Bartolo

After dragging my mother to a barn estate sale nearby in sweltering heat, my palate was calling for hearty Italian food. A quick search revealed Bartolo nearby, which I've definitely driven past without noticing before since it's tucked away in the back of a more upscale strip mall. If it had been a little cooler I would have pushed for outdoor seating (as it was, I met a delightful canine sunning himself on the way out named Bruce), but we stuck with indoor, which was pretty standard. You could see right into the kitchen from our table - I don't know that that's necessarily a selling point or even a downside, but an interesting little quirk. I opted for the red wine-braised short rib ravioli entree ($21). It was definitely tasty - the red wine gives the meat a nice tang, though I personally would have gone with a more tomato-ey sauce rather than their brown butter/sage/sherry combo that it was covered in. The portion was a little small, in my opinion. For the price (and I know it's going to be pricier with the short rib inclusion), I think it should have a few more raviolis. I was definitely still hungry afterwards, which is almost never the case after consuming an entire Italian dish, and I was forced to go into my mother's freezer to attack my Nestle Flipz supply that's always on standby for emergencies like this. I would most likely search for something else heartier to eat on this menu on a future trip. My mom got the lasagna and enjoyed it. The service was really good for most of this experience. Our waitress was personable and came by regularly. I was pretty diligent with my water intake, and my glass was never empty. Always a selling point. About 90% of the way through, I likely would have ended up giving this place a 4-star review. However, the service COMPLETELY fell off the rails right at the end. As we finished up our entrees, the waitress was clearing dishes and asked if we wanted dessert. We said no, just a box for the remaining portion of my mother's lasagna. At that point, all we needed was the box and a check. That's it. We literally were not able to get the waitress to come by for another half an hour. From what I could tell (and we had a pretty clear view of her with the large mirrors around), she was also handling a to-go order for at least a portion of that time, as well as assisting two or three other tables. I honestly wouldn't consider that being stretched thin. And from her perspective, it's kind of self-defeating; you have one final step to ensure a good tip and a positive sentiment from the customer. It was honestly a little mystifying. I think we can all appreciate that waits can happen, especially when there's only one waitress available. It's really tough for me though to justify that lag time when we literally just needed the check - there was no longer a need for any other food or drinks. She did apologize, but it left a bad taste in the mouth to replace the scrumptious short rib. I'm not opposed to coming back, but I'd probably look at my other options in the area first.

We’ve dined at Bartolo SO many times, all of which have been wonderful. The food has always been stellar, and the service to match. Tonight, not so much. My filet (medium rare) was WAY overcooked. Despite telling our server right out of the gate that it was overcooked, not only did she not fix it, but she wouldn’t even take it off the bill (even though it was inedible it was so overcooked). When the bill came and I mentioned that I was surprised that was still on there, all I got was a “sorry” look. For as many times as we’ve been to Bartolo with amazing food and amazing service, tonight was certainly the opposite. The service was impersonal and, when push came to shove, pretty disappointing. We may give it one more try given our prior great experiences, but today left a bad taste in our mouths (literally and figuratively).

Bartolo is a quaint (but not particularly cozy) Italian restaurant with an attractive menu and friendly service. The décor is minimalist to say the least, and could benefit from something -- really anything that would add a little ambiance or character. On a recent visit the extremely bright lights transformed dinner into a fictional detective interrogation. What it lacks in personal charm it makes up for (mostly) in quality cuisine. The Sweet and Hot Sausage Bolognese was outstanding. The Tuscan Stew has potential but falls a little flat without a more substantial base to hold the various ingredients together. The wine list is fairly priced but shallow with just a few choices.