Farfalla — Restaurant in Wilmington

It is unfortunate that I have to write an extremely negative review of our experience at Ellipsis, all as a result of ONE person...the bartender, Sam.

Ellipsis (and the Farfalla pop-up) came recommended by our real estate agent. Being new to the area, we had trouble finding the space (no signage and we didn't really understand the pop up theme restaurant concept). Upon entering and sitting at the bar, Sam was MOST unfriendly...in fact, he acted elitist and made us feel incredibly uncomfortable right from the get go.

We came in for the $5 drink specials (as a marketing professional, this was a great lead magnet), but as consummate foodies, we had every intention of enjoying some appetizers at the bar. I can honestly say that we NEVER have encountered someone who was so unwelcoming and downright rude to us. No smile, when I asked him questions, he was snarky and commented with things like "I worked in NY for years and I will NEVER go back" when we told him we were from Northern NJ. I was literally uncomfortable the whole time we were there so I'm actually surprised that we stayed as long as we did.

There was honestly not one thing that was friendly about this guy and he should NOT be in the service industry. I always try to give someone the benefit of the doubt as maybe they had a really bad day, but we simply could not connect with him no matter what we said. I tried asking him what restaurants obviously outside of Fortuna he would recommend, he walked over to the camera/microphone and literally said "how could I talk about any other restaurant when I work for this one?" It was like he was scripting...overselling us on the chef and the food but treating us like second class citizens. I have been in the service industry and worked as a bartender and server and again, this guy was the worst host I have EVER encountered.

Unfortunately, I doubt I will ever try another restaurant in this group because of the experience we had with Sam.

Oh, and I wanted to mention too that my husband accidentally knocked over a small succulent that was precariously perched on a high top table when we walked in. We offered to help clean it up and Sam groaned and moaned and said don't worry about it and then left water all over the floor under the high top. I again said to him if you give me a rag, I'm happy to clean it up to no avail. He never did go over and clean it up and the water just sat there on the floor under the table. I was worried customers would come in and slip.

All in all, we did get the burrata which was delicious, but only because we were starving.

The servers in the restaurant all seemed pleasant, but again, Sam should NOT BE in the service industry. Terrible experience and we...

First time dining was a wonderful experience. To start, I enjoy the location. Personally I’m not one for downtown and busy areas so this location is right up my alley. We chose to sit outside as it was a beautiful evening and it felt private with the trees behind the patio area.

It wasn’t busy so we were able to sit immediately and our server was amazing from the start. We came during happy hour so we had the option of the happy hour menu. My friends opted for one of each of the offered happy hour menu items and also got the Spritz Flights which were super refreshing and light with our meals.

I grew up on Italian home cooking and recently lost my grandmother who made her Italian homemade meatballs, pastas, sauces etc and have been craving something that tastes legitimate since losing her. EVERYTHING sounded so intriguing on the menu.

I opted for the meatballs, an artichoke antipasto dish and a bolognese because I couldn’t help myself. Our server took the time to let me know that their portion sizes are pretty large and that it would be a lot of food which I appreciated very much, as I know some people will find a reason to complain about anything and everything. I welcomed it because Italian leftovers make for a happy tomorrow.

The portion sizes were very impressive just like she said, and that includes the $5 happy hour menu, you won’t leave hungry! The flavors were on point, and while they may not be my grandmothers… “madone!” they were fresh, intentional (as well as the plating) and definitely made in house.

We were graced with a wonderful dessert compliments of the chef that our server informed us was new, a chocolate mousse with hazelnut, pistachio, strawberry and whipped cream. A touch so kind of the chef, delicious and well done and made our night. I’d also like to add that our server offered to exchange our silverware as we shared some items, and small touches like this in hospitality are unfortunately rare these days but stand out, and she did.

We did receive some unsettling news that was occurring in town during dinner and while our server was the first to inform us of it, I would like to acknowledge how kind & calmly she both informed us as well as checked back in to see if we were able to get in touch with our people. As a restaurant GM myself, there is a right & wrong way to handle such a situation and she did it with grace.

We had a wonderful evening here all around and will absolutely return as soon...

The service was the saving grace of our dining experience.

We went on their set menu vegan night and we were excited to try something new; however, we were quickly let down. The first course was random; none of the items were tasty separately. The soup course was inedible- it tasted like a giant bowl of fake smoke. The following two courses were cold and should have at least been warm. I had to check if they were intended to be cold and was informed they had just come out of the oven. It was hard to believe that the oven was on if the pasta sauce was colder than room temperature. I was starving, so I ate it anyway. Dessert left us disappointed.

Because the food was so bad, it made other items in the front of the house stick out. For instance, they only sold five tables (including us), so the place was almost empty. This made me wonder why they would intentionally sit two people right next to the only restroom in the restaurant when there were plenty of open tables. It's reservation only, so they should have known this when seating. I would have understood if it was busy or if we were late to arrive that someone had to sit there, but not if there were only four other tables that would be used that night. Aside from the seating issue, the service was friendly and attentive. I did feel bad for the staff and chef that it was a low-selling night. It's often why a lot of places like this won't do vegan nights in smaller cities. However, with the food being so cold it doesn't seem like they could have handled a full restaurant.

The atmosphere was also lacking. Unevenly hung photos, drafty, leftover relics of the previous restaurant still in use, and no one seemed in charge of music, so it was all a lot of one country singer and then a...