in my mouth. The escargot was tender and very textually pleasing, I could tell that it was well cooked because I've been told by other people that typically if it's not cooked properly it can taste rubbery, but this was perfect. The seasoning was fantastic, the sauce was incredible, and the bread crumbs on top really added to the flavor. Up next we had our second course, I had chosen the pork pasta, And let me tell you this dish did not disappoint. This was quite possibly what some of the best pork that I've ever had in my life. I should note that we were here for my wife's birthday, and we had the gift that I had purchased for her on the table, and when we had walked in they actually presented my wife with a birthday card free of charge simply because it was her birthday, that's what I call service!

We then mosied our way to the main course. I was blown away by how tender the steak was. I'm no chef by any means, so I might not be able to properly articulate how perfect everything was, the proportions were correct, nothing was too oily or overcooked, everything was cooked to perfection. I should also note that there was a decent amount of time between courses, I was worried that because there were four courses in the meal, that I was going to be too full to continue, but there was just enough time between courses to keep me interested and my appetite up, It was as if everything was planned meticulously to the last detail.

Now for the desserts. This was without a doubt one of the best tasting desserts I've ever had if not the best tasting dessert in my entire life. I quite literally almost shed a tear when I tried the canolli. The orange peel with the pistachio, the chocolate, the cream, the maraschino cherry, the pastry, everything formed together so incredibly perfectly. I should also note that I was a fat kid growing up and I am no stranger to the sweets, but everything I have ever eaten in my life paled in comparison to how absolutely delicious this canolli was. I don't normally do this when I go out to eat, but I had to ask the waiter to give my compliments to the chef, and I had to have the waiter write down in my phone what it was that I had just eaten because I didn't want to forget the name of this incredibly delectable dish.

The wait staff was incredibly helpful, the ambience was fancy but homey, All the way down to the lighting inside. If you are ever in Milwaukee and visiting like I was and you're looking for a nice place to go, come here. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that I almost shed a tear at how delicious this...

We have had much nicer dinners at other Bartolottas restaurants with the same price point. I had very high expectations of Ristorante Bartolotta because of a wonderful dinner I had at the Lake Park Bistro for our anniversary (also $75 per person) where the wait staff never missed a beat and the food was exceptional. I took my boyfriend to Ristorante Bartolotta for his birthday tonight and we were disappointed with the experience. They did not remember that it was his birthday, which was detailed in the reservation. One of the servers, who seemed inexperienced, asked what we were celebrating tonight and I told her it is my boyfriend’s birthday. After the reminder, they brought out a card. When we have celebrated at other Bartolottas restaurants, they have had a card ready at the table when we were first seated. I had to ask to have some plates removed at certain points, which was not an issue at other Bartolottas restaurants I’ve been to. The food was pretty disappointing. I used to live in Italy and only a few of the dishes we received were reflective of the unique and fresh cuisine from the region being showcased tonight. I was very excited when they released their summer menu, but I did not like my soup or my lamb skewer. The soup was not anything special or imaginative for the price point. The lamb was not tender and the vegetables it was served with tasted only of char and neutral cooking oil. My boyfriend said his pork was only fat, not any lean or fresh taste. His crostini was not very special either. At no point in the night was I truly impressed with the chef’s selections, menu creation, or dish preparation. My boyfriend agrees. We really enjoyed our desserts and primi pasta dishes, however, but for the price point we were let down by the entire eating experience. My boyfriend and I did not order alcohol to save some money, and at the end of the meal he was brought a birthday mocktail because they thought we didn’t drink alcohol. Considering we could not afford alcohol, it would have been nice if they brought out a cocktail with alcohol in it. It would have been nice if they asked. Some things that could have made this experience better are more prepared and enthusiastic staff as well as tastier dishes. Also, please check the reservation notes to remember a birthday coming in. I truly was not expecting to be this disappointed by my evening because other Bartolottas restaurants have not let me down in...

On 2023 Saturday, Nov. 4, what was supposed to be a significant birthday dinner for a member at my table ended up being the worst dining experience we've had all year, and has been my worst so far at any restaurant since moving here to WI.

We were given only a costly 4-course menu for some reason and were not told that there were other options available. One of the courses was a steak for which the server didn't provide rarity options; one ended up being served too raw for its recipient's liking. Additionally, two of the desserts ended up being poorly made, with a gelato tasting like nothing beyond average, and one cake surprisingly ending up like mostly flavorless bread.

At least 2 of the courses came appallingly late (the very first one took as long as 30+ min after our choices were made), even consistently later than parties that arrived after us, yet were served first; one of them was even seated adjacent to us. For some reason, it seemed as if our original server intentionally avoided eye contact with us as he proceeded to serve other tables, and we may never know why.

Worst of all, when my group finally got upset enough to point all this out, the server only apologized and said, "We'll do better next time," with no explanation of why multiple tables were served ahead of us, and his manager gave canned responses like, "I'm sorry you feel that way" (when it was an objective fact that we saw at least 2 tables served ahead of us), and "You have every right to feel this way," instead of simply zeroing in with, "I'm sorry we messed up our order of priority." One table with a party who arrived after us received their appetizers before us and FINISHED their entire meal before we were served our last course.

The dodging was absolutely atrocious for such a high-end restaurant, and all they did was comp us drinks and dessert (half of which was subpar to begin with). Given how my group had even made a reservation, all I can think of is that they either silently discriminated against my race and/or against one member at my table who faces mobility challenges and needs a scooter to get around. They definitely succeeded in blacklisting themselves among every member of my party, at least for as long as the current management...