Rosalie's Trattoria — Restaurant in Wilmington

So I want to start with the good, as I genuinely want to support local, family owned businesses. We had a reservation for 7:30pm and were seated at a table we were told had cancelled so they could seat us a bit early. Our server was super nice, took our drink order and told us about the special for the night (Osso Buco with Shrimp). The drinks came out quickly and perfectly. She took our order and when I asked her opinion on whether I should order the special of the night or the house speciality, the lasagna, she suggested the Osso Buco, which I ordered. Bread was served and I received the salad I ordered.

Then we sat....and sat.....and sat. The server was great, she kept coming over to check on drinks, refill ice teas and soft drinks. Finally, we asked about our food. She told us they were a bit behind and that many people were complaining about the time to receive their food. She further explained that it had happened the night before as well and they were doing their best to deal with it, but it was frustrating and she apologized. And we waited.... and waited..

The manager then came to our table and said that the staff had not properly counted the number of specials available and that they no longer had Osso Buco available but she had talked to the server who told her I was asking about the lasagna and they would replace my meal accordingly and comp the lasagna. No problem, I said. And we waited. And waited.

We asked about our meal again to the server and the manager came out to say that they had a big wedding party earlier they had tried to assist and that had put them behind. She also said that the head chef had taken the day off and the sous chef were filling in. And we waited. We told the server if we couldn't get our food in the next 15 minutes we were going to need to pay our bill and leave as we had to get our kids to bed and it was getting super late.

The manager came back to tell us someone had accidentally turned off the pasta water so they were waiting to get it heated back up. And we waited some more. Finally, I motioned to the server to just bring us the bill. After waiting a few minutes more I finally went to the front of the restaurant to get the bill myself. The server had it ready and was super apologetic and said that the manager was going to box up the food so we had something to eat but would not charge us. We paid the bill and left the server a proper tip for all she did to help us. It was not her fault.

We weren't the only ones having issues, there were multiple people that were experiencing similar concerns and the owner and serving staff were doing what they could and doing the right things. Comping our meals and letting us take the food with us were genuine attempts at making a bad evening right and, owning our own businesses, we know sometimes things go off the rails.

Hopefully, they figure out what needs to be done to settle things down and get back into a good rhythm with staffing, service and table top turns. Until then, just know you may wait longer then anticipated while they...

Before you read this review, please be advised that I have seen, passed by & been intrigued by this quaint Italian restaurant, newer to the Wilmington area, many times before & I am upset that I didn't stop in earlier. My wife, son & I visited Rosalie's after they posted a limited time special "Lump Crab Stuffed Mushrooms w/ a Brandy Cream Sauce" through social media. Now...I love all things crab & mushroom so this was a priority. What came next, raised my eyebrows & slowed down my chewing pattern instantly.

FOOD: Crab Stuffed Mushrooms w/ a Brandy Cream Sauce; Veal Venez (House Special); Chicken Parm. Although I did not eat all of these meals, I did taste each one in order to provide my perspective. The mushrooms were incredible!! Without a doubt...the best stuffed mushrooms I've tasted in my 42 years of life. The sauce was a velvety cream pool with notes of brandy throughout, drizzled over the golden brown crust of the stuffing. The crab was lump, parmesan cheese flowed throughout & I found myself yearning for the next bite. Wow!! The Veal Venez was flavorful in a white-wine-over-linguini presentation, with sporadic morsels of prosciutto & mushrooms throughout. Our server, Gabi, informed me that the veal was "seared", prior to placing my order so it caught my attention. I typically enjoy veal, lightly breaded with some Italian herbs or grilled with sear marks. This piece of veal had neither, but I was willing to give it a fair chance. The veal appeared to have been broiled, baked, boiled or fried over low heat due to the appearance & texture of the meat. It lacked quite a bit of flavor so I used it as the compliment to the pasta dish itself. Wasn't my favorite. However...my wife's chicken parm was very good & truly wish I had ordered that instead. The tomato sauce isn't like a runny paste that most have. You can tell this sauce is made in house with fresh ingredients. SCORE: 4.3 STARS!!

SERVICE: Gabi was on point! She excelled marvelously from beginning to end. Fast, efficient, knowledgable & eager to make it an enjoyable experience. Rosalie's has a nice asset by having Gabi. Well done. SCORE: 4.8 STARS!!

OVERALL SCORE: Rosalie's will get my business again for sure. Exceptional service paired with homemade, Italian food that is most certain to please your tastebuds & fill your belly. 4.5 STARS!!

IG:...

We've been in Wilmington for about 6 weeks with a family member in the hospital and eaten here several times. The food is really good, and my husband loves it.

Our problem has been that I don't want sauce on my chicken parm and instead want it on the side. It is ALWAYS a problem.

They have sent out a side of parmesan cheese multiple times, so I have to wait an additional 5-10 minutes for sauce while my food gets cold. (There are literally large containers of parmesan cheese on the table, so why they think I would need more is very confusing....)

They also like to send 3/4 of a pound of pasta with just a touch of sauce.....

I seriously don't even understand why??? Most people can't eat that much pasta anyway???

It reminds me of the Seinfeld soup episode except for it's over the pasta sauce!

The last time we ordered a lasagna to go for my FIL who had been unable to eat at the hospital for a month. When we got back to the hospital, the lasagna was LITERALLY white pasta on top (plain pasta...not even cheese) and had maybe one tablespoon of sauce in the outside ridge of the to go container!

We had to throw out the entire $20 or so of lasagna because they didn't even put a ladle of sauce on the top of it.

Needless to say his mouth was too dry...he was choking trying to get it down after being on tube feeding for a month.

Their food is really good, their servers work so hard, we don't even care about the upcharge for the sauce! WHY does it have to be SUCH a HUGE deal to get a small amount of sauce on ANYTHING???

Raise your prices and just put the dag on sauce on it! Please stop making your staff and your customers feel awkward. This is a management problem all the way around.

We've never gotten out of that restaurant for less than $70 for 2 people (before a generous tip) and they've made it an issue every time over a small ramekin of sauce.

It's just constant pettiness over a .75 container of sauce constantly.... Just put the freaking sauce on it and charge whatever!!!

Honestly, they never would've charged the fee if they would've put the sauce on top of the chicken Parm anyway....but I digress.

These people...