Umberto's Bistro

Beware

I was absolutely appalled by everything, like the previous reviewer, I don't normally write reviews, and to some extent I feel bad because they are an independent business surrounded by restaurant chains. But everything was absolutely horrible. From the moment we walked in, the extremely dated and tacky decor made we want to run for the door. The server was completely unprofessional and kept bothering us, he came back about 10 times to see if we were ready to order, which we weren't . The mark of a good server is being able to read a table and understand what their needs are, this is something he failed to do. At first my dining partner was engaging him in small talk but then it stopped and he failed to receive the memo. He kept coming back to us to talk at the worst possible moments. Now the food was absolutely horrible, not at all what I would expect from a "fine dining" establishment. The bread reminded me of those cheap frozen loaves you would buy at grocery store bakeries and the rest of the meals were unimaginative, flavourless (or too salty) and not fresh. I think that has to be one of my number one pet peeves when a restaurant serves the same sides for every dish, in this case it was steamed unseasonal veg and creamed potatoes. My pork tenderloin was dry and had canned mandarins on it. All in all the hardest thing to stomach about the whole experience was the price. Definitely not worth it.

Another lovely dinner at Umberto's

Another delicious meal at Umberto's last night, with great service, a quiet table, and an unpretentious atmosphere. A side note, but important, they hit just the right note with the background music. Smooth jazz at just enough volume to enjoy. It was fairly quiet for a Thursday night, but the other half dozen or so tables were also filled with diners expressing their appreciation for a good meal. Beef carpaccio was, like all the dishes, the perfect size portion. My husband and I shared it well as the bruschetta, which was a little too cheesy for me but perfect for him. The chef salad is a great mix of greens and veg with a nice vinaigrette. The ostrich and kangaroo - what can I say - grilled/sauteed just beautifully and mouthwateringly delicious. The Shiraz reduction was a very nice accompaniment to the kangaroo. Both entrees were served with roasted veg and potatoes, nicely seasoned, as well as a charming little fresh vegetable relish/slaw on radicchio. Shared a bottle of 2009 Rosemount Cab Shiraz, chosen from the small but interesting wine list, proved a good choice. We lingered over tiramisu and flourless chocolate hazelnut cake, preferring the tiramisu. The "Umberto" specialty coffee was a lovely finish to the meal. Ingredients were fresh, attention was paid to presentation, and the service was very attentive yet not intrusive. We will definitely be back. (I will try the seafood pasta next time - 3 of the table of 6 near us ordered it as their favorite)

Very disappointing

A friend of mine and I came on a busy Friday night. The staff were fairly friendly and attentive and while the restaurant was very busy, they had to scramble and made the effort to find us a fairly private table. As soon as we were seated, they presented their menus and asked us for a beverage which we shared a bottle of wine. My friend then ordered the Artichoke appetizer and I ordered a plate of pasta with just olive oil, garlic and parmesan. As we had a very late lunch, we just wanted a fairly small meal. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. THE cardinal sin in an Italian restaurant is to serve over cooked pasta and that is precisely what I got. Moreover, they had poured what seemed to be half a bottle of olive oil, chopped garlic from a jar and Kraft parmesan cheese on my dish. It was absolutely over powering and way, way overcooked. Additionally, our meals arrived less than 5 minutes after ordering, so obviously my pasta had been sitting in a pot of hot water for some time. And I paid over $25 for that plate of terrible pasta. I can say I will never return and I am not one of those food snobs. I am not a picky eater however when I pay good money, I expect better food than this. Many other casual restaurants in town offer better pasta for half the price. Sorry, Umberto's, I had high hopes but my experience with your food and subsequent service were not what I was expecting

One time deal

a temporary, arbitrary reduction in the price of regularly stocked goods, esp. food; a particularly worthwhile offer or price: The special this week is on sirloin steaks. The above is from Webster's dictionary. We looked at the menu and I'm sorry I know how much it costs to make homemade pasta and I can tell you right now that I refuse to pay 25.00 for a plate of pasta. We had the Avocado seafood salad. 1 shrimp, supposed to be lobster although I didn't find any and crab with half an avocado and 1 thin slice of tomato overpowered by too much dressing. all for the low price of 13.80 per plate while the rest of their starters were around 6.95. good deal. I had the wild boar loin since it was one of the SPECIALS of the day. 4 very small medallions of loin for 39.95 which works out to 9.98 per slice maybe 3-4 oz of meat total with maybe a 1/4 of an apple diced and two sliced mushrooms and a side of lukewarm veg. My apple brandy sauce had no flavor to speak of. No prices were given for the "specials" if I had known prices I'm 100% positive I would have ordered differently or left the restaurant.

I would rank Umberto's bistro as the #1 restaraunt in the tri city area. The service was attentive, informative, and very professional. The ostrich and elk specials were awesome and my fish special was cooked to perfection! The wines were very well priced and there almosr to many desserts to choose from. The next time we go i will allow for time to enjoy the experence.